An Investigation of the Metal Powder Ultrasound Atomisation Process of 316L Stainless Steel

This paper presents the results of a study on the atomisation process of 316L material. The primary objective of the study was to obtain the highest quality, quantity and yield of 316L metal powder for the established atomisation parameters (torch current and wire feed speed) at the assumed process time. Using experiment planning according to the Taguchi method, 16 pairs of controllable variable parameters were developed. It was observed that the low current high-wire speed configuration resulted in the formation of a considerable amount of molten metal on the sonotrode platform. This phenomenon prevented the ultrasound system from working properly, so some of the processes were interrupted. The results obtained from the tests showed that torch current and wire feed speed are parameters that have a significant impact on the efficiency of the ultrasonic atomisation process. The highest efficiency was achieved by the process with a torch current of 100 A and a wire feed speed of 9 mm/s.