The water atomization process, where a molten metal stream is disintegrated by multiple waterjets. The angle determines the efficiency of the atomization process. Source: Fundamentals of Powder Metallurgy, Metal Powders Industries Federation. I never gave much thought to the manner in which steel billet and rod is manufactured. Sure, I’ve marveled over the years at the sparks-flying, molten-metal, glowing-red videos of steel mills in action. And I vaguely remember attending a semester of Metallurgy 101 somewhere along the line. But all I really cared about during my machining days was how quickly and accurately I could remove material from whatever Inconel, 316 stainless steel, or Ti-6Al-4V part I happened to be working on. With all the stories I’ve written on 3D printing over the past few years, though, I’ve come to wonder about the flour-fine powdered metal used in EOS, Concept Laser, 3D Systems, Renishaw, SLM Systems, and, most […]

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