The objective of this work is to study the feasibility of mechanically-generated feedstock for use in directed energy deposition (DED) processing. Mechanically-generated powder was created by machining 316L stainless steel bar stock followed by comminution of the resulting chips through oscillation ball milling. This methodology's production yield and processing time for the specifications of a commercially available DED system are presented along with resulting powder morphology. Performance of the mechanically-generated feedstock was compared to gas-atomized powder and evaluated based on the following figures of merit: flowability, printed part height, printed part density, and chemical compositional stability throughout processing. Mechanically-generated feedstock was created to meet deposition system requirements. Compared with gas-atomized powder, mechanically-generated powder did not flow as well through the powder-delivery system. Parts printed from mechanically-generated feedstock were generally taller than their counterparts from gas-atomized feedstock, but their densities were less predictable. Chemical composition of prints using both feedstocks was within standard nominal compositions for 316L stainless steel.

这项工作的目的是研究将机械产生的原料用于定向能量沉积（DED）工艺的可行性。通过机械加工316L不锈钢棒料，然后通过振荡球磨将所得切屑粉碎，可以产生机械产生的粉末。介绍了该方法的生产收率和市售DED系统规格的处理时间，以及所得的粉末形态。将机械产生的原料的性能与雾化的粉末进行比较，并根据以下优点进行评估：流动性，印刷零件的高度，印刷零件的密度以及整个加工过程中的化学组成稳定性。机械生成的原料可以满足沉积系统的要求。与气雾化粉末相比，机械产生的粉末在粉末输送系统中的流动性不佳。用机械生成的原料打印的零件通常比用气体雾化的原料打印的零件要高，但是其密度难以预测。使用这两种原料的印刷品的化学成分在316L不锈钢的标准标称成分之内。