Electrolyte-Plasma Production of Metal Powders for Additive Manufacturing

The possibility of production of metal powder of grade “EOS Stainless Steel PH 1” by electrolyte-plasma spraying of finished products manufactured by selective laser melting is considered. The sample is sprayed by gas-discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure in an electrode configuration, where the metal cathode is the sprayed product and the electrolytic anode is a 3% NaCl solution in purified tap water. The current-voltage characteristics of the discharge, the surface temperature of the electrodes, the topography and the elemental composition of the powder are determined.