Pre-alloyed Powder Research Articles

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hypereutectic Al-High Si Alloys up to 70 wt.% Si-Content Produced from Pre-Alloyed and Blended Powder via Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Hypereutectic Al-high Si alloys are of immense interest for applications in the automotive, space or electronic industries, due their low weight, low thermal expansion, and excellent mechanical and tribological properties. Additionally, their production by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology provides high flexibility in geometrical design and alloy composition. Since, most of the alloy properties could be improved by increasing the Si content, there is much interest in discovering the maximum that could be realized in LBPF Al-high Si alloys, without the appearance of any material failure. For this reason, in this work the production of Al-high Si alloys with extremely high silicon content of up to 70 wt.% was fundamentally investigated with respect to microstructure and mechanical properties. Highly dense (99.3%) and crack-free AlSi50 samples (5 × 5 × 5 mm3), with excellent hardness (225 HV5) and compressive strength (742 MPa), were successfully produced. Further, for the first time, AlSi70 LBPF samples of high density (98.8%) without cracks were demonstrated, using moderate scanning velocities. Simultaneously, the hardness and the compressive strength in the AlSi70 alloys were significantly improved to 350 HV5 and 935 MPa, as a result of the formation of a continuous Si network in the microstructure of the alloy. With respect to the powder source, it was found that the application of powder blends resulted in similar alloy properties as if pre-alloyed powders were used, enabling higher flexibility in prospective application-oriented alloy development.

Eutectic, precipitation-strengthened alloy via laser fusion of blends of Al-7Ce-10Mg (wt.%), Zr, and Sc powders

Laser powder-bed fusion was used to create an Al-7Ce-10Mg-0.71Zr-0.23Sc (wt.%) alloy, using hypoeutectic Al-7Ce-10Mg (wt.%) pre-alloyed powder blended with either elemental Zr and Sc powders (∼20 µm in size), or pre-alloyed, concentrated Al-10Zr and Al-10Sc (wt.%) powders (comprised of 1-5 µm Al3Zr or Al3Sc particles embedded in a <45 μm Al-rich matrix). The effects of process parameters and powder selection on the homogeneity of the as-fabricated microstructure were investigated via metallography and compared to predictions from a simple numerical model describing the dissolution of Zr powders in the melt pool during printing. Both experiments and model show that decreasing scan speed leads to greater dissolution of Zr and Sc, but remelting has no significant effect. The samples produced with Al-10Zr and Al-10Sc powder additions show greater amounts of Zr and Sc dissolution than those produced with elemental Zr and Sc additions, because of the smaller size (5 µm for prealloyed vs. 20 µm for elemental) and lower melting point (1580 and 1320°C for Al3Zr, Al3Sc vs. 1850 and 1541°C for Zr, Sc) of the dissolving species. The alloys fabricated with prealloyed powders display larger amounts of very fine grains (1-2 µm) nucleated by primary L12 Al3(Zr,Sc) precipitates, and a clear hardening response during aging, consistent with supersaturated Zr and Sc forming a high number density of secondary L12 Al3(Zr,Sc) nanoprecipitates.

Effect of Mo on the morphology, microstructure and mechanical properties of NbTa0.5TiMox refractory high entropy alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion using elemental mixed powders

The production of refractory metal pre-alloy powder is difficult and the related production cost is high. In this paper, NbTa0.5TiMox series refractory high entropy alloy was prepared by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) with elemental mixed powders. The effects of Mo content on the morphology, microstructure, hardness, density, and compression properties of the NbTa0.5TiMox alloy were studied. All NbTa0.5TiMox alloys fabricated by L-PBF present a single-phase BCC. Typical dendrites are formed within the grains and the elements are enriched in the dendrite trunk and inter-dendrite region from inside to outside depends on the melting point of the different materials. It was observed that the Mo content improves significantly the hardness and compressive strength of the alloy by solution strengthening. NbTa0.5TiMo1.0 alloy has the highest yield strength (1609 MPa), but with reduced ductility, while NbTa0.5TiMox (x ≤ 0.5) alloy has excellent ductility (e > 80%) at room temperature. The increase in Mo content leads to the increase of cracks, pores and non-penetration defects, resulting in the loss of sustained strength & ductility and decrease in density. The results provide a basis for the design and preparation of ductile refractory high entropy alloys by L-PBF of elemental mixed powders.

