Low-cost powder production and recycling for additive manufacturing

增材制造（AM）领域在全球范围内呈爆炸式增长，但其采用仍然受到经济因素的限制，其中粉末成本仍然是一项重大支出，可占制造成本的20%。** 本提案的目的是研究各种系统的低成本粉末制造途径及其可回收性，以生产所需和所需的高质量AM级金属粉末。将缓解这一生产经济障碍的所需设备是带有环境控制交换端口的shereodization室，用于升级麦吉尔大学等离子体处理实验室中的Tekna SY 33等离子体炬装置。** 要解决的关键科学挑战是理解和控制反应器的反应等离子体和自由落体部分中发生的竞争性相互作用，以将原料颗粒转化为AM级粉末。要研究的关键指标是适当的形态，纯度水平和避免合金元素的蒸发。具体的研究计划是（1）AM级粉末特性的恢复，（2）反应等离子体的原位掺杂以控制蒸发损失，（3）使用混合物原料生产AM级粉末，（4）使用低成本粉末起始原料降低成本，（5）使用与传统粉末加工不相容的化学物质生产AM粉末。将研究AM工业的大多数关键金属系统，即Al合金、Ti合金、Ni基高温合金和不锈钢。其他化学物质，如耐火材料和大块金属玻璃也将进行研究。** 待开发和培训的HQP的技能和知识将有助于由位于蒙特利尔半径200公里内的6家主要金属粉末生产商组成的关键集群：Advanced Powders and Coatings（St-Eustache）、Equisphere（渥太华）、PyroGenesis（蒙特利尔）、魁北克Metal Powder（Sorel）、Tekna（舍布鲁克）和5-N plus（蒙特利尔）。** Tekna SY 33等离子源的升级将使其使用寿命再延长10年。**

The field of additive manufacturing (AM) is exploding worldwide, but its adoption is still restrained by the economics, in which powder cost remains a significant expense and can represent up to 20% of the manufacturing cost. ******The objective of this proposal is to study low-cost powder fabrication avenues for various systems and their recyclability to produce the desired and needed high quality AM-grade metal powder. The requested equipment that will mitigate this manufacturing economic hurdle is a shereodization chamber with an environment control exchange port to upgrade the Tekna SY33 plasma torch unit present in the Plasma Processing Laboratory of McGill University. ******The key scientific challenges to be tackled are to understand and control the competitive interactions occurring in the reactive plasma and the free-fall section of the reactor to transform the feedstock particles into AM-grade powders. The key metrics to be studied are adequate morphology, purity level and avoiding the evaporation of the alloying element. The specific research programs to be tackled are (1) Restoration of AM-grade powder properties, (2) In-situ doping of the reactive plasma to control evaporation losses, (3) Production of AM-grade powder using admixtures feedstock, (4) Cost reduction using low-cost powder starting feedstock, (5) Production of AM powder with chemistries incompatible with conventional powder processing. Most key metallic systems to the AM industry will be studied, i.e. Al alloys, Ti alloys, Ni-based Superalloys and stainless steels. Additional chemistries such as refractory materials and bulk metallic glasses will also be studied. ******The skill and knowledge to be developed and trained HQPs will be instrumental to the key cluster composed of 6 major metal powder producers located within a radius of 200 km of Montreal: Advanced Powders and Coatings (St-Eustache), Equisphere (Ottawa), PyroGenesis (Montreal), Quebec Metal Powder (Sorel), Tekna (Sherbrooke), and 5-N plus (Montreal). ******This upgrade of the Tekna SY33 plasma source will extend its useful life for another 10 years.**