Metal Additive Manufacturing Powder Consortium

Summary

The Metal Additive Manufacturing Powder (MAMP) Consortium brings together stakeholders to develop deeper understanding of additive manufacturing (AM) metal powder characteristics, metrics, and measurement techniques, and how they affect various AM processes and resultant materials and components. 

Description

 [TOP] NIST Powder Spreading Testbed (PST), [BOTTOM] Timelapse results from PST

(High-speed video of metal powder spreading using the powder spreading testbed (PST) at NIST - NISTube)

Credit: NIST

The Consortium is focused on pre-competitive measurement science and standards research for metal powder feedstocks used in AM. MAMP research findings will broadly benefit the AM community, with more direct benefit to metal powder manufacturers, manufacturers of powder measurement tools, original AM equipment manufacturers, academic researchers focused on metal powders, standards development organizations addressing AM, as well as Federal and state agencies seeking to advance AM for their missions and applications. All MAMP research findings will be considered for development of new standards and modifications to existing standards under development at NIST and in other accredited standards development organizations.

The Consortium addresses current challenges, including:

1. Incomplete understanding of powder characteristics, metrics, measurement techniques, and their effect on process, material, and component performance
2. Lack of prescriptive standards for effective powder use, re-use, and measurement techniques
3. Inconsistent or undefined repeatability or reproducibility of various powder metrics
4. Lack of common protocols for powder measurement techniques across different equipment manufacturers

No proprietary information will be shared as part of the Consortium.

Federal Register Notice for MAMP Consortium 

Contact

MAMP Consortium at: AMPowderConsortium [at] nist.gov

Facilities

Powder characterization instruments/methods:

• Dynamic Image Analysis (DIA)
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
• X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT)
• X-ray diffraction (XRD)
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
• Laser absorption
• Laser (thermal) flash for thermal conductivity/diffusivity analysis
• High-speed imaging
• Powder rheology
• Helium pycnometry
• Hall Flowmeter
• Rotary powder sample splitter
• Metal powder sieving facility
• Powder mixer (V-shape, small and big)
• Mid-size environmental chamber (glovebox)

Microstructure characterization instruments/methods:

• Optical Microscopy (OM)
• Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD)
• Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
• Atom Probe Tomography (APT)

Mechanical characterization instruments/methods:

• Microhardness 
• Nanoindentation 
• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
• Mechanical Testing including small-scale and extreme environments

Available testbeds:

• AM Metrology Testbed (AMMT)
• Powder Spreading Testbed (PST)
• Several commercial AM machines