Effects of nano scale Y2O3 additions on microstructural stability and mechanical properties of equiatomic CoCrCuFeNi based high entropy alloys

The use of a blend of pre-alloyed powder aggregate with a measured amount of nano-dispersoids is a powerful method to fabricate near-net-shaped components via the Powder metallurgy route. In the current investigation, CoCrCuFeNi -based multicomponent alloys with controlled addition of Y2O3 (Y2O3 wt. % = 0, 1, 2 and 3) were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) and subsequently consolidated by vacuum hot pressing (VHP). The effect of the Y2O3 addition of the as-sintered Y2O3 dispersed CoCrCuFeNi aggregate on the microstructural and mechanical characteristics was investigated to better understand their behaviour. The XRD analysis confirms that the as-prepared oxide dispersion strengthened high entropy alloy (ODS-HEAs) including the base HEA, and established a metastable nanostructure after the MA process. The microstructure eventually turned up into a thermodynamically stable aggregate once it is hot pressed. In addition, following 30 h of MA in CoCrCuFeNi HEA with 2 wt% and 3 wt% Y2O3, a stable intermetallic phase of Co14.2Cr2.7Y2 and an FCC phase were observed, but with 0 wt% and 1 wt% Yttria addition, only an FCC phase was observed. During the milling of CoCrCuFeNi HEA, the average particle size decreases from 13.864 μm to 9.541 μm (start to the end of the milling process). Furthermore, for 3 wt % Y2O3 dispersed CoCrCuFeNi ODS-HEA, the change in particle size is from 15.582 μm to 5.712 μm at the start and end of milling, respectively, indicating that the particle size has decreased to much lower values compared to base HEA. After increasing the amount of Y2O3 added from 0 to 3 wt %, there was a significant increase in the microhardness of CoCrCuFeNi HEA from 370 ± 6 HV to 548 ± 5 HV. Higher Yttria wt.% (2 wt% and 3 wt%) was found to result in the formation of complex intermetallic Co14.2Cr2.7Y2 particles, which were able to pin the migration of the grain boundaries during sintering due to their high thermal stability, and were thus responsible for the increase in hardness for these alloys.

EFFECT OF SINTER HARDENING ON MICROSTRUCTUREAND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ASTALOY 85Mo

Effect of sinter hardening on the microstructure, density, hardness and tensile properties of Astaloy 85Mo+0.7% graphite was investigated. For this purpose, Astaloy 85Mo, a pre-alloyed powder, was mixed with 0.7% UF4 graphite and then pressed in single action die and sintered at 1120 °C for 30 min in N2-10% H2 atmosphere. Then samples were cooled from 0.5 to 3 °C/s sintering temperature in accordance with different cooling rates. The difference in microstructure, hardness, density and tensile properties of the samples associated with different cooling rates from sintering temperature has been investigated. The results show that the microstructure remains bainitic by changing cooling rate, but it becomes finer and then the hardness and tensile strength of the samples will increase by increasing the cooling rate from sintering temperature.

Characterization of Aluminium-based alloy starting powders morphology for the synthesis of rail components through Selective Laser Melting

Additive manufacturing is widely acknowledged as a popular fourth-industrial revolution technology used in the production of parts attributed to its numerous advantages. Hence, Selective Laser Melting of AlSi12 alloy presents a unique advantage in producing components with high density and minimal cracks or the initiation of stress. Selective laser melting is also an excellent technique for prototyping functional components. However, the process requires multiple heating cycles because it undergoes chemical and physical changes which causes variations in the powder performance and characteristics. This may lead to powder inconsistency, reactivity, and contamination. The properties of additively manufactured parts depend on the powder morphology and granulometry thus making the powders have significant advantages over standard production materials, however, there are certain restrictions in additive manufacturing. Hence, this study explores the characterization of aluminum-based alloy starting pre-alloyed powders for the synthesis of rail components using selective laser melting technology. It investigates the morphology of starting powders for the synthesis of rail components through selective laser melting. The powders were weighed accurately by using stoichiometry to make up the desired compositions. The mixing was carried out by the tubular mixer at 49 rpm for the period of 1, 4, and 8 hours, to get a uniform distribution of the alloy constituent in a dry environment at room temperature. This study aims at determining powder fitness before fabrication to ensure consistency and part quality through powder quality control, powder process optimization, and cost reduction. Morphology and qualitative phase analysis of the starting and mixed powders will be examined by X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, JSM-7600F, Jeol, Japan) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). The findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the SLM process for rail component synthesis using aluminum-based prealloyed powders. This study contributes to the advancement of additive manufacturing techniques for the railway industry, and potentially for other industries as well.

