Thermal Plasma Spheroidization and Characterization of Stainless Steel Powders Using Direct Current Plasma Technology
Pierpaolo Iovane,
Carmela Borriello,
Giuseppe Pandolfi,
Sabrina Portofino,
Gabriella Rametta,
Loredana Tammaro,
Nicola Fedele,
Sergio Galvagno
Affiliations
Pierpaolo Iovane
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Carmela Borriello
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Giuseppe Pandolfi
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Sabrina Portofino
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Gabriella Rametta
Laboratory of Innovative Devices, Energy Technologies Department, Photovoltaics and Smart Network, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Loredana Tammaro
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Nicola Fedele
Consorzio Calef, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
Sergio Galvagno
Nanomaterials and Devices Laboratory, Department for Sustainability, Sustainability Materials Technology and Processes, ENEA Portici Research Center, P.le E. Fermi 1, 80055 Portici, Italy
The production of spherical powders has recently registered a boost due to the need to fabricate new printing materials for Additive Manufacturing applications, from polymers and resins to metals and ceramics. Among these materials, stainless steels powders play a leading role, since they are widely used in industry and everyday life; indeed, micron-sized spherical stainless steel powders have specific characteristics and are considered as one of the best candidates for Additive Manufacturing systems and for application in a wide range of sectors. In this paper, stainless steel 316 L powders were used to explore and identify the best process parameters of a thermal plasma process able to produce spherical powders for Additive Manufacturing applications. X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Particle Size Distribution and Flowability analysis were performed to characterize reagents and products. Powders with a high circularity (>0.8) and improved flowability (<30 s/50 g) were successfully obtained. The collected results were compared with data available from the literature to identify the potential use of the spherical produced powders.
