First developed a century in the past, Inconel alloys have come to play a vital position in a number of industrial sectors, together with aerospace, automotive, protection and vitality. The household of nickel-chromium-based superalloys, which contains alloys like Inconel 625 and Inconel 718, gives a mixture of extremely helpful properties, together with excessive energy, thermal resistance and wonderful corrosion resistance, making it splendid for purposes subjected to excessive situations. It’s subsequently no shock that Inconels have been among the many earliest alloys focused by the steel AM trade, whose adopters have been keen to mix the advantages of Inconel with these of 3D printing.
Inconel 718 particularly has turn into a key materials for industrial AM customers making high-performance elements, however any of them can be fast to confess that not all Inconel 718 powders are created equal—particularly relating to their carbon footprint. Continuum Powders, a steel powder producer based mostly out of Texas, has delivered to market a product that not solely delivers on efficiency and printability, but additionally on the sustainable entrance: OptiPowder 718.
The fabric, which has been certified to be used by numerous steel AM {hardware} suppliers together with Renishaw and Velo3D, is a product of Continuum Powders’ modern melt-to-powder know-how that converts scrap steel into high-grade steel powders. This know-how, referred to as Greyhound M2P, makes use of a DC plasma warmth supply to atomize and remodel steel waste into high-quality spherical steel powders which are appropriate for additive manufacturing, steel injection molding and laser cladding.
Prioritizing efficiency
The first concern for producers working with steel AM powders—and significantly powders produced from reclaimed supplies—is high quality and efficiency. Continuum Powders’ distinctive M2P course of ensures that its powders meet the excessive requirements of industries like aerospace and vitality. Within the case of OptiPowder 718, mechanical testing has revealed a persistently excessive stage of efficiency, significantly when printed elements have undergone extra warmth therapy.
In these exams, Continuum Powders’ Inconel 718 alloy has demonstrated an final tensile energy exceeding 1300 MPa, a yield energy between 975–1005 MPa and elongation at break averaging over 22%. When it comes to thermal resistance, printed elements produced from OptiPowder 718 can stand up to temperatures as much as 1200°C (2200°F), making the powder appropriate for vital elements in aerospace and energy era, comparable to combustion chambers, turbine blades and rocket motors.
Printability issues
Continuum Powders additionally emphasizes that printability and flowability are key priorities in its powder manufacturing. Its proprietary plasma-based atomization course of exerts tight management over particle morphology and dimension distribution, making for a dependable and constant uncooked materials for additive manufacturing processes.
Actually, OptiPowder 718 may be manufactured in a variety of particle dimension distributions (PSD) for optimized efficiency in several AM processes, together with laser powder mattress fusion, electron beam melting and binder jetting. Testing carried out on LPBF elements made utilizing OptiPowder 718 revealed common half densities above 99.75% with optical measurements as excessive as 99.93%, proving the fabric’s viability for making dense steel elements with excessive structural integrity.
Changing scrap
On prime of the fabric’s excessive efficiency and printability, OptiPowder 718 gives producers a extra sustainable possibility for printing vital industrial elements. Whereas conventional steel powders appropriate for AM (significantly LPBF, which requires the best high quality of powder amongst steel AM processes) are produced from virgin steel feedstock, Continuum’s powders are made solely from vetted scrap derived from companions, who present a dependable provide of traceable, high-quality uncooked supplies.
Its Greyhound M2P platform successfully turns nickel alloy scrap (in addition to different steel alloys like titanium) into high-quality powders that meet the stringent requirements of adopter industries. This scrap undergoes pre-processing previous to atomization, together with pre-treatments, cleansing and chemical evaluation, which ensures that the powder output is pure and constant.
Moreover, not like different reclamation processes, M2P doesn’t require a number of remelting levels, which considerably reduces vitality consumption and related prices with out influencing efficiency.
A latest Life Cycle Evaluation (LCA) of nickel powder manufacturing processes really discovered that Continuum’s plasma atomization method may cut back carbon emissions by as much as 99.7% in comparison with virgin nickel powder manufacturing. The ecological advantages of reusing scrap steel must be apparent, because it fully eliminates any vitality related to extracting virgin metals from the earth. Furthermore, reclaimed powders cut back reliance on world uncooked materials provide chains, which may pave the best way for extra localized manufacturing fashions.
On an industrial stage, Continuum’s course of has already made a large influence. Within the remaining 5 months of 2024 alone, it had efficiently recycled 16,182 kilograms of nickel scrap, which it sourced from a Siemens Power facility, showcasing the potential of a partnership based mostly on round manufacturing.
The place high quality and sustainability meet
Continuum Powders has developed a know-how able to producing powders that ship on sustainability and efficiency. A part of this capacity is owed to the corporate’s five-part high quality system, which ensures consistency and traceability from batch to batch. The 5 pillars are:
- Complete high quality assurance protecting chemical composition, particle dimension and flowability checks
- Vetted scrap sourcing for prime traceability and materials integrity
- Pre-processing therapies like cleansing and etching to arrange scrap for atomization
- On-site analytical labs for real-time chemical and course of management
- Managed logistics to make sure correct materials dealing with and supply
With this sturdy framework in place, Continuum Powders can assure that its OptiPowder 718 (and different powder merchandise) meet ASTM requirements for superior manufacturing processes. In the end, consumables like OptiPowder 718 supply a compelling various to legacy powders and provides finish customers the choice to take productive steps in direction of higher sustainability of their half manufacturing.
