An adaptive flow regulation system for a tilting melting hearth atomization system includes: a load cell sensor configured to capture a weight of a molten metal within a tilting melting hearth during a pouring operation; a process camera configured to capture visual characteristics of the molten metal during the pouring operation; a particle size analyzer configured to analyze a metal powder following an atomization process to determine a particle size distribution of the metal particles; an actuator coupled to a linkage configured to support and move the tilting melting hearth to a desired hearth tilt angle; and a central processing unit (CPU) having a machine learning program configured to receive data from the load cell sensor, the process camera, and the particle size analyzer and to send a control signal to the actuator for controlling a pour rate from a melting cavity of the tilting melting hearth.

A system for metal powder atomization comprising a refractory lined melting furnace (1) configured to melt metal into a liquid metal bath (6), in which furnace (1) a drain (3) is arranged for draining liquid metal from the bottom of the furnace. The drain (3) is configured to be closed by a stopping member. The system comprises an atomization chamber (2) configured to receive and atomize liquid metal from the melting furnace (1). The system also comprises removal means controllable from the bottom region of the furnace (1) for removing the stopping member without interfering with the surface of the liquid metal bath (6). The removal means and the stopping member are configured such that the stopping member is removable independently of the temperature of the liquid metal bath (6) using the removal means.

A magnesium-based alloy powder is made of a magnesium-based alloy that contains 0.2 mass % to 5 mass % of calcium, wherein the magnesium-based alloy powder has an average particle diameter of 100 m to 1,500 m, wherein the magnesium-based alloy powder has a particle average aspect ratio of 0.5 to 1, wherein the magnesium-based alloy powder has an apparent density of 0.2 g/cm.sup.3 to 1.2 g/cm.sup.3, and wherein the mean value of hardness variation index values obtained by dividing the difference of the maximum value and the minimum value of micro Vickers hardnesses taken at 10 measurement points in a particle cross section by the maximum value is 0.3 or less.

An ultrafine powder manufacturing system is described. The system comprises a tube made of ceramic or quartz and a fine nozzle integrally formed in the lower part of the tube, wraps the outside of the tube with an induction heater to melt a metal raw material supplied into the tube and cause it to flow through the nozzle, and supplies a spray gas through orifices arranged to surround the nozzle in a state spaced apart from the nozzle to spray the gas onto the flowing melt to manufacture ultrafine powder.

A device for atomizing a metallic, intermetallic or ceramic melt stream by means of a gas to form a spherical powder, comprising a melt chamber, a powder chamber, an induction coil in the melt chamber, a melt material, preferably melt rod in the induction coil and an atomizer nozzle interconnecting the melt and powder chambers and being arranged in a nozzle plate, for the melt stream melted off from the melt material by the induction coil, wherein the atomizer nozzle has an exclusively convergent nozzle profile having nozzle flanks which have a circular-arc-shaped cross-section, and therefore both the atomizing gas and the melt stream and the droplets generated therefrom reach a velocity which is at most equal to, preferably below the acoustic velocity of the atomizing gas.

A device for atomizing a metallic, intermetallic or ceramic melt stream by means of a gas to form a spherical powder, comprising a melt chamber, a powder chamber, an induction coil in the melt chamber, a melt material, preferably melt rod in the induction coil and an atomizer nozzle interconnecting the melt and powder chambers and being arranged in a nozzle plate, for the melt stream melted off from the melt material by the induction coil, wherein the atomizer nozzle has an exclusively convergent nozzle profile having nozzle flanks which have a circular-arc-shaped cross-section, and therefore both the atomizing gas and the melt stream and the droplets generated therefrom reach a velocity which is at most equal to, preferably below the acoustic velocity of the atomizing gas.

A water-atomized metal powder is produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a metal powder by making injection water having a liquid temperature of 10 C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more impinge on the molten metal stream and cooling the metal powder. Cooling with injection water having a liquid temperature of 10 C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more enables can be performed not in the film boiling region but in the transition boiling region from the beginning of cooling. A gas-atomized metal powder may also be produced by dividing a molten metal stream into a metal powder by making an inert gas impinge on the molten metal stream and cooling the metal powder with injection water having a liquid temperature of 10 C. or less and an injection pressure of 5 MPa or more.

The invention relates to a print head (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional workpieces, comprising a housing (3), a device (28) for feeding a metal (14), a piston (5), a reservoir (7) with an outlet opening (10) and an actuator device (12) for displacing the piston (5), wherein the reservoir (7, 27) has a melt region (20) and a displacement body chamber (21) for a liquid phase (8) of the metal (14), wherein the melt region (20) adjoins the inert atmosphere (22) and is connected to the displacement body chamber (21) such that, as a result of the displacement of the piston (5), the liquid phase (8) of the metal (14) can be stimulated to pass through the outlet opening (10), said outlet opening (10) being mounted on an insert (11) of the print head (1). The invention is characterised in that the print head (1) comprises a device (50) for feeding a protective gas (60) to the outlet opening (10) of the print head (1). The invention also relates to a device (100) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional workpieces and to a method for operating a print head (1).

A cold tundish which has a surface made from a thermally conductive metal, and which is cooled by a cooling fluid, is disposed so as to receive a molten material from a cold crucible; high-speed jets of an inert gas are produced from a nozzle at a narrow portion of an orifice that is open at the exit side of the cold tundish, producing a low-pressure region on the exit side of the orifice that draws the molten material and a plasma through the orifice; the high-speed jets of inert gas impinge on the molten material to achieve atomization thereof, using an apparatus that is compatible with atomization of even reactive and refractory metals.

An assembly and method for producing powder are provided. The assembly includes a melting chamber, an atomizing vessel, and a powder processing device. The melting chamber includes a crucible, a tundish, and a filtering device. The crucible is arranged for melting a material. The crucible and tundish are configured for providing a flow path for the melted material from the crucible into the tundish. The filtering device is arranged in the flow path. The tundish is connected to an atomizing nozzle. The atomizing nozzle is configured to direct molten material from the tundish towards and into the atomizing vessel. The atomizing vessel comprises an outlet which is configured to extract solidified, atomized particles of the formerly molten material from the atomizing vessel. The powder processing device includes one or more separation units which are arranged for outputting one or more powders from the atomized particles.