The present work aims at quantifying and enhancing the flowability of cohesive metal powders, in particular aluminium powders, for their use in Additive Manufacturing processes such as Laser Metal Deposition. A flowability criterion, the population-dependent granular Bond number, is calculated for various metal powder samples, which are then tested with a funnel flowmeter under vibrational assistance. It is demonstrated that vibrations at a specific frequency can help trigger and sustain the flow of cohesive metal powders. Another way of enhancing powder flowability is achieved through heat treatment. A significant improvement in flowability is measured for a specific time-temperature setting, thereby enabling the use of a cohesive Al-Cu powder with the Laser Metal Deposition process.

本工作旨在量化和增强粘结金属粉末，特别是铝粉末的流动性，以用于增材制造工艺，例如激光金属沉积。计算各种金属粉末样品的流动性标准（取决于种群的颗粒状键合数），然后使用漏斗流量计在振动辅助下对其进行测试。已经证明，特定频率的振动可以帮助触发和维持粘性金属粉末的流动。通过热处理获得增强粉末流动性的另一种方法。对于特定的时间-温度设置，可以测量到流动性的显着改善，从而可以在激光金属沉积工艺中使用具有粘性的Al-Cu粉末。