Powder metallurgy is an industry that deals with the manufacture of metal powder products. In conventional manufacturing processes, the powder is pressed into the desired shape of the finished product, which is then sintered at a sufficiently high temperature in a controlled atmosphere, so that the powder particles are diffusely bonded together into a solid structure.
An alternative way of producing metal powder products is additive laser sintering, in which a laser melts a metal powder, to form a solid structure. The process is carried out by applying thin layers of powder on top of the previous layer of the sintered powder.
In this diploma work we show the significant differences in the main requirements of the powder for use in certain technologies. To this end, three powders have been characterized: EOS StainlessSteel 316L and EOS MaragingSteel MS1, which are intended for use in additive laser sintering and Högenäs 434 LHC powder, which is intended for compressing and sintering according to the classical manufacturing method. In the course of the diploma work, we determined the shape of powder particles and performed measurements of apparent and tap densities, measurement of apparent angles and size distribution. The Höganäs 434LHC powder was also measured for flowability and determined the green and sintered density of the test samples.
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