About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
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| Symposium
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Advancing the Frontier of Powder Materials Processing and Sintering: A MPMD/EPD Symposium in Honor of Eugene Olevsky
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| Presentation Title |
Spreading Behavior of Non-Spherical Powders in Powder Bed Additive Manufacturing: Multi-Mechanism Spreader setup and DEM-Based Analysis |
| Author(s) |
Oluwaseyi Omodara, Sina Zinatlou Ajabshir , August Thriffiley, Connor Coward, Eric Rhodes, John E Barnes, Fred M Carter III, Colin Hare, Amir Mostafaei |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Oluwaseyi Omodara |
| Abstract Scope |
Recently, nonspherical metal powders are considered in powder-based additive manufacturing (AM), primarily because their production is significantly more cost-effective than that of spherical powders. However, their irregular shape leads to poor flow behavior and handling challenges that affect process consistency and part quality. This study presents a custom-built powder spreading system designed to investigate spreading dynamics in real time using blade, roller, brush, and electrostatic spreading tools. The setup enables comprehensive in-situ and ex-situ characterization, including synchrotron X-ray imaging, lab-scale powder bed topology analysis, and high-speed optical tracking of particle motion to quantify powder bed density, powder-powder/spreader interactions, and surface uniformity. The performance between electrostatic dispenser and conventional spreading methods will be explored to improve layer quality before laser melting or binder deposition. Coupled with discrete element method (DEM) simulations, this work advances understanding of powder layer formation with non-spherical particles and provides detailed insights into spreading mechanisms. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Powder Materials, Additive Manufacturing, Modeling and Simulation |