Abstract
The present work aims at quantifying and enhancing the flowability of cohesive metal powders, in particular aluminium powders, for their use in Additive Manufacturing processes such as Laser Metal Deposition. A flowability criterion, the population-dependent granular Bond number, is calculated for various metal powder samples, which are then tested with a funnel flowmeter under vibrational assistance. It is demonstrated that vibrations at a specific frequency can help trigger and sustain the flow of cohesive metal powders. Another way of enhancing powder flowability is achieved through heat treatment. A significant improvement in flowability is measured for a specific time-temperature setting, thereby enabling the use of a cohesive Al-Cu powder with the Laser Metal Deposition process.
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