Laser powder bed fusion of a non-equiatomic FeNiCoAl-based high-entropy alloy: Printability, microstructure, and mechanical properties

In this work, the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process has been applied to fabricate the FeCoNiAlTaB (NCATB) high entropy alloys. The influence of process parameters including laser power and scanning speed on the relative density and microstructure were investigated. A sample with relative density of 99.8% can be achieved by optimal process parameters with laser power of 120 W and scanning speed of 800 mm/s. It can be found that the NCATB alloy maintains the FCC single-phase structure at different parameters, which is consistent with the pre-alloyed powder. According to the tensile test results, samples fabricated with different direction show similarity in strength and anisotropy in plasticity. Therefore, the causes of mechanical property anisotropy are discussed in terms of strengthening mechanism, texture and defects, separately. Compare to the as-cast samples, the printed samples show a substantial improvement in mechanical properties, which was contribute to the grain refinement, fine cellular morphology and high dislocation density.

Tensile properties and deformation behavior of an extra-low interstitial fine-grained powder metallurgy near alpha titanium alloy by recycling coarse pre-alloyed powder

An extra-low interstitial near alpha alloy Ti−3Al−2Zr−2Mo (wt%) was fabricated by hydrogenation and thermomechanical consolidation (TMC) of the coarse and spherical pre-alloyed powder with particle sizes of 60 to 270 μm. The coarse powder is a byproduct of pre-alloyed powder produced for selective laser and electron beam additive manufacturing. The TMC process involves powder compaction, fast sintering, in-situ dehydrogenation and an immediate hot extrusion to form a fully dense and fine-grained martensitic microstructure. Further dehydrogenation in vaccum at 700 °C converted the martensitic microstructure into an interwoven α/β microstructure which exhibited an improved yield strength, apparent necking and premature cracking at grain boundary α (αGB) ribbons. A further annealing of 880 °C/1 h/AC led to the formation of a fine-grained α/βt composite structure, which achieved an enhance ultimate tensile strength of 835 MPa and excellent tensile ductility of 16.0%. Analysis of the deformation behavior of the alloy in different states revealed that the α/βt composite structures brought about an enhanced strain hardening capability by heterogeneous deformation effect of hard βt and soft α-laths, which inhibited the formation of microcracks and consequently improved the coordinated deformation.

Printability and microstructure of Fe doped NiTi shape memory alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

NiTiFe shape memory alloy was fabricated by laser powder bed fusion technique via mechanically mixed pure Fe and pre-alloyed NiTi powders. High volumetric energy density related to the low laser power coupled with low scanning speed was benefit for the good printability of NiTiFe alloy, which was attributed to the sufficient fusion of mixed powders. On the basis, the refined columnar grains with weakened texture were obtained. These results confirmed that the additive manufacturing of ternary NiTiFe alloys could be achieved by low-cost mixed powder feedstocks, the printability and microstructure of which could be adjusted by manufacturing process parameters.

Study on the preparation of Ni Al intermetallic-bonded diamond grinding block and grinding performance for sapphire

At present, high-quality thinning processing of sapphire puts forward higher requirements on the sharpness and shape retention of diamond grinding wheels. There is thereby an urgent need to find a kind of bond material with moderate holding force on diamond to promote the performance of diamond grinding wheels. In this study, a novel NiAl intermetallic-bonded diamond grinding block is developed. NiAl gas-atomized pre-alloyed powders are used as bonds to endow materials with lower oxygen content and great flexural strength. Moreover, Cu3Sn with low melting point is introduced in the diamond grinding block to reduce sintering temperature and thermal damage of diamond. The NiAl intermetallic-bonded diamond grinding block containing 5 wt% Cu3Sn with flexural strength of 89 MPa and porosity of 0.67 % presents the best grinding performance for sapphire. After grinding, the wear rate, wear ratio and surface roughness of the sapphire are 319.93 mm3/min, 36.9 and 1.09 μm, respectively. The proper holding force of bonds on the diamond ensures that diamonds could fall off when the edges become slightly blunt, which contributes to the great sharpness and shape retention of grinding blocks.

