THE ISSUE OF POWDER DOSING IN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
Keywords:
dosing, powders, technologies, precision, automationAbstract
The precise dosing of powders represents a critical stage in the realization of advanced technological processes, based on the use of metallic and non-metallic powders. Technologies such as Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) or Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) require rigorous control of the quantity and flow rate of powders in order to ensure the quality and repeatability of the process. Through the targeted use of high-quality metallic powders, companies can make their production processes significantly more efficient while also reducing costs. The present study highlights the current types of powder feeders, the main problems encountered in their use, and argues for the necessity of developing a new system adapted to the specific requirements of these advanced technologies.References
1. Raza, A., Uddin, M.J., Umer, M., Rafique, A., Effect of atomization gas pressure on morphology and flowability of aluminum alloy powders produced by gas atomization, Powder Technology, Vol. 384, pp. 426–433, (2021).
2. DebRoy, T., Wei, H.L., Zuback, J.S., Mukherjee, T., Elmer, J.W., Milewski, J.O., Additive manufacturing of metallic components – Process, structure and properties, Progress in Materials Science, Vol. 92, pp. 112–224, (2018).
3. Zähr, M., Zäh, M., State of the art and trends of additive manufacturing technologies, Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, Vol. 3, No. 3, Art. 64, (2019).
4. Kobryn, P.A., Semiatin, S.L., Mechanical properties of laser-deposited Ti-6Al-4V, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, pp. 179–186, (2001).
5. Murr, L.E., Gaytan, S.M., Medina, F., Martinez, R., Martinez, J.L., Next-generation biomedical implants using additive manufacturing of complex, cellular and functional mesh arrays, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, Vol. 368, No. 1917, pp. 1999–2032, (2010).
6. Yadroitsev, K., Yadroitsava, I., Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology: from the single laser melted track stability to 3D parts of complex shape, Physics Procedia, Vol. 83, pp. 842–849, (2016).
7. Bai, Y., Williams, C.B., Binder jetting additive manufacturing with metal powders: A review, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Vol. 99, pp. 2399–2414, (2018).
8. Dadbakhsh, S., Hao, L., Effect of selective laser melting (SLM) parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel parts, Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 241–250, (2012).
9. Brandl, A.D., Heckenberger, U., Holzinger, V., Buchbinder, D., Additive manufactured AlSi10Mg samples using Selective Laser Melting (SLM): Microstructure, high cycle fatigue, and fracture behavior, Materials & Design, Vol. 34, pp. 159–169, (2012).
10. Murr, L.E., Metallurgy of additive manufacturing: Examples from electron beam melting, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 5, pp. 40–53, (2015).
11. Gong, X., Chou, K., Microstructure of Ti6Al4V fabricated by electron beam additive manufacturing, Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 30, No. 17, pp. 2721–2729, (2015).
12. DebRoy, T., Wei, H.L., Zuback, J.S., Additive manufacturing of metallic components – Process, structure and properties, Progress in Materials Science, Vol. 92, pp. 112–224, (2018).
13. Qiu, C., Adkins, N.J.E., Attallah, M.M., Microstructure and tensile properties of selectively laser-melted AlSi10Mg, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, Vol. 22, pp. 803–813, (2013).
14. Vilaro, T., Colin, C., Bartout, J.D., As-fabricated and heat-treated microstructures of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy processed by Selective Laser Melting, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 42, pp. 3190–3199, (2011).
15. Xu, Z., Huang, J., Xu, Z., et al., Plasma surface metallurgy of materials based on double glow discharge phenomenon, arXiv preprint, (2020).
16. Lee, G., Manière, C., McKittrick, J., Olevsky, E.A., Electric current effects in spark plasma sintering, arXiv preprint, (2020).
17. Tejero-Martin, D., Rezvani Rad, M., McDonald, A., Hussain, T., Beyond traditional coatings: Thermal sprayed functional and smart coatings, arXiv preprint, (2018).
18. Sairam, K., Sonber, J.K., Murthy, Tammana S.R. Ch., Subramanian, C., Spark plasma sintering: Influence of parameters on densification and mechanical properties, International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, Vol. 42, pp. 185–192, (2014).
