Abstract

Significance As an important raw material for additive manufacturing （AM）， the quality of metal powder is one of the key factors influencing final product performance. With the rapid development of AM technologies， the demand for high-quality and cost-effective powders has significantly increased. The atomization method， which directly transforms molten metal into powder， is particularly suitable for AM applications. This review introduces the research progress of three typical atomization technologies： gas atomization， plasma rotating electrode process （PREP）， and ultrasonic atomization （UA）. While gas atomization and PREP have achieved large-scale powder production， UA stands out as the most promising powder preparation technique due to its high powder quality and low production cost.

Progress The rising demands for powder quality and cost-efficiency in AM have promoted the development of atomization techniques. Research on gas atomization mainly focuses on optimizing the structure of the atomization nozzle and clarifying the impact of key atomization parameters on powder yield and quality. For PREP， three mechanisms of powder formation have been clarified， and the effects of key factors such as equipment layout and rod speed on powder yield and morphology have been established. Additionally， researchers have explored methods to increase the rod rotational speed and prevent powder contamination. With its high process controllability and low powder preparation cost， UA has attracted significant attention. Various types of UA devices have been developed based on the fundamental principles of UA， although the hourly powder yield remains lower compared to the other two techniques.

Conclusions and Prospects Developing atomization technologies for metal powders and upgrading equipment and processes to achieve efficient and low-cost production of high-quality metal powders is a key direction for the future development of atomization methods. This paper reviews the research progress of three atomization technologies： gas atomization， PREP， and UA. The conclusions are as follows： （1） A low yield of fine powders and a high content of defective powders are the primary issues faced by gas atomization. Optimizing the structure of the atomizer to enhance gas kinetic energy efficiency and adjusting the airflow structure within the atomization chamber to avoid the formation of defective powders are crucial for improving powder quality and reducing production costs. （2） Consistently increasing the rotational speed of the electrode rod and optimizing the performance of the heat source， material supply， and chamber structure are key to PREP development. （3） UA has significant development potential， but its underlying atomization mechanism is more complex. How to optimize equipment and processes to increase powder yield is a bottleneck issue that needs to be addressed.

Keywords： metal additive manufacturing； gas atomization； plasma rotating electrode process； ultrasonic atomization

Get Citation: LI Qi， XIE Jun， WU Hao， et al. Research progress on atomization methods for preparing metal powder used in additive manufacturing［J］. China Powder Science and Technology，2025，31（5）：1−18.

Received: 2024-10-08 .Revised: 2024-12-24 ,Online: 2025-05-21

Funding Project: 云南省材料基因工程Ⅱ期项目，编号：202302AB080020；国家重点研发计划项目，编号：2023YFB3712000；2020年中国科学院青年创新促进会项目，编号：2020198。

First Author: 李奇（1992—），男，助理研究员，博士，研究方向为高温合金粉体制备技术开发。E-mail：qli17b@imr.ac.cn。

Corresponding Author: 李金国（1975—），男，研究员，博士，博士生导师，研究方向为高温合金增材制造。E-mail：jgli@imr.ac.cn。；

谢君（1986—），男，研究员，博士，硕士生导师，研究方向为增材制造用高温合金粉末制备与开发。E-mail：junxie@imr.ac.cn。

DOI：10.13732/j.issn.1008-5548.2025.05.005

CLC No: TB4；TF123.2           Type Code: A

Serial No: 1008-5548（2025）05-0001-18