MAPP Post Doctoral Research Associate Dr Simon Graham, University of Sheffield, has received a Keynote Paper Award for the World PM 2022 conference in October 2022.

Keynote papers receive an extended oral presentation slot in the programme and will be published in the journal Powder Metallurgy, the journal that sponsors the award.

Click here to view the EPMA Keynote Papers for World PM2022.

Dr Graham's is on Wednesday 12 October and is titled Solid-state Processing Of Surplus Aluminium Alloy Powders Through A Combination Of Field Assisted Sintering Technology And Hot Rolling.

Abstract

Metal additive manufacturing techniques typically operate using powders with limited particle size ranges, but atomisation processes produce significant amounts of particles outside these ranges, resulting in an accumulation of out-of-size specification metal powders without a clear use case.

Field assisted sintering technology (FAST) can provide an alternative, solid-state processing route to consolidate these powders into billets for subsequent processing, or directly into near-net shape components. In this study, surplus powders of A20X, an aerospace-approved aluminium alloy developed by Aluminium Materials Technologies (ECKART GmbH), were processed using FAST and subsequently hot rolled to produce sheet material. Tensile properties were similar to hot rolled conventional cast material and comparable to additively manufactured product. This indicates that FAST is an effective option for processing surplus metal powders, whilst improving sustainability in the additive supply chain.