19. Li, C., Liu, Z.Y., Fang, X.Y., Guo, Y.B., Residual stress in metal additive manufacturing, Procedia CIRP, Vol. 71, pp. 348–353, (2018).
20. Khorasani, A., Gibson, S., Veidt, M., Brandt, M., A review of technological aspects of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of titanium alloy, Materials & Design, Vol. 140, pp. 545–563, (2018).
21. Tyagi, R., Electrical discharge coating: A potential surface engineering method, Processes, Vol. 10, Art. 1971, (2022).
22. Kumar, S., Singh, R., Sethi, B., Surface modification by electrical discharge machining: A review, Wear, (2009).
23. Nafi, M.A., Functional surface generation by EDM — A review, Materials, Vol. 16, (2023).
24. Yadav, S., Kumar, V., Misra, J.P., Singh, R.K., Surface modification by electrical discharge machining: A systematic review, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, (2024).
25. Khan, M.Y., Rao, P.S., Pabla, B.S., A framework for surface modification by EDC using variable-density electrodes, E3S Web of Conferences, (2021).
26. A review of additive mixed electric discharge machining, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, (2017).
27. Topală, P., Beşliu, V., Ojegov, A., Modern Technologies and Innovations in Engineering: Course Notes, Bălți: Indigou Color Publishing House, 220 p., (2017).
28. Pînzaru, N., Research on the Conception, Design and Development of “Tool Electrodes” for the Formation of Surface Layers Using Pulsed Electrical Discharges, PhD Thesis, Technical University of Moldova, (2018).
29. Chioibașu, G.-D., Medical devices of titanium alloys obtained by laser additive manufacturing techniques / Dispozitive medicale din aliaje de titan obținute prin tehnici laser de fabricație aditivă, Rezumat teză de doctorat, Universitatea Politehnica din București, (2021).
30. Prakash, C., Singh, S., Pruncu, C.I., Mishra, V., et al., Surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by electrical discharge coating process using partially sintered Ti Nb electrode, Materials, (2019).
31. Kazak, —, Rezumat: Electrical Discharge Coating (EDC), ANACEC Moldova, (2024).
32. Brandl, E., Baufeld, B., Leyens, C., Singer, R.F., Additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V using Laser Metal Deposition (LMD): Microstructure and mechanical properties, Materials & Design, Vol. 31, Suppl. 1, pp. S106–S111, (2010).
33. Niinomi, M., Nakai, M., Hieda, J., Development of new metallic alloys for biomedical applications, Acta Biomaterialia, Vol. 8, No. 11, pp. 3888–3903, (2012).
34. Meyers, M.A., Chawla, K.K., Mechanical Behavior of Materials, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, Ch. 12, (2009).
35. Vayre, B., Vignat, F., Villeneuve, F., Metallic additive manufacturing: State-of-the-art review and prospects, Mechanical Engineering Reviews, Vol. 3, No. 1, Art. 15-00410, (2016).
36. Liverani, A., Toselli, S., Fortunato, L., Experimental analysis of thermal post-processing on mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg parts made by DMLS, Procedia CIRP, Vol. 67, pp. 220–225, (2018).
37. Guo, N., Leu, M.C., Additive manufacturing: Technology, applications and research needs, Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 8, pp. 215–243, (2013).
38. Yang, L., Ma, J., Zhang, T., Chen, X., Wang, C., Review on modeling of additive manufacturing processes, Virtual and Physical Prototyping, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 340–357, (2020).
39. Yin, S., Liao, H., Wang, Y., Deposition behavior of cold sprayed Al coating on Ti substrate, Applied Surface Science, Vol. 258, No. 9, pp. 3965–3971, (2012).
40. du Plessis, A., Yadroitsava, I., Yadroitsev, S., Characterization of mechanical properties and internal defects in titanium parts produced by Selective Laser Melting, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 802, Art. 140620, (2021).
41. Brandt, A.M., Laser Additive Manufacturing: Materials, Design, Technologies, and Applications, Woodhead Publishing, ISBN 978-0-08-100433-3, (2016).
42. Liu, L., Zhang, Z., Li, Y., Impact of laser scanning strategies on microstructure and mechanical properties in selective laser melting, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 758, pp. 54–63, (2019).
