CSIRO opens Powder Lab for development of advanced metal powders
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has commissioned a new Powder Lab at its Clayton site in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, providing industry with facilities for the development, processing and characterisation of advanced powders for Additive Manufacturing and Powder Metallurgy.
The facility includes a Tekna TEK SPHERO 15, which uses high-temperature radio-frequency plasma to spheroidise irregular particles and produce more consistent spherical powders, and a NARA NHS-1 powder hybridisation mill, which enables the coating and combination of materials at a microscopic level using shear forces and air currents. The equipment will enable researchers to investigate metals, ceramics and composite material combinations and develop feedstocks with properties tailored to specific manufacturing processes and applications.
“The feedstocks we develop can be used for additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy fabrication of components with enhanced properties,” stated Dr Robert Wilson, metallurgical engineer and head of CSIRO’s Powder Lab team. “This ranges from forming compactable powders, to preform compacts used for wire manufacturing through CSIRO’s TiWi® technology.”
The Powder Lab can also develop ‘doped’ metals, which CSIRO describes as materials deliberately enhanced to modify the physical, mechanical or thermal behaviour of the final part. Working with partners including Singapore’s A*STAR and Sydney-based Romar Engineering, CSIRO can use tailored feedstocks to produce additively manufactured composite prototype parts.
According to CSIRO, demand for specialised feedstocks is increasing as manufacturers seek powders tailored to particular products, performance requirements and production processes. “As additive manufacturing becomes increasingly sophisticated, manufacturers are seeking more bespoke feedstocks that are specifically designed to meet the unique requirements of their custom products,” Wilson continued. “They also want them to be cheaper to drive down their input costs in a global and competitively contested environment. That has created a need for locally produced niche metal powders.”
CSIRO reported that the Powder Lab has already been used to modify metal and battery materials through projects involving industry and international partners, including aerospace and resources companies, the Trailblazer programme and Cooperative Research Centres. Together with CSIRO’s Lab22 Additive Manufacturing facility, the Powder Lab provides capabilities spanning feedstock development through to the fabrication of prototype devices in metallic, composite and technical ceramic materials.
“We’re essentially turning cutting-edge materials research into real-world manufacturing outcomes,” Wilson stated. “It is a practical pathway to reduce waste, cut costs and support circular economy outcomes for industry.”
