Nickel Alloy 52 Powder

Nickel Alloy 52 powder, also known as Nicrofer 5220h or 2.4631 powder, is a nickel-chromium alloy powder used for additive manufacturing and metal 3D printing applications. This alloy stands out due to its high strength properties coupled with outstanding corrosion and oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures.

Overview of Nickel Alloy 52 Powder

Nickel Alloy 52 powder has the following key characteristics:

• Composition: Nickel, Chromium, Iron, Molybdenum
• High temperature strength and creep resistance
• Excellent corrosion and oxidation resistance
• Used for additive manufacturing, 3D printing
• Applications in aerospace, power generation, chemical processing

Table 1: Nickel Alloy 52 powder properties

Table 2: Nickel Alloy 52 powder sizes

Table 3: Nickel Alloy 52 powder pricing

Composition of Nickel Alloy 52 Powder

The composition of Nickel Alloy 52 consists primarily of nickel along with substantial amounts of chromium, iron and a small percentage of molybdenum.

Nickel is the main element which makes up the balance of the composition after the other alloying elements. Nickel imparts corrosion resistance, ductility and high temperature mechanical properties.

Chromium (Cr) constitutes 22% of Nickel Alloy 52 powder. The addition of chromium significantly enhances oxidation and corrosion resistance. It also provides solid solution strengthening.

Iron (Fe) is added up to 22% to improve high temperature strength through solid solution strengthening without impairing ductility or workability.

Molybdenum (Mo) constitutes 3% of the alloy composition. Molybdenum further improves elevated temperature strength, creep resistance and stability of the alloy.

This optimized chemical composition allows Nickel Alloy 52 powder to demonstrate an exceptional combination of high temperature strength, creep resistance, weldability, and corrosion/oxidation resistance.

Properties and Characteristics

Nickel Alloy 52 stands out due to its impressive mechanical properties coupled with excellent high temperature corrosion and oxidation resistance, as summarized below:

High strength: Nickel Alloy 52 powder can achieve an ultimate tensile strength exceeding 1000 MPa and a yield strength over 450 MPa at room temperature. This means printed parts have very high strength capable of withstanding high mechanical loads.

Good ductility: Despite its high strength, Nickel Alloy 52 still retains decent elongation of 30-35% allowing some flexibility and resistance to fracture.

Excellent creep resistance: The alloy has outstanding creep rupture strength up to 850°C owing to its solid solution strengthening and precipitate formation. This allows durability against deformation under sustained loading over time.

Resistant to thermal fatigue and cycling: Nickel Alloy 52 powder can endure rapid heating and cooling cycles without cracking or premature failure. This is critical for components seeing fluctuating temperatures.

Corrosion resistant: The high chromium and molybdenum content enables exceptional resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in oxidizing, neutral and reducing environments up to temperatures exceeding 1000°C.

Oxidation resistance: A very adherent chromium-rich oxide layer protects the material from oxidation damage in air environments up to 1100°C. It resists breakaway oxidation even after extensive service.

Overall, the combination of strength, ductility, creep resistance together with corrosion/oxidation resistance at extreme temperatures make Nickel Alloy 52 a versatile high performance material for metal AM and powder bed fusion 3D printing.

Applications of Nickel Alloy 52 Powder

Nickel Alloy 52 is used in critical applications across aerospace, power generation, chemical processing and other harsh environment industries where the capability to withstand extreme temperatures and corrosion affects component life and safety.

Table 4: Applications of Nickel Alloy 52 powder in various sectors

Some specific applications include:

• Aerospace engine components like blades, nozzles, housings, and casings
• Industrial gas turbine hot section parts
• Rocket engine nozzles
• Heat exchanger tubing for chemical refineries and offshore platforms
• Valves and processing equipment for corrosive chemicals
• Exhaust components and turbochargers in marine engines

The ability to 3D print intricate, customizable geometries otherwise impossible through conventional manufacturing further expands potential applications of Nickel Alloy 52 across industries.

Metal 3D Printing Using Nickel Alloy 52 Powder

Nickel Alloy 52 powder is primarily used as feedstock material for powder bed fusion (PBF) based metal additive manufacturing processes including selective laser melting (SLM) and direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).

The typical 3D printing process involves:

1. Spreading a uniform layer of Nickel Alloy 52 powder on build platform
2. Selectively melting powder to solidify cross section using laser
3. Lowering platform and spreading new layer of powder
4. Repeating layer-by-layer until the part is complete

Table 5: Typical 3D printing parameters for Nickel Alloy 52 powder

The excellent flowability and high density of Nickel Alloy 52 powder enables uniform spreadability along with good absorption and retention of laser energy resulting in great printability.

Proper annealing treatments relieve internal stresses from the rapid solidification inherent in AM processes allowing metal parts to meet design requirements.

Compared to casting/forging, benefits of additive manufacturing Nickel Alloy 52 components include:

• Complex geometries not possible otherwise
• Reduced assembly parts through consolidated designs
• Shorter development times
• Lower costs for smaller batch production
• High strength-to-weight ratios
• Excellent reproducibility part-to-part

However, limitations of metal AM need consideration:

• Higher cost for large production volumes
• Constrained maximum part envelope size
• Additional post-processing may be required
• Anisotropic material properties

Overall, 3D printing delivers game-changing advantages over conventional techniques for small niche applications where factors like design complexity, customization, costs and lead times are critical.

Nickel Alloy 52 Powder Suppliers

Some leading global suppliers offering Nickel Alloy 52 powder specifically for metal additive manufacturing include:

Table 6: Nickel Alloy 52 powder manufacturers

Factors differentiating powder producers involve quality control in:

• Chemical composition conformity to strict aerospace standards
• Spheroidal particle shape distribution
• Strict handling procedures to prevent contamination
• Range of particle sizes available
• Consistent powder morphology from batch-to-batch

So it’s essential for 3D printing shops to select a reliable supplier that provides complete quality assurance certification for Nickel Alloy 52 powder suited to their exact build process parameters and requirements.

Nickel Alloy 52 Powder Costs

Nickel alloy powders are more expensive than conventional stainless steel powders due to the proprietary compositions involving higher nickel and chromium contents.