A method of producing a metallic powder material comprises supplying feed materials to a melting hearth, and melting the feed materials on the melting hearth with a first heat source to provide a molten material having a desired chemical composition. At least a portion of the molten material is passed from the melting hearth either directly or indirectly to an atomizing hearth, where it is heated using a second heat source. At least a portion of the molten material from the atomizing hearth is passed in a molten state to an atomizing apparatus, which forms a droplet spray from the molten material. At least a portion of the droplet spray is solidified to provide a metallic powder 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 method for producing metal powders by gas atomization is provided, including providing a metal charge; melting the metal charge inside an electric-arc furnace, controlling its composition until a molten metal bath having a desired composition is obtained; tapping the bath from the furnace, collecting it inside a ladle; refining the bath under controlled atmosphere, vacuum, or overpressure condition; atomizing the refined bath by feeding it into a gas atomizer, inside which a molten metal bath flow is produced, and impinging the molten metal bath flow with an atomization inert gas stream for the atomization of the molten metal bath into metal powders; and extracting the obtained metal powders from the gas atomizer.

A method and system for recovering a high yield of low carbon ferroalloy, e.g., low carbon ferrochrome, from chromite and low carbon ferrochrome produced by the method. A stoichiometric mixture of feed materials including scrap aluminum granules, lime, silica sand, and chromite ore are provided into a plasma arc furnace. The scrap aluminum granules are produced from used aluminum beverage containers. The feed materials are heated, whereupon the aluminum in the aluminum granules produces an exothermic reaction reducing the chromium oxide and iron oxide in the chromite to produce molten low carbon ferrochrome with molten slag floating thereon. The molten low carbon ferrochrome is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of low carbon ferrochrome. The molten slag is extracted, solidified and granulated into granules of slag.

A nickel-based superalloy for three-dimension (3D) printing and a powder preparation method thereof are provided. The method of preparing the nickel-based superalloy and its powder includes: RE microalloying combined with vacuum melting, degassing, refining, atomization with reasonable parameters, and a sieving process. The new method significantly reduces the cracking sensitivity of the “non-weldable” PM nickel-based superalloys, and broadens the 3D printing process window. The as-printed part has no cracks, and good mechanical properties. In addition, the powder prepared by the new method has higher sphericity and better flowability, and less irregular powders. The yield of fine powders with a particle size of 15-53 μm and medium-sized powders with a particle size of 53-106 μm that are required for 3D printing is greatly improved, which meet the requirements for 3D printing of high-quality, low-cost nickel-based superalloy powder.

A nickel-based superalloy for three-dimension (3D) printing and a powder preparation method thereof are provided. The method of preparing the nickel-based superalloy and its powder includes: RE microalloying combined with vacuum melting, degassing, refining, atomization with reasonable parameters, and a sieving process. The new method significantly reduces the cracking sensitivity of the “non-weldable” PM nickel-based superalloys, and broadens the 3D printing process window. The as-printed part has no cracks, and good mechanical properties. In addition, the powder prepared by the new method has higher sphericity and better flowability, and less irregular powders. The yield of fine powders with a particle size of 15-53 μm and medium-sized powders with a particle size of 53-106 μm that are required for 3D printing is greatly improved, which meet the requirements for 3D printing of high-quality, low-cost nickel-based superalloy powder.

A method for preparing metal powder by water atomization is disclosed. The method includes the steps of smelting, atomization, separation and drying, and the metal powder is freeze-dried in the drying step. Experiments show that freeze-drying is an important factor affecting oxygen content indexes of copper and copper alloys, and can be applied to the preparation of copper and copper alloy powder and even metal powder with low oxygen content. The method further considers all the details that may cause oxidation during the atomization process, and takes comprehensive measures to greatly reduce the probability of oxidization of copper and copper alloy powder, so that the oxygen content and oxidation of the water atomized powder are effectively reduced, and the water atomized powder is not easy to be oxidized during long-term storage.

An object of the invention is to provide: an alloy article that has excellent homogeneity in the alloy composition and microstructure as well as significant shape controllability, using an HEA with significant mechanical strength and high corrosion resistance; a method for manufacturing the alloy article; and a product using the alloy article. There is provided an alloy article comprising: Co, Cr, Fe, Ni, and Ti elements, each element in content of 5 to 35 atomic %; more than 0 atomic % to 8 atomic % of Mo %; and remainder substances of unavoidable impurities. And, ultrafine particles with an average diameter of 40 nm or less are dispersedly precipitated in matrix phase crystals of the alloy article.

According to one or more embodiments presently described, a mixture of lead oxide and lead metal particles may be formed by a method that includes forming a molten metal lead material from a solid lead metal supply material, introducing the molten metal lead material into a reaction zone of a reactor, and contacting the molten metal lead material with an oxidizing gas in the reaction zone to oxidize a portion of the molten metal lead material and form at least solid lead oxide particles and solid lead metal particles. The molten metal lead material may be introduced to the reaction zone in a laminar flow or as atomized molten particles. The weight ratio of formed solid lead oxide particles to solid lead metal particles may be less than 99:1.

A lead-based alloy containing alloying additions of bismuth, antimony, arsenic, and tin is used for the production of doped leady oxides, lead-acid battery active materials, lead-acid battery electrodes, and lead-acid batteries.