A new process combination route consisting of additive manufacturing (AM) with a subsequent forming operation is proposed. The process route has the opportunity to increase the efficiency of the AM process route up to 360%. Stainless steel 316L sheets with different core structures (similar to sandwich sheets) are produced by AM, characterized, and formed in a die bending operation. The bending characteristics of this novel semi-finished product can be accurately predicted in a numerical simulation. The new process route is discussed in detail and compared to conventional AM parts in terms of the production efficiency.
In modern cold rolling mills in the steel industry, iron oxide powder is produced as a by-product when used pickling agents are recycled. Further processing of these iron oxide powders could enable the production of iron powder for various applications in powder metallurgy. For this purpose, a new process route with an eco-friendly hydrogen reduction treatment was developed. The process is able to manufacture a variety of iron particles through minor process adaptations. It was possible to manufacture spherical iron particles with high flowability. The flowability was measured by a Revolution Powder Analyzer, and an avalanche angle of 47.7° of the iron particles was determined. In addition, the bulk density measurements of the processed iron particles collective achieved values of 3.58 g/cm3, and a spherical morphology could be observed by SEM analysis. The achieved properties of the iron particles show high potential for applications where high flowability is required, e.g additive manufacturing, thermal spray and hot isostatic pressing. By adjusting the process conditions of the developed process, irregular iron particles could also be manufactured from the same iron oxide powder with a very high specific surface of 1640 cm2/g and a low bulk density of 1.23 g/cm3. Therefore, the property profile is suitable as a friction powder metallurgy material. In summary, the developed process in combination with the iron oxide powder from steel production offers a cost-efficient and sustainable alternative to conventional iron powders for additive manufacturing and friction applications.
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