Additive manufacturing (AM) is a catch-all name to describe various fabrication techniques that build three-dimensional objects by the iterative addition of successive thin layers of material. It is often colloquially known as 3D printing. The JMS group performs extensive research on all production stages of AM type called directed energy deposition (DED). In essence, DED consists of building subsequent layers one atop another by selectively depositing powdered material upon the existing layer and simultaneously fusing it to that substrate in one go.
Powder
| The process of DED begins with the powders used in the production of the AM parts. There are many different ways to produce the powders used in DED, among them: gas atomization (GA), rotary atomization (RA), plasma rotating electrode process (PREP), and plasma atomization (PA). Each powder production method has the potential to produce powders with different characteristics (such as variability in powder size and powder shape) which can then impact the characteristics of the objects manufactured with them. Thus, the JMS group’s AM research begins with powder production, including experimentation on in-house powder atomization techniques. Additionally, the group investigates post-production processing methods for improving powder quality, consistency, and uniformity with methods such as ball-milling and cryomilling, among others. |
