| Abstract Scope |
Engineering components made from refractory metals and alloys are typically manufactured by machining highly energy-intensive sintered semifinished products. Refractory metals have a high ductile-to-brittle transition temperature and are notoriously difficult to machine. Therefore, they are well-suited for additive manufacturing due to advantages in design flexibility, material efficiency, and ease of processing. In powder bed fusion additive manufacturing, the quality of products, such as dimensional accuracy and surface finish, as well as processing capabilities like flowability and packing density, heavily depend on powder properties. As part of the feasibility assessment, spherical tungsten powders were produced by subjecting commercial irregular tungsten micro-powder to inductively coupled thermal plasma. Primary powder properties were characterized, including particle size, powder morphology, phase composition, surface chemistry, and surface texture. Consequently, the powders exhibited enhanced flowability and packing density compared to irregular commercial powders. Particle size and surface texture significantly influenced powder flowability, showing a dependence on size. |