Elmet gains patent for AM refractory metal powders
Elmet Technologies, headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, USA, has been granted US Patent No. 12,571,080 – Fabrication of Metallic Parts by Additive Manufacturing. The patent strengthens the company’s intellectual property portfolio in powders and processing technologies for both Additive Manufacturing and Powder Metallurgy applications.
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The powders are produced using spray drying and optional plasma densification, resulting in highly flowable, densified composite particles. These characteristics are said to support reliable processing in Binder Jetting (BJT), as well as other powder-based Additive Manufacturing and Powder Metallurgy routes.
Following sintering, the resulting components are reported to meet ASTM B777 requirements for tungsten heavy alloys, including density, hardness and tensile strength. The materials are intended for use in aerospace, defence and industrial applications.
“This patent reflects the depth of innovation our team has built over years of materials research,” stated Michael T Stawovy, co-inventor and Vice President of Research & Development at Elmet Technologies. “By combining spray drying and plasma densification, we have developed a reliable pathway to produce powders and metallic parts through Additive Manufacturing that meet the demanding performance standards of our aerospace and defence customers, all from a domestically owned and operated facility.”
Key features of the patented invention noted by Elmet include:
- Flowable composite powders Spherical particles with a Hall flow rate of approximately 1–25 s/50 g, supporting consistent powder handling and processing
- Optimised particle architecture Tungsten grains embedded within a lower-melting-point metallic matrix, enabling controlled densification and reduced shrinkage during sintering
- High purity Reduced interstitial impurities (oxygen, carbon and trace elements) through plasma densification
- Flexible processing routes Feedstock suitable for BJT and Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Additive Manufacturing, as well as broader Powder Metallurgy applications
The technology aims to address a long-standing challenge in metal AM and Powder Metallurgy: the production of dense, flowable and chemically uniform refractory metal powders that retain their properties under demanding processing conditions. Components produced using the process have demonstrated compliance with ASTM B777 Class 1 requirements.