43. Dehoff, G.L., Sears, D.L., Advanced materials processing via additive manufacturing, Annual Review of Materials Research, Vol. 46, pp. 119–140, (2016).
44. Rusin, E.P., Stazhevsky, S.B., Khan, G.N., High precision volumetric powder feeder, Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics, (2022).
45. D’Angelo, O., Kuthe, F., Liu, S.J., Wiedey, R., Bennett, J.M., Meisnar, M., Barnes, A., Kranz, W.T., Voigtmann, T., Meyer, A., A gravity independent powder-based additive manufacturing process tailored for space applications, arXiv preprint, (2021).
46. Radulov, N., Wright, A., Little, T., Cooper, A.I., Pizzuto, G., FLIP: Flowability informed powder weighing, arXiv preprint, (2025).
47. Santamaría Alvarez, F., Kleinebudde, P., Thies, J., Influence of refilling on dosing accuracy of loss-in-weight powder feeders in continuous manufacturing, Powder Technology, (2024).
48. Engisch, W.E., Muzzio, F.J., Feedrate deviations caused by hopper refill of loss-in-weight feeders, Powder Technology, (2015).
49. Carrington, G., Loss-in-weight feeder implementation best practices, AZO Industrial, (2020).
50. Sinclair, C.W., Edinger, R., Sparling, W., Molavi Kakhki, A., Labrecque, C., Vibratory powder feeding for powder bed additive manufacturing, arXiv preprint, (2021).
51. Imole, O.I., Krijgsman, D., Weinhart, T., et al., Experiments and discrete element simulation of the dosing of cohesive powders in a simplified geometry, arXiv preprint, (2014).
52. Bahr, M., Dixon, D.B., Yates, S.D., Rosso, V.W., Collaborative evaluation of commercially available automated powder dispensing platforms for high throughput experimentation in pharmaceutical applications, ACS Organic Process Research & Development, (2018).
53. Mettler Toledo, Maximise productivity in pharmaceutical high throughput experimentation with automated powder dispensing, Labmate Online, (2019).
54. MDPI Editorial Team, Understanding powder behavior in continuous feeding: Impact of excipients on twin screw LIW feeders, MDPI, (2024).
55. Incelli, F.P., Reis, E.P., Challenges and perspectives in powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing of titanium alloys, Materials Today, Vol. 23, pp. 92–106, (2020).
56. Santamaría Alvarez, F., Kleinebudde, P., Thies, J., Loss-in-weight feeder implementation best practices: Refill context, Powder Technology, (2024).
57. Shen, Y., Guo, X., Li, L., Powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of titanium alloys: Process, microstructure, and mechanical properties, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 29, Art. 100817, (2019).
58. Smith, J.A., Brown, L.T., High pressure powder feed system, European Patent EP0365038A2, (1990).
59. Hagedorn, K., Scharowsky, S., Körner, M., Influence of scan strategies on surface roughness in Selective Electron Beam Melting, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 7, pp. 61–67, (2015).
60. Zhang, B., Zhang, Y.D., Liu, Z.W., Powder metallurgy of high entropy alloys: A review, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 802, Art. 140631, (2021).
61. Hebert, R.J., Additive manufacturing of metals: A review, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 814, Art. 141716, (2021).
62. Lebensohn, R.A., Guélat, N., Bacroix, B., Modeling of powder compaction and sintering in additive manufacturing, Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 27, No. 4, Art. 045009, (2019).
63. Trevisan, F., Calignano, F., Lorusso, M., Manfredi, D., Fino, P., Powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of titanium alloys, Materials, Vol. 12, No. 7, Art. 1121, (2019).
64. Mercelis, P., Kruth, J.P., Residual stresses in selective laser sintering and selective laser melting, Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 254–265, (2006).
65. Zhang, F., Wang, Q., Gao, H., Fatigue behavior of additively manufactured metallic materials: A review, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 795, Art. 139845, (2020).
66. Salvo, J.L.M.D., Bartout, J.D., Additive manufacturing of metals: Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties, International Materials Reviews, Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 105–136, (2019).
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nonconventional Technologies Review
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
