Study on the explosion sensitivity of metal powders used in additive manufacturing

Based on the parameters of minimum ignition energy (MIE), minimum ignition temperature of dust cloud (MIT_C), and minimum ignition temperature of dust layer (MIT_L), the explosion sensitivity and influence factors of the typical metal powders used in additive manufacturing were investigated. The experimental results show that, the explosive sensitivity of nickel alloy powders and stainless steel powders is lower, while the explosive sensitivity of the titanium alloy powders is slightly higher than that of the aluminum alloy powders. The order of powder explosive sensitivity is as TA15>TC4>AlSi10Mg>316L>GH4169>GH3536>GH3625/304L. The results also show that, both nickel alloy powders and stainless steel powders could not be ignited. The MIE and MIT_C of titanium alloy powders and aluminum alloy powders decrease first and then increase with the increase of dust concentration, while decrease first and then increase with the increase of dust spraying pressure.