Fine, Type 17-4PH powders made by centrifugal were employed in both Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) and Directed Energy Deposition (DED) applications. Powders at a nominal, particle size ranges of 15-53 or 53-106 micron were used to print LPBF and DED test specimens comparing print quality and speed. Finished parts were characterized for final density, porosity, feature resolution, print consistency, and mechanical properties. Comparable specimens made using commercial, gas atomized powders were printed in parallel to provide baseline levels of performance for comparison. Resulting data and microscopy are presented and discussed with respect to powder manufacturing method describing benefits and limitations of these powders.
Hash et al. (Thu,) studied this question.