Metal Powder Processing and Additive Manufacturing Techniques

Metal powder processing encompasses a range of methods—such as gas atomisation, hydride–dehydride, mechanical milling and chemical mixing—to produce feedstocks with controlled particle size, shape and purity. Tailored powder characteristics directly influence powder flowability, packing density and thermal response, which in turn dictate the quality of parts produced by additive manufacturing. Key AM techniques include laser powder bed fusion, binder jetting and directed energy deposition, each offering distinct advantages in resolution, build rate and material compatibility. Recent advances focus on decentralised powder production, hybrid feedstock formats and composite powders, broadening alloy choices and reducing supply-chain constraints. These developments underpin applications across aerospace, medical, automotive and energy sectors, enabling complex geometries, reduced lead times and on-demand manufacturing of high-performance components.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have introduced an on-demand powder production technology based on cold mechanical derivation, yielding non-spherical aluminium alloy powders with flow characteristics comparable to conventionally gas-atomised feedstocks. This approach reduces lead times and decentralises powder supply, while maintaining wrought-equivalent microstructures and mechanical properties. Comprehensive powder flow analyses and mechanical testing have demonstrated that such mechanically derived powders can match the density, hardness and tensile performance of gas-atomised alloys, paving the way for broader alloy availability and rapid production for aerospace and medical applications.

Research from all publishers

A novel sheet-based additive manufacturing concept has been proposed, employing a pre-manufactured metal particle–polymer binder composite feedstock to accommodate irregular powder morphologies. High-speed imaging and microstructural characterisation revealed that optimised laser defocus transforms the melting mode from keyhole to conduction, improving density and geometric accuracy when printing multi-morphology metal parts. Separately, investigations into nickel-based metal matrix composites have shown that powder morphology critically affects melt pool dynamics and defect formation in laser powder bed fusion. Wet chemical mixing has been found to produce powders with superior sphericity and nanoparticle distribution, leading to improved ductility and reduced microstructural imperfections in high-performance IN738LC composites.

Metal Powder Processing and Additive Manufacturing Techniques publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in metal powder processing and additive manufacturing techniques across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Gas atomisation: A process in which molten metal is disintegrated into fine droplets by a high-velocity gas stream to produce spherical powder particles.

Cold mechanical derivation: A solid-state milling technique used to fragment bulk alloys into powder without melting, yielding irregular particle morphologies.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF): An additive manufacturing technique that fuses powder layers using a laser to build parts layer by layer.

Melt pool dynamics: The behaviour of the molten metal region during laser processing, influencing solidification patterns and defect formation.

Keyhole mode: A deep penetration melting mode characterised by a vapour-filled cavity in the melt pool, often leading to porosity.

Conduction mode: A shallow melting mode dominated by heat conduction, generally producing denser and more uniform microstructures.

References

1. Additive manufacturing of a high-performance aluminum alloy from cold mechanically derived non-spherical powder. Communications Materials (2023).
2. A novel powder sheet laser additive manufacturing method using irregular morphology feedstock. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology (2024).
3. Effect and mechanism of powder morphology on mechanical properties of nickel-based metal matrix composites TiC-IN738LC in laser powder bed fusion. Progress in Additive Manufacturing (2025).