An improved method of manufacturing a cast part by sand casting, permanent mold casting, investment casting, lost foam casting, die casting, or centrifugal casting, or a powder metal material by water, gas, plasma, ultrasonic, or rotating disk atomization is provided. The method includes adding at least one additive to a melted metal material before or during the casting or atomization process. The at least one additive forms a protective gas atmosphere surrounding the melted metal material which is at least three times greater than the volume of melt to be treated. The protective atmosphere prevents introduction or re-introduction of contaminants, such as sulfur (S) and oxygen (O.sub.2), into the material. The cast parts or atomized particles produced include at least one of the following advantages: less internal pores, less internal oxides, median circularity of at least 0.60, median roundness of at least 0.60 and increased sphericity of microstructural phases and/or constituents.

A powder has the contents (in wt. %): C max. 0.5%, S max. 0.15%, in particular max. 0.03%, N max. 0.25%, Cr 14-35%, in particular 17-28%, Ni radical (>38%), Mn max. 4%, Si max. 1.5%, Mo>0-22%, Ti<4%, in particular <3.25%, Nb up to 6.0%, Cu up to 3%, in particular up to 0.5%, Fe<50%, P max. 0.05%, in particular max. 0.04%, Al up to 3.15%, in particular up to 2.5%, Mg max. 0.015%, V max. 0.6%, Zr max. 0.12%, in particular max. 0.1%, W up to 4.5%, in particular up to max. 3%, Co up to 28%, B<0.125%, O>0.00001-0.1% and impurities due to production, wherein Ni+Fe+Co represents 56-80% Nb+Ta<6.0%.

A high temperature process is provided, which can melt, atomize and spheroidize a coarse angular powder into a fine and spherical one. It uses thermal plasma to melt the particle in a heating chamber and a supersonic nozzle to accelerate the stream and break up the particles into finer ones.

This disclosure relates to the field of metallurgy, namely, to the composition of an aluminum-based heat-resistant alloy and a powder from it to be used for the production of parts using additive technologies. A new aluminum-based material has been created, which is intended for producing a powder and its utilisation in the additive production of various products, which has high processability at laser melting and high strength characteristics in the heat-treated state: the yield strength exceeding 400 MPa, the ultimate strength exceeding 470 MPa, and elongation at break of at least 4%. The powdered aluminum material contains copper, magnesium, manganese, cerium, silicon, zirconium and/or titanium, where the material contains thermally stable Al.sub.8Cu.sub.4Ce dispersoids with a size of less than 1 m, which are formed at crystallisation rates of at least 10.sup.3 K/s, which contribute to the material strengthening under operating conditions at room and elevated temperatures.

A method for gas atomization of oxygen-reactive reactive metals and alloys wherein the atomized particles are exposed as they solidify and cool in a very short time to multiple gaseous reactive agents for the in-situ formation of a protective reaction film on the atomized particles. The present invention is especially useful for making highly pyrophoric reactive metal or alloy atomized powders, such as atomized magnesium and magnesium alloy powders. The gaseous reactive species (agents) are introduced into the atomization spray chamber at locations downstream of a gas atomizing nozzle as determined by the desired powder or particle temperature for the reactions and the desired thickness of the reaction film.

A method for gas atomization of oxygen-reactive reactive metals and alloys wherein the atomized particles are exposed as they solidify and cool in a very short time to multiple gaseous reactive agents for the in-situ formation of a protective reaction film on the atomized particles. The present invention is especially useful for making highly pyrophoric reactive metal or alloy atomized powders, such as atomized magnesium and magnesium alloy powders. The gaseous reactive species (agents) are introduced into the atomization spray chamber at locations downstream of a gas atomizing nozzle as determined by the desired powder or particle temperature for the reactions and the desired thickness of the reaction film.

The invention relates to a method for producing a component from an at least partially amorphous metal alloy, comprising the following steps: providing a powder from an at least partially amorphous metal alloy; producing a shaped semi-finished product from the powder in that the powder is applied in layers and the powder particles of each newly applied layer, at least at the surface of the semi-finished product to be shaped, are fused and/or melted by targeted local heat input and bond to one another as they cool again; and hot pressing the semi-finished product, wherein the hot pressing is performed at a temperature that is between the transformation temperature and the crystallisation temperature of the amorphous phase of the metal alloy, wherein a mechanical pressure is exerted onto the semi-finished product during the hot pressing and the semi-finished product is compacted during the hot pressing.

The invention also relates to a component produced by such a method from a powder formed from an at least partially amorphous metal alloy and to the use of such a component as a gearwheel, friction wheel, wear-resistant component, housing, watch case, part of a gear unit, or semi-finished product.

A method for gas atomization of oxygen-reactive reactive metals and alloys wherein the atomized particles are exposed as they solidify and cool in a very short time to multiple gaseous reactive agents for the in-situ formation of a protective reaction film on the atomized particles. The present invention is especially useful for making highly pyrophoric reactive metal or alloy atomized powders, such as atomized magnesium and magnesium alloy powders. The gaseous reactive species (agents) are introduced into the atomization spray chamber at locations downstream of a gas atomizing nozzle as determined by the desired powder or particle temperature for the reactions and the desired thickness of the reaction film.

A production method of particulate materials, through centrifugal atomization (CA) is disclosed. The method is suitable for obtaining fine spherical powders with exceptional morphological quality and extremely low content, or even absence of non-spherical-shape particles and internal voids. A appropriate cost effective method for industrial scale production of metal, alloy, intermetallic, metal matrix composite or metal like material powders in large batches is also disclosed. The atomization technique can be extended to other than the centrifugal atomization with rotating element techniques.

The present invention provides a copper powder which is capable of fusion bonding with a low energy laser by enabling heat to be efficiently inputted with a high absorption rate for laser irradiation and has high convenience in handling, and provides a method for manufacturing the copper powder. One embodiment of the present invention is a copper powder, having an absorption rate for light having a wavelength =1060 nm of 18.9% to 65.0%, and an index, which is indicated by (the absorption rate for light having a wavelength =1060 nm)/(an oxygen concentration), of 3.0 or more.