WP11 – Selective.Powder

Additive manufacturing processes, capable of processing metals, allow the construction of highly complex components; however, the manufacturing process implies a range of very specific properties on the part of each material and a high energy expenditure, as most processes used industrially involve lasers or energy deposition nozzles under a bed of powder.

In order to avoid energy expenditure and to accelerate production, processes of deposition of metallic powders, capable of being sintered, have been studied in order to obtain a final product of high detail and complexity. Therefore, the aim is to meet existing needs regarding the production of highly complex metallic components (plastic molds and glass), using metal powder deposition techniques.

After deposition of the metallic powders (in melting pots that are resistant to high temperatures), they will be sintered in a melting/sintering furnace with inert atmosphere. After sintering, one obtains finished parts with controlled surface roughness and complex internal geometries.

The aim is then to develop, implement and apply in an operational environment a selective powder deposition system particularly aimed at the production of metal components. This system consists of a selective material deposition unit and a melting and sintering furnace with an inert atmosphere or one purged with inert gas, argon or nitrogen. Application tests will be performed in injection molds.

Considering the materials that are normally used, this project focuses its research on materials that are highly abundant on the planet, such as ceramics, basalt and glass. Another strategy adopted for the sustainability of the project was the use of silica sand powder as a base material. This powder has a higher sintering temperature than that of the main used materials.

Thus, during the process of sintering and baking the parts in the oven, the silica remains stable and does not reach the crystallization state, maintaining its shape in a powder state while the materials used for the parts, whether ceramic, glass or basalt, crystallize and sinter. So it is possible to reuse silica powder again when repeating the production process of new parts, from a circular economy perspective.