Abstract

Significance Metal 3D printing， as a cutting-edge additive manufacturing （AM）technique， has exhibited great potential in its applications in aerospace， medical， automotive， and other high-tech industries， providing an efficient and flexible approach for metal component production. To comprehensively understandits development trendsand industrial applications， this paper reviews current research on metal 3D printing powders， focusing on powder preparation methods.

Progress The printing quality and performance of metal 3D formed parts are significantly influenced by the metal powders’ defects and characteristics， including particle size， sphericity， bulk density，flowability， and purity. Particle size affects powder reactivity and flowability， with different manufacturing processes requiring specific sizes. Powders with high sphericity exhibit better flowability and produce components with higher forming quality. Bulk density and flowability are affected by particle shape， size distribution， and surface condition， with higher bulk density promoting the formation of continuous melt pools during printing. Purity is equally important， as high-purity powders reduce the impact of impurities on performance， especially with strict control over oxygen content. Tapped density also affects the density and mechanical properties of printed parts. Despite advances in manufacturing， metal powders still have typical defects that compromise printing quality. Hollow spheres formwhen voids develop within metal droplets， reducing the density and mechanical properties of printed parts. Satellite particles occur when smaller particles adhere to larger ones， affecting powder flowability and forming quality. Poor sphericity of powders， due to irregular particle shapes， leads to uneven powder distribution and reduces mechanical properties. Non-uniform particle size distribution increases porosity and reduces fatigue life. To improve printing quality， various powder preparation methods for metal 3D printing are employed， mainly including gas atomization， water atomization， ultrasonic atomization， centrifugal atomization， plasma atomization， and plasma spheroidization.These techniques are suitable for different application scenarios and material systems. Gas atomization uses high-pressure inert gases to atomize liquid metal， which is cost-effective and highly efficient but requires optimization of powder sphericity and particle size distribution. Water atomization enables fast cooling but results in higher oxygen content， affecting the performance of final printed parts. Ultrasonic atomization employs high-frequency vibrations to produce highly spherical droplets with uniform size distribution. Centrifugal atomization prepares metal powders through high-speed rotation， suitable for producing powders of larger particle sizes. Plasma atomization meltswire using high-temperature plasma， producing powders with high sphericity， purity， and low oxygen content. Plasma spheroidization transforms irregular particles into spherical ones using high temperature and surface tension effects， significantly improving powder quality. Despite progress， challenges remain in producing fine powders with narrow size distributions while maintaining low oxygen content. Further development is needed to enhance powder quality consistency and process stability.

Conclusions and Prospects Metal 3D printing technology， with its unique advantages， has revolutionized manufacturing industry. Its mature printing methods and advanced metal powder systems enable the manufacturing of high-precision and high-strength components. As the technology continues to evolve through technological innovation and process optimization， future developments should focus on cost control and accuracy improvement. The integration of emerging technologies， such as artificial intelligence and machine learning， is driving significant advancements in powder production processes and material cost reduction. These developments are accelerating the transition toward more intelligent and automated production processes. Moreover，powder preparation methods are progressing toward more efficient， environmentally sustainable， and economically viable solutions. The improvements in cost-effectiveness and quality of final products broaden their applications and adoption in more fields， enabling customized production of special parts with complex shapes.

Keywords： 3D printing； metal powder； powder preparation； atomization technique； powder characteristics

Get Citation:GAO Yulai， WU Yuehui. Research progress in powder preparation techniques for metal 3D printing［J］. China Powder Science and Technology， 2025， 31（6）： 1-19.

Received: 2024-12-28 .Revised: 2025-03-28 ,Online: 2025-06-04

Funding Project:国家自然科学基金项目，编号：52071193。

First Author:高玉来（1975—），男，教授，博士，博士生导师，研究方向为金属凝固组织调控及先进材料焊接。E-mail：ylgao@shu.edu.cn。

DOI：10.13732/j.issn.1008-5548.2025.06.005

CLC No:TB4 Type Code: A

Serial No:1008-5548（2025）06-0001-19