γ-TiAl powder properties and their processability by Electron Beam Melting

In powder bed additive manufacturing technique, the powder characteristics can determine the success or the failure of the job. In the Electron Beam Melting (EBM) process is generally used spherical powder with a particular size distribution of 40-150µm. During the EBM process the powder is spread onto the platform by the rake, therefore is essential to use powders with optimal rheometric properties and powder quality is a key aspect that strongly affects the processability.

In this work, different γ-TiAl powders coming from different suppliers as well as different lots of the same suppliers were characterized in terms of flowability by Hall flow, apparent density, tap density, grain size distribution by granulometer, morphology properties of the particles as well as characterization of the internal defects to correlate the result with processability in the EBM A2X machine.