Interface Characterization of Bimetallic Ti-6Al-4V/Ti2AlNb Structures Prepared by Selective Laser Melting.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) of multimaterial components is a promising way of fabricating parts with improved functional properties. It allows for the combination of materials with different properties into a single component. The Ti2AlNb-based intermetallic alloy provides high temperature strength, while the Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) alloy has good fracture toughness, ductility, and a relatively low cost. A combination of these alloys into a single component can be used to produce advanced multimaterial parts. In this work, Ti2AlNb/Ti-6Al-4V bimetallic structures were fabricated from pre-alloyed powders using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. The effects of high-temperature substrate preheating, post-processing by annealing, and hot isostatic pressing on defect formation, the microstructural evolution of the interface area, and the mechanical properties of the bimetallic samples were investigated. High-temperature substrate preheating during the SLM process was necessary to prevent reheat cracking of the Ti2AlNb part, while annealing and hot isostatic pressing post-processing improved the chemical and microstructural homogeneity of the transition zone and enhanced the tensile properties of the bimetallic structure.

An Experimental Evaluation of The Three Types of Corrosion, Passivation, Pitting, and Uniform Corrosion, by Electrodeposited Chromium-Nano Diamond Composite Coating on Porous Materials

Incorporation of nano scale particles in coatings of metals are known as nano composite coatings are a new form of materials with enhanced hardness, wear, and corrosion resistances. In this study, pre-alloy metal powder metallurgy specimens were subjected to electrolytic coating of pure chromium and Cr-ND (Chromium-nano diamond). The influences of the co-deposited ND particles on passivation, pitting and uniform corrosion behavior of the chromium coatings were experimentally inspected and compared with pure chromium coating and non-coated specimens. The corrosion behaviors of the samples were analyzed by Polarization Resistance, Cyclic Voltammetry and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy measurement methods under 3.5 %wt. NaCl solution. Furthermore, characterization tests were carried out using an optical microscope, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), EDS (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy), XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscope). According to the obtained results, it was observed that as compared to pure chromium coatings and non-coated specimens, a convincing improvement in the corrosion behavior of the Cr-ND coatings was obtained because of the incorporation of the ND particles in the chromium matrix.

A precipitation-strengthened high-entropy alloy prepared by selective laser melting in-situ alloying and post-heat treatment

Achieving a superior strength-ductility combination for face-centered-cubic (FCC) single-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with outstanding ductility is challenging. However, precipitation strengthening provides an effective method to achieve this. In this study, (CoCrFeNi)94Al3Ti3 HEA was prepared by selective laser melting (SLM) and in-situ alloying of a blend of CoCrFeNi pre-alloyed powders and Al, Ti elemental powders. The blended powders show excellent printability and the as-printed sample exhibits good comprehensive tensile properties, of which the yield strength is 744 MPa, ultimate tensile strength is 901 MPa and the uniform elongation is 25.1%. After aging treatment, the tensile strength of the as-printed sample increased significantly. More importantly, the analysis of the strengthening mechanism reveals that the high-density nano-scale L12-(Ni, Co)3(Al, Ti)-type particles with two different morphologies contribute most of the improved strength for the aged sample. In addition to the strengthening effect from the coherent L12 nanoparticles, both grain refinement due to the occurrence of partial recrystallization and remaining dislocations after aging treatment also improved the strength of the aged sample, with the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength determined as 1164 MPa and 1503 MPa, respectively. Moreover, L21 and σ phases were also introduced into the aged sample, but these incoherent brittle phases without causing serious embrittlement due to their low volume fractions; therefore, the aged sample still achieved a tensile ductility of 10.1%.

Advancements in the Additive Manufacturing of Magnesium and Aluminum Alloys through Laser-Based Approach.

