An apparatus efficiently preparing ultrafine spherical metal powder includes a housing, a crucible and a powder collection area arranged in the housing. The turnplate arranged in the powder collection area is an inlaid structure. The part inlaid into the body part acts as an atomization plane of the turnplate. The atomization plane is provided with a concentric circular groove, and the turnplate is provided with an air hole. The apparatus is used for preparing ultrafine spherical metal powder by on-by-one droplets centrifugal atomization method, mainly combining the uniform droplet jet method and the centrifugal atomization method, which breaks through the traditional metal splitting model, makes the molten metal in a fibrous splitting, so as to efficiently prepare ultrafine spherical metal powder with narrow particle size distribution interval, high sphericity, good flowability, excellent spreadability, uniform and controllable size, no satellite droplets and suitable for industrial production.

Methods of making sintered articles from powder metal carbide compositions by additive manufacturing techniques are described herein. Sintered carbide articles fabricated by such additive manufacturing techniques, in some embodiments, exhibit densities equaling articles formed according to conventional techniques employed in powder metallurgy. For example, a method of manufacturing an article comprises providing sintered cemented carbide powder comprising a hard particle phase including tungsten carbide and a metallic binder phase and forming the sintered cemented carbide powder into a green article by one or more additive manufacturing techniques. The green article is sintered to provide a sintered article having density greater than 90% theoretical full density, wherein the green article has a density less than 50% theoretical full density prior to sintering.

Methods of making sintered articles from powder metal carbide compositions by additive manufacturing techniques are described herein. Sintered carbide articles fabricated by such additive manufacturing techniques, in some embodiments, exhibit densities equaling articles formed according to conventional techniques employed in powder metallurgy. For example, a method of manufacturing an article comprises providing sintered cemented carbide powder comprising a hard particle phase including tungsten carbide and a metallic binder phase and forming the sintered cemented carbide powder into a green article by one or more additive manufacturing techniques. The green article is sintered to provide a sintered article having density greater than 90% theoretical full density, wherein the green article has a density less than 50% theoretical full density prior to sintering.

A powder cleaning system can include a fluidized bed reactor configured to retain powder and fluidize the powder to remove adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the powder, at least one inlet line, and one or more gas sources configured to be in selective fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor via the at least one inlet line to selectively provide an inlet flow having one or more gases to the fluidized bed reactor to fluidize the powder with the one or more gases within the fluidized bed reactor. The system can include at least one outlet line in fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor and configured to allow removal of outlet flow which comprises the adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the fluidized bed reactor.

A metal powder producing apparatus comprising a melted metal supplying part discharging a melted metal, a cylinder body provided below the melted metal supplying part, and a cooling liquid layer forming part forming a flow of a cooling liquid for cooling the melted metal discharged from the melted metal supplying part along an inner circumference face of the cylinder body, wherein the cooling liquid layer forming part has a primary pressure reservoir, and the primary pressure reservoir is provided on an outer circumference part of the cylinder body.

A metal powder producing apparatus comprising a melted metal supplying part discharging a melted metal, a cylinder body provided below the melted metal supplying part, and a cooling liquid layer forming part forming a flow of a cooling liquid for cooling the melted metal discharged from the melted metal supplying part along an inner circumference face of the cylinder body, wherein the cooling liquid layer forming part has a primary pressure reservoir, and the primary pressure reservoir is provided on an outer circumference part of the cylinder body.

A method for printing a semiconductor material includes depositing a molten metal onto a substrate in an enclosed chamber to form a trace having a maximum height of 15 micrometers and/or a maximum width of 25 micrometers to 10 millimeters and/or a thin film having a maximum height of 15 micrometers. The method further includes reacting the molten metal with a gas phase species in the enclosed chamber to form the semiconductor material. The depositing the molten metal includes depositing a metal composition including the molten metal and an etchant or depositing the etchant separate from the molten metal in the enclosed chamber.

A method for printing a semiconductor material includes depositing a molten metal onto a substrate in an enclosed chamber to form a trace having a maximum height of 15 micrometers and/or a maximum width of 25 micrometers to 10 millimeters and/or a thin film having a maximum height of 15 micrometers. The method further includes reacting the molten metal with a gas phase species in the enclosed chamber to form the semiconductor material. The depositing the molten metal includes depositing a metal composition including the molten metal and an etchant or depositing the etchant separate from the molten metal in the enclosed chamber.

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a processing chamber defining a window for receiving a laser beam and an optical module. The optical module is removably-mountable to the processing chamber for delivering the laser beam through the window. The optical module contains optical components for focusing and steering the laser beam and a controlled atmosphere can be maintained within the module.

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a processing chamber defining a window for receiving a laser beam and an optical module. The optical module is removably-mountable to the processing chamber for delivering the laser beam through the window. The optical module contains optical components for focusing and steering the laser beam and a controlled atmosphere can be maintained within the module.