Gas Atomized Titanium Powder

Gas atomized titanium powder is a high purity titanium powder produced through gas atomization, a process where molten titanium is hit with high pressure gas streams to produce fine titanium particles. This powder has unique properties that make it suitable for various applications across industries.

Overview of Gas Atomized Titanium Powder

Gas atomized titanium powder has the following key characteristics:

Composition

Main component	Titanium (Ti)
Common alloys	Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-4V ELI
Trace elements	Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, iron

Properties

Particle shape	Spherical
Particle size	15 – 150 microns
Flowability	Excellent due to spherical shape
Apparent density	2.7 – 3.5 g/cc
Tap density	3.5 – 4.5 g/cc

Manufacturing Process

• Raw titanium ingots are melted using plasma arc melting
• High pressure inert gas (usually argon or nitrogen) is used to atomize the molten titanium
• Fine spherical powder particles solidify rapidly in the atomization tower
• Powder is collected and sieved into appropriate particle size ranges

Quality Standards

• ASTM B849
• AMS 4992
• ISO 22068

Common Trade Names

• Ti64 ELI Grade 23
• Plasma Atomized Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5

Cost

Particle Size	Price per kg
15-45 microns	$50-$100
45-105 microns	$30-$60
105-150 microns	$20-$40

Applications of Gas Atomized Titanium Powder

Gas atomized titanium sees use across industries owing to its unique properties. Some major applications include:

Additive Manufacturing

• Selective laser melting (SLM)
• Electron beam melting (EBM)
• Binder jetting

Used to produce complex titanium components for aerospace, medical, and automotive parts.

Metal Injection Molding

• Small complex parts like fasteners, gears
• High mechanical strength
• Net-shape or near-net shape parts

Thermal Spray Coatings

• Corrosion and wear-resistant coatings
• Hardface coatings up to 550 HV

Powder Metallurgy

• Sintered parts like golf club heads, bicycle parts
• Porous structures for filters, implants

Pyrotechnics

• Bright burning titanium sparks
• Military, entertainment, other applications

Suppliers of Gas Atomized Titanium Powder

Most major titanium producers and metal powder manufacturers supply gas atomized titanium powder. Some leading global suppliers include:

Supplier	Location
AP&C	Canada
ATI Powder Metals	USA
Carpenter Technology	USA
Hoganas	Sweden
GfE Metalle und Materialien	Germany
TLS Technik	Germany

Pricing

Gas atomized titanium powder is more expensive than other forms of titanium powder owing to the complex manufacturing process. Prices range from $20 per kg for larger size fractions to $100 per kg for the finest medical grade powders. Minimum order quantities are usually around 25-100 kg.

Pros and Cons of Gas Atomized Titanium Powder

Advantages

• Spherical morphology gives excellent flowability
• High purity, alloyed grades available
• Controlled particle size distribution
• Used in advanced applications like additive manufacturing

Disadvantages

• More expensive than other titanium powder types
• Limited suppliers and production capacity globally
• Requires specialized storage and handling

Comparison to Other Titanium Powder Types

Versus Sponge Fine Titanium

• 10X higher cost
• Far superior powder properties and consistency

Versus Hydride-Dehydride Titanium

• 2X higher cost on average
• Better sphericity and flowability
• Used in more advanced applications

Versus Plasma Rotating Electrode Process Powder

• Cost is comparable
• Gas atomized has slightly better sphericity
• PREP allows larger particle sizes

Particle Size Distribution

Controlling particle size distribution is critical for gas atomized titanium powder. Some common size cuts include:

Particle Size	Typical Applications
15-45 microns	Additive manufacturing
45-105 microns	Metal injection molding
105-150 microns	Thermal spray coatings

Laser diffraction or sieving technique is used to characterize the particle size distribution. Common statistical parameters used are:

• D10, D50, D90 (Size below which 10%, 50%, 90% particles fall)
• Span (Measure of distribution width)

ISO 13320 standard specifies procedure for analyzing size distribution using laser diffraction.

Effect of Impurities

Impurities negatively impact powder properties and must be controlled through melting and atomization process.

• Oxygen – Increases hardness and brittleness if >0.4%
• Nitrogen – Causes porosity issues > 0.05%
• Hydrogen – Causes porosity and cracking issues
• Iron – Reduces ductility and fracture resistance

Vacuum induction melting and spray forming helps achieve low oxygen and iron levels.

Storage and Handling

Special precautions needed while storing and handling titanium powder:

• Moisturesensitive – store in sealed containers with desiccant bags
• Explosion risk – inert gas blanketing required
• Pyrophoric – burns at fine particle sizes
• Requires electrically conductive containers like stainless steel

Dedicated powder storage rooms, glove boxes, and fume hoods used for handling reactive titanium powder.

Standards and Specifications

Standard	Organization	Description
ASTM B849	ASTM	Specification for pre-alloyed titanium powder
AMS 4992	SAE	Specification for gas atomized titanium alloy powder
ISO 22068	ISO	Specification for gas atomized titanium and titanium alloy powder

Specifications list acceptable limits of impurity levels, particle size distribution, apparent density and other parameters. Customized customer specifications also common.

FAQs

What is gas atomization process?

Gas atomization uses high pressure inert gas jets to break up a stream of molten metal into fine droplets. These droplets rapidly solidify into spherical powder particles.

What is the benefit of spherical powder morphology?

Spherical particles have excellent flowability. This allows uniform packing and spreading needed for additive manufacturing and metal injection molding.

What are common alloys of gas atomized titanium powder?

Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-4V ELI and Ti-6Al-7Nb alloys are popular for additive manufacturing applications in aerospace and medical sectors.

What affects the cost of gas atomized titanium powder?

Purity, particle size range, shape, and sphericity determines cost. Finer medical grade powders are far more expensive than coarse industrial grade powders.

What determines suitability for specific application?

Factors like particle size range, morphology, apparent density, tap density, flow rate, impurity levels decide if the powder matches the requirements of AM, thermal spray or MIM process.

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