A plasma atomization metal powder manufacturing process includes providing a heated metal source and contacting the heated metal source with the plasma of at least one plasma source under conditions effective for causing atomization of the heated metal source. The atomization may be carried out using a gas to metal ratio of less than about 20, thereby obtaining a raw metal powder having a 0-106 μm particle size distribution yield of at least 80%. The process may further include aligning the heated metal source with the plasma of at least one plasma source. An atomizing system may include an alignment system positioned upstream of the plasma source and adapted to adjust an orientation of the metal source relative to the at least one plasma source.

To provide a method for efficiently producing metal microparticles having a particle diameter of 1 μm to 10 μm, and a device for producing the same. A metal microparticle production method is used, which includes a particle generating step of generating primary particles by irradiating a metal lump in a solvent in a first tank with an ultrasonic wave, and a particle splitting step of irradiating the primary particles with an ultrasonic wave in a solvent in a second tank and splitting the primary particles to produce secondary particles. Further, a metal microparticle production device is used, which includes: a first tank that has a solvent and a metal lump; a first heating unit that heats the solvent in the first tank; a first ultrasonic vibrator that is disposed in the first tank and irradiates the metal lump with an ultrasonic wave to generate primary particles; a second tank that has the solvent and the primary particles; and a second ultrasonic vibrator that irradiates the primary particles with an ultrasonic wave to split the primary particles.

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for producing quantum particles (e.g., quantum dots) having a uniform size by vaporization of molten precursor droplets. More particularly, the present technology produces quantum dots by melting or liquefying solid and substantially pure precursor materials followed by production of uniformly sized droplets of molten precursor by use of a droplet maker into a microwave generated plasma torch.

A method of selectively oxidizing one or more target metals in an alloy comprising target and non-target metals is provided. The method comprises the steps of: i) melting the alloy and exposing the molten alloy to simultaneous fragmentation and oxidation in the presence of an oxygenated atomizing gas under conditions sufficient to yield an oxidation potential that oxidizes the one or more target metals in the alloy and does not oxidize the non-target metal(s); and ii) allowing the treated alloy to solidify. The method is useful to purify a non-target base metal. The method is also useful to produce a metal compound comprising a desired content of one or more oxidized target metals above the theoretical maximum generally achieved by thermal plasma spray surface coating applications.

A multi-stage gas atomization preparation method of titanium alloy spherical powder for a 3D printing technology includes the following steps: bar preparation and machining step, multi-stage gas atomization powder preparation step through vacuum induction, and powder screening step. The collision probability of the metal droplets at the gas atomization stage is reduced by controlling the gas atomization pressure and the feeding speed of the titanium alloy electrode bar in a hierarchical manner, so that the collaborative control of the particle size and the surface quality of the titanium alloy 3D printing powder in the gas atomization preparation process is realized.

Raw material feed into an electric arc furnace (“EAF”) is melted into heated liquid metal at a controlled temperature with impurities and inclusions removed as a separate liquid slag layer. The heated liquid metal is removed from the EAF into a passively heatable ladle wherein it is moved into a refining station where they are placed into a inductively heated refining holding vessel and wherein vacuum oxygen decarburization is applied to remove carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and other undesirable impurities from the liquid metal. The ladle and liquid metal is then transferred to a refining station/gas atomizer having a controlled vacuum and inert atmosphere wherein the liquid metal is poured from an inductively heated atomizing holder vessel into a heated tundish at a controlled rate wherein high pressure inert gas is applied through a nozzle to create a spray of metal droplets forming spherical shapes as the droplets cool.

Methods are disclosed for producing core-shell particles having a uniform size using a microwave plasma process. More particularly, methods of the present technology are used to manufacture core-shell particles having a core at least partially surrounded by a shell. The core and shell of the core-shell particles are chemically distinct. Methods of the present technology occur within a plasma chamber of a microwave plasma reactor and a microwave formed plasma is utilized to vaporize core precursor material.

Methods are disclosed for producing product particles having a uniform size using a microwave plasma process. More particularly, methods of the present technology are used to manufacture product particles having a core at least partially surrounded by a shell. The core and shell of the product particles are chemically distinct. Methods of the present technology occur within a plasma chamber of a microwave plasma reactor and a microwave formed plasma is utilized to vaporize core precursor material.

A deployable manufacturing center (DMC) system includes a foundry module containing a metallurgical system configured to convert a raw material into an alloy powder, and an additive manufacturing (AM) module containing an additive manufacturing system configured to form the alloy powder into metal parts. The deployable manufacturing center (DMC) system can also include a machining module containing a machining system configured to machine the metal parts into machined metal parts, and a quality conformance (QC) module containing an inspection and evaluation system configured to inspect and evaluate the metal parts. A process for manufacturing metal parts includes the steps of providing the deployable manufacturing center (DMC) system; deploying the (DMC) system to a desired location; forming an alloy powder from a raw material using the deployable foundry module; and then forming the metal parts from the alloy powder using the additive manufacturing (AM) module.

A metal powder contains not less than 0.10 mass % and not more than 1.00 mass % of at least one of chromium and silicon, and a balance of copper. The total content of the chromium and the silicon is not more than 1.00 mass %. In accordance with an additive manufacturing method for this metal powder, an additively-manufactured article made from a copper alloy is provided. The additively-manufactured article has both an adequate mechanical strength and an adequate electrical conductivity.