Importance of Powder Flow Characterization for the Industrialization of Additive Manufacturing

Granutools is a Belgian company that specializes in powder flow characterization; the University of Bolton is a British academic institute with several years of research experience in the material characterization field; CfAM is the Centre for Advanced Manufacturing, based in Bolton, UK. In this interview, Robert Higham, Head of CfAM, provides insight into AM research.

您能否简要介绍在增材制造领域的博尔顿大学进行的一些项目？

The University of Bolton uses AM across undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. We believe that the technology and the full value that AM can bring are only attainable with a fundamentally different approach to design, characterization, manufacturing/production, and quality assurance. It is, therefore, critical that students are exposed while they are still flexible and open-minded.

然后，将AM参与研究通常与验证相关，并回答该行业经常遇到的问题。具体而言，我们正在研究粉末表征的区域，用于替代粉末大小的分数以及快速的过程开发以及静态和动态表征，最后使用高级成像技术to close the knowledge gap when it comes to using powder.

What is CfAM (Centre for Advanced Manufacturing) and its role in the research and industrialization of additive manufacturing?

The CfAM is a newly created entity that takes the AM capability and brings a more direct link to industry. The CfAM aspires to have the agility and scientific backbone of a rapid research and development center with a variety of capabilities to support the industrialization of advanced manufacturing.

在AM内，我们的目标是通过粉末生产和表征来建立全面的技术产品，具有航空级测试功能的各种金属AM制造能力。在一个屋顶下，通过对数据进行不断的监控和整理，我们将处于强大的位置，可以通过科学，访问以及与人一起支持行业。亚博老虎机网登录

CFAM还将在未来几年成为一个教育中心，利用一种教学上独特的开发和指导专注于高级制造领域的教育方法。因此，AM的工业化将得到我们的设备，知识和人员的支持。app亚博体育

Granutools workflow for Additive Manufacturing powders, includingGranuflow,Granupack, andGranuDrum, installed in the laboratory of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CfAM) at Bolton University.

Image Credit: Granutools

What is the importance of powder characterization in your research?

粉末表征，监测和与处理的相关性是AM成功的关键因素。没有烧伤和监测，我们将根本无法支持AM的吸收。

在基于粉末的金属AM中，粉末的进化（或下放）是一个覆盖良好的话题。但是，我们的目标是进一步将粉末的加工，监测和表征联系起来，重点是为AM开发材料，同时也最大化AM的潜在价值。亚博网站下载

A strong understanding and confidence in our powder before the process can save organizations significant sums of money, waste, and time.

What is, for you, the challenge with powder characterization?

Within our core offering at theCentre for Advanced Manufacturing，我们相信适应和优化我们的流程以最大程度地提高价值。

For us, value is an interesting aspect, and in many cases, industrial value is classed as confidence. Yet, confidence can often be confused with following a well-trodden path. This sense of confusion between confidence and value leads us to look closer at materials and processes that work in harmony, which we term亚博网站下载AM的材料(MatfAM).

As AM processing technology changes and more options become available, the dynamics of powder per technology are different, and even within technology, the powder dynamics from machine-to-machine change. The challenge, therefore, is adapting our characterization and measurement methods to suit the dynamics of our process. If we can change the method to suit, we can bring optimization processes down from weeks to days or even hours.

Our goal is to support rapid optimization to ensure the maximum value of AM is achieved, and as a result, leads to the need for rapid and lower-cost methods of analyzing powders.

Why did you choose Granutools instruments?

Representative analysis of the dynamics of powders and correlating them to our AM processes is possible with Granutools instruments. When choosing the appropriate instrument, it was also important for us to consider the time and cost involved.

Our Granutools lab setup allows a full flowability and cohesivity analysis to be undertaken in minutes, and our lab costs a fraction of a “traditional” powder characterization lab.

Granutools is a key enabler in meeting our aims as an organization. It adds value to our work while we continue to build full AM process data. There are not many purchases you can make in AM, which add significantly more value with each use, but in this case, we believe Granutools instruments do just that.

Cell of theGranuDrum仪器。

Image Credit: Granutools

您的研究中的下一步，计划和挑战是什么？

By now, it may seem obvious that the value in Granutools seems strongest when linked to a process. But the question that is quite often asked is, what about users who do not have the time or finances to do this R&D? CfAM exists in the hoe to help answer this question.

If AM is to win and support the value that many users see and many potential users can imagine, we need to support each other as AM users. TheCFAM策略是通过与您回答问题来支持增长的跳板。

AM is complex and calls on a strong and broad skillset. Our commercial aim is not part sales or machine sales, but if we meet our mission to support AM growth, we will win by supporting companies with their research, recruitment, and growth.

反过来，越来越多的学生和公司将希望支持我们，我们的增长将成为该部门在AM中的吸收 - 而我们的支持核心精神仍然相同。

We will support AM value by investing in and analyzing emerging technology across the AM value chain, which in turn, will bring more opportunities for our students to grow and instigate change when they go into industry following their studies.

在不久的将来，我们将使用Granutools，新材料，新尺寸的分数以及对粉末床融合的零件的快速表征，以寻找其他方法和亚博网站下载增加价值的方法，在这种情况下，将其带来入门级成本是用户。低成本并不意味着低质量，而Granutools将实现该项目。

关于罗伯特·海姆（Robert Higham）

罗伯特·海姆（Robert Higham）曾在赛车，太空和航空航天局工作。罗伯特（Robert）负责5年前加入博尔顿大学（University of Bolton）之前，亚博网站下载最近针对空中客车公司生产的材料，工艺和零件的资格。罗伯特（Robert）在博尔顿（Bolton）创建了AM功能，并将其融入了学生的教育之旅的各个部分。在罗伯特（Robert）对市场的分析以及提供人员和技术访问方面的差距之后，大学在战略上得到了新成立的高级制造中心的战略支持。

此信息已从Granutools提供的材料中采购，审查和改编。亚博网站下载

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