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Characterize materials and products for Additive Manufacturing
Scanning Electron Microscopy for Additive Manufacturing The Additive Manufacturing…
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Large-scale SEM Imaging with Automated Image Mapping
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Phenom Desktop SEM: ParticleX as an Enabling Technology in Additive Manufacturing
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Product Brochure
Quality additive manufacturing processes require validation of feedstock powder properties. While scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) are well suited to this task, implementing this technique with high throughput and accuracy can be challenging in a manufacturing environment.
ParticleX Additive Manufacturing is the proven solution for monitoring the three most critical characteristics of metal powders: particle size distributions, individual particle morphology, and foreign particles. Quantify various size and shape parameters, such as minimum and maximum diameter, perimeter, aspect ratio, roughness, and ferret diameter. Visualize data at the 10%, 50%, and 90% values or on a number- or volume-based scale, letting you make clear and actionable decisions around quality manufacturing. Clearly differentiate between satellite particles, spherical particles, deformed particles, and agglomerates of primary particles. Fully integrated EDS enables elemental analysis and classification of each individual particle, allowing you to readily identify any foreign particulates in your powder from previous printing cycles and maintain quality feedstock.
High-Throughput
Analyze up to 10,000 particles per hour
Quantitative
Particle morphology & granulometry
Integrated EDS
Individual particle composition
Improve Quality
Identify contaminants & potential points of fracture
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ParticleX Additive Manufacturing
ASTM Standards Used in Characterizing Materials
There are a multitude of ASTM standards for preparing and characterizing additive manufacturing powders used throughout the industry. The most relevant ASTM standard for microscopy include B215-15 and F1877-16. The first standard discusses collecting an appropriate quantity of material to represent the bulk and the second standard discusses how this material is subsequently characterized. A summary of each of these standards is found below:
ASTM B215-15: Standard Practice for Sampling Metal Powders
This standard covers how a small quantity of metal powder is to be collected such that it is representative of the entire batch of material. The standardized method for obtaining test portions of metal powder are covered considering the possibility of segregation of the metal powder during and after the filling of the containers.
ASTM F1877-16: Standard Practice for Characterization of Particles
This standard covers the proper procedures for characterizing the morphology, quantity, size, and size distribution of particles. The SEM characterization method is included in this standard. The standard defines and depicts critical morphological parameters including equivalent circle diameter (ECD), aspect ratio (AR), elongation (E), Roundness (R), and Form Factor (FF).