An aluminum particle group composed of aluminum particles, as observed in an image thereof obtained through a scanning electron microscope, has an average circularity of 0.75 or more, and an average particle diameter of D.sub.50 of 10 m or more and less than 100 m, and satisfies A3B and also satisfying D<C where A represents the number of aluminum particles having a diameter of less than 5 m, B represents the number of aluminum particles having a diameter of 10 m or more, C represents the number of aluminum particles with no satellite, and D represents the number of aluminum particles having satellites.

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 method and apparatus for producing titanium metal powder from a melt. The apparatus includes an atomization chamber having an inner wall that is coated with or formed entirely of a titanium alloy that is the same as the titanium metal powder to prevent contamination of titanium metal powder therein. The inner surfaces of some or all components of the apparatus in a flow path following the atomization chamber may also be coated with or formed entirely of the titanium alloy or CP-Ti.

The broad applicability of at least certain aspects of the present invention derives from the ability to determine the critical location where secondary satellite formation occurs for any atomization system or design and allows for the rapid assessment of the effectiveness of various satellite reduction strategies, including but not limited to several embodiments detailed herein. Aspects of this invention can be utilized during initial atomization system design in order to evaluate effective chamber geometries and enabling strategies which reduce/eliminate satelliting, or can be retrofit to existing systems and allows for economic evaluation of effectiveness based off of initial capital expenditures versus increased operating requirements/expenses.

A thermal two-step process for producing ferronickel (FeNi) alloy particles from a nickel-containing sulfide material is provided. The process comprises heating a solid mixture comprising a nickel-containing sulfide material and an iron-containing material in agglomerated form, in an inert or reducing atmosphere to a heating temperature at which the solid mixture is partially molten and obtaining a hot mixture comprising a nickel-containing liquid phase, gangue, and FeNi alloy particles, and then controlled cooling of the hot mixture to increase the particle size and Ni content of said FeNi alloy particles and obtaining a processed material comprising said FeNi alloy particles having an increased particle size and an increased Ni content. Finally, the FeNi alloy particles are separated from the processed material. There is also provided FeNi alloy particles obtained from the process.

An apparatus for the production of nanoparticles is provided. The apparatus includes a main tube that is closed at a bottom, an inlet channel arranged within the main tube and includes a first opening to the outside of the apparatus and a second opening to the main tube, and a main opening in the main tube. The main tube includes a sample position at the bottom, the cross section of the main tube at the sample position is smaller than at other positions of the main tube, and the second opening of the inlet channel is arranged closer to the sample position than the main opening. Furthermore, an arrangement for the production of nanoparticles and a method for producing nanoparticles are provided.

Provided are a silver powder having powder physical properties enabling reduction of volume resistivity after firing and a method of producing this silver powder. The silver powder has a tap density of 4.8 g/mL or more, a TAP/D50 value (value determined by dividing the tap density (g/mL) by the volume-based median diameter (?m)) of not less than 7 and not more than 15, and a specific surface area of not less than 0.75 m.sup.2/g and not more than 1.3 m.sup.2/g.

Provided are a silver powder having powder physical properties enabling reduction of volume resistivity after firing and a method of producing this silver powder. The silver powder has a tap density of 4.8 g/mL or more, a TAP/D50 value (value determined by dividing the tap density (g/mL) by the volume-based median diameter (?m)) of not less than 7 and not more than 15, and a specific surface area of not less than 0.75 m.sup.2/g and not more than 1.3 m.sup.2/g.

An apparatus is for forming powder, and includes an energy source for emitting at least one energy beam onto a workpiece, the energy beam being configured to melt the workpiece, at least in part, to form at least one pool of molten material on the workpiece. The apparatus is configured to exert a force on the workpiece causing at least a bead of molten material to be ejected from the pool and solidify to form a particle of powder.

A system for creating a second quantity of sinterable powder particles which have sizes falling within a second size range, from a first quantity of sinterable powder particles having sizes falling within a first size range, and where the sizes of the powder particles in the second size range are all larger than those in the first size range. In one embodiment the system has a heating component responsive to a predetermined temperature/time heating profile, which heats the first quantity of powder particles using the temperature/time heating profile, to cause partial sintering of the powder particles, which creates a new plurality of powder particles which have an increased dimension. A movement component is incorporated to at least one of separate the new powder particles from remaining ones of the powder particles of the first quantity of powder particles, or to further process the new plurality of powder particles, such that the new plurality of powder particles represents the second quantity of sinterable powder particles.