Complex structures can now be manufactured easily utilizing AM technologies to meet the pre-requisite objectives such as reduced part numbers, greater functionality, and lightweight, among others. Polymers, metals, and ceramics are the few materials that can be used in AM technology, but metallic materials (Magnesium and Aluminum) are attracting more attention from the research and industrial point of view. Understanding the role processing parameters of laser-based additive manufacturing is critical to maximize the usage of material in forming the product geometry. LPBF (Laser powder-based fusion) method is regarded as a potent and effective additive manufacturing technique for creating intricate 3D forms/parts with high levels of precision and reproducibility together with acceptable metallurgical characteristics. While dealing with LBPF, some degree of porosity is acceptable because it is unavoidable; hot ripping and cracking must be avoided, though. The necessary manufacturing of pre-alloyed powder and ductility remains to be the primary concern while dealing with a laser-based additive manufacturing approach. The presence of the Al-Si eutectic phase in AlSi10Mg and AlSi12 alloy attributing to excellent castability and low shrinkage, attaining the most attention in the laser-based approach. Related studies with these alloys along with precipitation hardening and heat treatment processing were discussed. The Pure Mg, Mg-Al alloy, Mg-RE alloy, and Mg-Zn alloy along with the mechanical characteristics, electrochemical durability, and biocompatibility of Mg-based material have been elaborated in the work-study. The review article also summarizes the processing parameters of the additive manufacturing powder-based approach relating to different Mg-based alloys. For future aspects, the optimization of processing parameters, composition of the alloy, and quality of powder material used will significantly improve the ductility of additively manufactured Mg alloy by the LPBF approach. Other than that, the recycling of Mg-alloy powder hasn't been investigated yet. Meanwhile, the post-processing approach, including a homogeneous coating on the porous scaffolds, will mark the suitability in terms of future advancements in Mg and Al-based alloys.

Powder bed fusion manufacturing of beta-type titanium alloys for biomedical implant applications: A review

Thanks to many fascinating properties, such as high mechanical properties, good corrosion resistance, and excellent biocompatibility, beta-type Ti alloys are frequently employed as biomedical implants. In recent decades, rapidly developed powder bed fusion (PBF) technologies have become new methods for fabricating beta-type Ti alloys. This article reviews the recent advances and insightful perspectives on the feedstock powder characteristics (e.g., pre-alloyed powder and elemental powder mixtures), microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of PBF-produced beta-type Ti alloys in the forms of bulk solid parts and lattice structures. As reviewed, PBF-produced bulk beta-type Ti alloys exhibit higher strength than their conventional counterparts, accompanying with slight decrease in the maximum deformation strain. The corrosion behavior of PBF-produced bulk beta-type Ti alloys with the identical corresponding chemical compositions is related to their phase constituents in microstructure, which results from the fabrication methods or processing procedures. Additionally, PBF-produced bulk beta-type Ti alloys still have higher elastic moduli than the human bones. Hence, with the assistance of PBF technologies, lattice structures of beta-type Ti alloys with lower and controllable moduli are developed to obtain reduced their elastic moduli. For biomedical implant applications, PBF-produced lattice structures of beta-type Ti alloys with multifunctional coatings may become promising materials in the future. Nevertheless, the investigations on the PBF-produced beta-type Ti alloys for biomedical implant applications are hitherto still in the initial stage.

Aluminium-Assisted Alloying of Carbon Steel in Submerged Arc Welding with Al-Cr-Ni Unconstrained Metal Powders: Thermodynamic Interpretation of Gas Reactions

Unconstrained metal powders of chromium and nickel, in combination with aluminium, were used in the submerged arc welding (SAW) process to simplify weld metal alloying. Unconstrained metal powders refer to non-alloyed metal powders that are not constrained in tubular wire, such as fluxed-cored and metal-cored wire. Aluminium powder is used to control the oxygen potential at the molten flux–weld pool interface. The results presented here show that the addition of aluminium powder to the weld metal enhances Cr and Ni yields to 89% for Cr and 91% for Ni, compared to lower values reported in pre-alloyed powder application. Alloying of the carbon steel in the base plate and weld wire combination was achieved at 6.0% Cr, 6.2% Ni, and 4.5% Al, with the weld metal oxygen controlled to 162 ppm O. Thermodynamic analysis was applied to investigate the likely gas reactions in the arc cavity emanating from the chemical interaction between Cr, Ni, and Al. The effects of gas-based chemical reactions on the yield of Cr and Ni to the weld pool are discussed and incorporated into our SAW reaction flow diagram. Overall SAW process productivity gains can be accomplished by using unconstrained metal powders to alloy the weld metal because expensive and time consuming steps, such as the manufacturing of alloyed wire and alloyed powder, can now be eliminated.

