Stainless steel powders have enabled major advances in component product design, reliability and performance, which is particularly important in demanding sectors such as aerospace and automotive.
With an increase in demand for very fine powders, coming from more recent applications like metal injection moulding, rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing, Hart Materials has pushed the boundaries to source particle sizes as small as 3 microns.
The UK-based specialist supplier of high performance metals, metallic composite products and chemicals, now offers these types of powders with typical sizes ranging from 3 µm +/- 0.5 µm to 10 µm +/- 1.5 µm in a range of standard commercial compositions, including:
- Stainless Steel Type 304L
- Stainless Steel Type 316L
- Stainless Steel Type 17-4PH
- 20% nickel 25% chromium HK-30 alloy
- Nickel – 20% chromium
Typical particle size graphs for 3 µm and 5 µm are shown below:
Particle size distribution and surface smoothness
Particle size distribution and smoothness of surfaces are also key factors, as they govern process times and are critical in terms of the final properties of the end-product.
These scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) illustrate the particle size distribution and excellent smoothness of the particle surfaces.
At 8k magnification the SEM demonstrates typical particle size shape and distribution At 30k magnification the SEM picture shows exceptionally smooth particle surfaces
For more information on ultra fine stainless steel powders, please email contact us.