The LIFT manufacturing research institute and undergraduate teams at Michigan Technological University have developed a new metal atomization chamber to support production of powdered metals in support of hypersonics materials production. The research is expected to contribute to developing new materials and “road maps” for hypersonics applications.

LIFT is a public-private partnership of the U.S. Dept. of Defense and a range of industrial and academic interests working to define manufacturing processes for lightweight materials. Michigan Tech is also working with LIFT in the ongoing Hypersonics Thermal Management and Material Acceleration programs, funded by DoD, to define roadmaps for developing alloys and processes for commercial, off-the-shelf materials that may be produced by additive manufacturing for hypersonics.

The new powder-metal production process was developed by four teams of Michigan Tech students and involves a 10-ft.-tall modular chamber into which molten metal is poured through a funnel, and then atomized using a high-pressure gas nozzle. The powdered metal thereby created is collected from the bottom of the chamber.

The chamber is designed to atomize about 88 lbs. (40 kg) of metal, including ferrous metals, nickel-based alloys, and aluminum-based alloys.

Atomization is a standard production process for powdered metals but the production capacity is limited for the types of alloys needed for advanced research programs, and Paul Sanders, a Michigan Tech professor of Materials Science and Engineering, said the teams’ work will promote development of new alloy metal powders.

“This atomization capability is needed because current powders for metal additive-development projects are expensive and have long lead-times,” said Sanders. “This chamber, if built and deployed, will provide for improved powder additive alloy design faster and at less cost across industry.”