Development of additive manufacturing process of new particle size distribution powder for structural aeropace application

如今，印刷金属零件的价格很高，因为该工艺使用具有非常窄特性的粉末以确保良好的性能。这些粉末价格昂贵，限制了它们的应用领域。确保具有较粗特性的粉末具有相同的质量水平将产生巨大的收益，但这种改变是困难的，因为该过程对粉末特性高度敏感;需要重大的范式转变。改变粉末类型意味着开发参数和分析的复杂过程。该项目的工业合作伙伴（AP&C）将能够生产各种类型的粉末，以确定哪些特性最适合提高打印性能、工艺再现性、所生产零件的质量并保证分析。这种变化带来了重大的成本/效益。该项目将定义对打印过程的必要修改，以便能够使用具有比标准更大粒度分布的粉末，而不会影响所生产零件的质量。通过一家经验丰富的韩国打印机、一家魁北克粉末生产商和一家魁北克表征中心之间的密切合作，该项目将建立必要的变革，以使用新型和更便宜的粉末制造航空质量零件。其结果将降低成本，发展粉末开发和先进表征方面的专业知识，并在所需领域培训合格人员。

The price of a printed metal part is high today because the processes use powders with very narrow characteristics to ensure good performance. These powders are expensive, limiting their fields of application. Ensuring the same level of quality with powders having coarser characteristics will generate enormous gains, but such a change is difficult because the process is highly sensitive to powder characteristics; requiring a significant paradigm shift. Changing the type of powder imply a complex process of developing parameters and analysis. The project's industrial partner (AP&C) will be able to produce a wide variety of powder types in order to establish which characteristics are the most appropriate to increase printing performance, process reproducibility, quality of the parts produced and guarantee analysis. A significant cost/benefit is introduced by such a change. This project will define the necessary modifications to the printing process to be able to use powders with a larger size distribution than the standard without compromising the quality of the parts produced. Through close collaboration between an experienced Korean printer, a Quebec powder producer, and a Quebec characterization center, the project will establish the necessary changes to enable the manufacturing of aeronautical quality parts using new types and less expensive powders. The results will reduce costs, develop expertise in both powder development and advanced characterization and train qualified personnel in a field in demand.