The present invention relates to an iron-based alloy powder wherein the alloy comprises the elements Fe (iron), Cr (chrome) and Mo (molybdenum) and the iron-based alloy powder is produced by an ultra-high liquid atomization process comprising at least two stages as defined below.

A production method for water-atomized metal powder includes: in a region in which the average temperature of a molten metal stream having an Fe concentration of 76.0 at % or more and less than 82.9 at % is 100° C. or more higher than the melting point, spraying primary cooling water at a convergence angle of 10° to 25°, where the convergence angle is an angle between an impact direction on the molten metal stream from one direction and an impact direction on the molten metal stream from any other direction; and in a region in which 0.0004 seconds or more have passed after an impact of the primary cooling water and the average temperature of metal powder is the melting point or higher and (the melting point+100° C.) or lower, spraying secondary cooling water on the metal powder under conditions of an impact pressure of 10 MPa or more.

A device for granulating powders by cryogenic atomisation, characterised in that it comprises: a device for mixing powders by cryogenic fluid, comprising at least one chamber for mixing powders, comprising a cryogenic fluid; and a device for atomising a suspension of powders mixed by the device for mixing powders in order to allow a granulation of the powders, comprising a way of fractionating the suspension of powders making it possible to adjust the size of the droplets of powders to be atomised, and a method for adjusting the moisture of the mixed powders and/or the moisture of the atomisation atmosphere.

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 that cool and fall into a bottom formed in the chamber. Spherical powder comprising the droplets are removed from the chamber through screen and blenders and then classified by size.

Atomization processes for manufacturing a metal powder or an alloy powder having a melting point comprising of about 50° Celsius to about 500° Celsius are provided herein. In at least one embodiment, the processes comprise providing a melt of a metal or an alloy having said melting point of about 50° Celsius to about 500° Celsius through a feed tube; diverting the melt at a diverting angle with respect to a central axis of the feed tube to obtain a diverted melt; directing the diverted melt to an atomization area; and providing at least one atomization gas stream to the atomization area. The atomization process can be carried out in the presence of water within an atomization chamber used for the atomization process. In at least one embodiment, the processes provide a distribution of powder with an average particle diameter under 20 microns with geometric standard deviation of lower than about 2.0.

A production method for water-atomized metal powder includes: in a region in which the average temperature of a molten metal stream is higher than the melting point by 100° C. or more, spraying primary cooling water from a plurality of directions at a convergence angle of 10° to 25°, where the convergence angle is an angle between an impact direction on the molten metal stream of the primary cooling water from one direction and an impact direction on the molten metal stream of the primary cooling water from any other direction; and in a region in which 0.0004 seconds or more have passed after an impact of the primary cooling water and the average temperature of metal powder is the melting point or higher and (the melting point+50° C.) or lower, spraying secondary cooling water on the metal powder under conditions of an impact pressure of 10 MPa or more.

A production method for water-atomized metal powder includes: in a region in which the average temperature of a molten metal stream having an Fe concentration of 76.0 at % or more and less than 82.9 at % is 100° C. or more higher than the melting point, spraying primary cooling water at a convergence angle of 10° to 25°, where the convergence angle is an angle between an impact direction on the molten metal stream from one direction and an impact direction on the molten metal stream from any other direction; and in a region in which 0.0004 seconds or more have passed after an impact of the primary cooling water and the average temperature of metal powder is the melting point or higher and (the melting point+100° C.) or lower, spraying secondary cooling water on the metal powder under conditions of an impact pressure of 10 MPa or more.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of preparing substantially spherical metallic alloyed particles, having micron and sub-micron (i.e., nanometer)-scaled dimensions, and the powders so prepared, as well as articles derived from these powders. In particular embodiments, these metallic alloyed particles, complising rare earth metals, can be prepared in sizes as small 80 nm in diameter with size variances as low as 2-5%.

The invention relates to a nozzle for producing microdroplets of metal using gas flow, to a nozzle for producing microdroplets using electrodispersion, to a combination of a melt spinner for forming elongate metal fibers with a nozzle and to a method of forming microdroplets using at least one of a gas flow and electrodispersion.

Nozzles for an additive manufacturing device and methods for improving wettability of the nozzles are disclosed. The method may include subjecting the nozzle to a surface treatment. The surface treatment may include contacting a surface of the nozzle with one or more surface modifying agents. The surface modifying agents may include one or more of an oxidizing agent, an acid, a base, or combinations thereof. The one or more surface modifying agents may increase an oxygen content of the surface of the nozzle. An inner surface of the nozzle may have a water contact angle of greater than 1° and less than about 90°. The inner surface of the nozzle may be free or substantially free of a coating.