Influence of binder jet 3D printing process parameters from irregular feedstock powder on final properties of Al parts

• Published in: Advanced powder technology : the international journal of the Society of Powder Technology, Japan Japan, 2022-11, Vol.33 (11), p.103768, Article 103768
• Main Authors: Marczyk, Joanna, Ostrowska, Ksenia, Hebda, Marek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Additive manufacturing; Irregular particles; Shrinkage; Sintering; Surface topography
• ISSN: 0921-8831; 1568-5527
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apt.2022.103768

[Display omitted] •The possibility of using irregular particles of aluminum in the Binder Jet 3D printing technology has been demonstrated.•The influence of the printing parameters on the properties and quality of the final parts was determined.•Vacuum sintered parts obtained a higher density than those sintered in argon or hydrogen.•The printed parts showed a linear shrinkage of up to 2% and 43–50% of the theoretical density.•Increased porosity of the samples leads to a rougher surface. This work for the first time presents the results of optimization of printing parameters in the Binder Jetting technology in terms of the possibility of using an irregular aluminum powder which is much cheaper and more common than spheroidal. The influence of binder saturation (15–100 %), roller traverse speed (10–110 mm/sec), layer thickness (30–90 µm), and sintering atmosphere (vacuum, argon, hydrogen) on the quality of aluminum printed parts has been investigated. The study included the density, shrinkage, porosity, surface topography, and roughness of printed, and sintered aluminum parts. An anisotropy of linear contraction in the X, Y, and Z directions was observed, with the largest linear shrinkage occurring in the Z direction. In terms of roughness, the top surfaces (XY direction) turned out to be the smoothest and the side surfaces (YZ direction) were the roughest. Samples that were sintered under vacuum resulted in higher density, lower shrinkage, and lower porosity compared to those sintered in argon or hydrogen. On the basis of results, it was found that generally, increasing the saturation level and layer thickness causes a decrease in density and increases the shrinkage and the porosity of additive manufactured parts.