High Temperature Oxidation Behaviors of Powder Metallurgical γ-TiAl Based Alloys: Effects of Surface Defects on Morphology of the Oxide Scale

In the present work, γ-TiAl-based alloys with nominal composition of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb (at.%) were prepared by vacuum hot pressing sintering using pre-alloyed powders under different pressures. The alloys were oxidized under cyclic conditions at 900 °C in the air for up to 100 h. The effects of surface defects on the morphology of the oxide scale were investigated. It was found that the alloys with increased porosities had increased mass gains after oxidation as a result of the increased area of oxidation reaction and the thickness of the scale, as well as the formation of micro-oxide clusters with an increased amount and size. These micro-clusters, which made the oxide layer rough, grew in the positions of surface defects. The diffusion of elements to the inner face of the defects led to the formation of large TiO2 and Al2O3 particles and was responsible for the formation of oxide clusters. The phenomenon and corresponding mechanism proposed here have previously been unreported, and they may play a guiding role in investigations concerning the oxidation behaviors of TiAl alloys with defects.

An additively manufactured γ-based high Nb-TiAl composite via coherent interface regulation

Novel γ-based TiAl alloys are a promising alternative to conventional dual-phase TiAl alloys, which suffer from microstructural degradation and solid-state phase transformations at high temperatures. However, monolithic intermetallic γ phases exhibit poor plasticity, and they are incompatible with conventional manufacturing techniques. In this study, a microstructural modification was used to enable the preparation of a single-phase matrix from an Nb-rich TiAl metal matrix composite using additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Micro/nano-precipitates of Ti5Si3 and Ti2AlN were produced by adding Si3N4 precursors to the pre-alloy powder, which reacted with the γ-TiAl matrix during the AM process. Thus, strong interfacial cohesion was achieved. The Ti5Si3 and Ti2AlN precipitates refined the grains in the metal and Ti5Si3 strengthened the grain boundaries. The enhanced interfacial cohesion and unique distribution of precipitates suppressed intergranular cracks during AM and increased the plasticity of the alloy.

Multiple intermetallic compounds reinforced Ti–48Al alloy with simple composition and high strength

The short communication presents a synergistical reinforced Ti–48Al alloy with multiple Ti–Al intermetallic compounds which was prepared with irregular pre-alloyed powders by vacuum sintering at low temperature (1250°C). With simple composition, this alloy has tensile and yield strength of 593 ± 8 MPa and 435 ± 5 MPa at room temperature, and more than 510 MPa and 490 MPa at 700°C, reached the level of Ti–Al alloys with complex composition.

A new strategy for metal additive manufacturing using an economical water-atomized iron powder for laser powder bed fusion

We develop a pre-alloyed water-atomized (WA) iron powder for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-based 3D printers; such a powder has never been used for 3D printing. The powder features low levels of nano-sized Cu-Ni-Mo; these alloying elements are placed into the concavities of the iron powder. When these powders were used for LPBF printing, the processing window for the volumetric energy density ranged from 93 to 130 J/mm3. However, careful control of laser power (150 – 225 W) and scan speed (500 – 900 mm/s) was essential. In terms of production, a maximum relative density of 99.67% was achieved upon application of an energy density of 108 J/mm3 (175 W, 700 mm/s). An average hardness of 217.1 ± 4.7 HV was obtained, exhibiting stable standard deviations and confirming excellent mechanical homogeneity. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping revealed excellent chemical homogeneity; this translated to good mechanical homogeneity because of the uniform mixing of the nano-sized alloying elements. The printed tensile bars were stable and of a relatively high aspect ratio. Tensile strength measurements revealed that samples prepared using the partially pre-alloyed iron powder were better than those fabricated from simple raw WA iron powder; the former samples exhibited an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 460.91 MPa with elongation of 6.98% and the latter a UTS of 197.15 MPa with elongation of 0.45%. Therefore, the pre-alloyed WA iron powder developed in this study can successfully be used in LPBF and presents a more cost-effective alternative to traditional gas atomized iron powders.