Best Stainless Steel 316L Powder for 3D Printing

Overview of Stainless Steel 316L Powder

316L stainless steel belongs to the austenitic class of stainless steels. The addition of 2-3% molybdenum along with nickel and chromium imparts excellent pitting and crevice corrosion resistance in harsh environments. The ‘L’ denotes lower carbon content to avoid carbide precipitation during welding.

Key characteristics of 316L powder include:

• Ketahanan korosi yang sangat baik di lingkungan yang keras
• High oxidation and sulfidation resistance at elevated temperatures
• Kemampuan las dan kemampuan bentuk yang sangat baik
• Non-magnetic austenitic structure
• Tersedia dalam berbagai distribusi ukuran partikel

316L powder is suitable for applications requiring excellent corrosion resistance like chemical processing, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, marine equipment and biomedical implants. This article provides a detailed overview of 316L powder.

Chemical Composition of 316L Powder

The typical composition of 316L powder is:

unsur	Berat %
Besi (Fe)	Keseimbangan
Chromium (Cr)	16-18%
Nikel (Ni)	10-14%
Molibdenum (Mo)	2-3%
Manggan (Mn)	¨P 2%
Silikon (Si)	¨P 1%
Karbon (C)	¨P 0.03%
Fosfor (P)	¨P 0.045%
Sulfur (S)	¨P 0.03%

Nickel enhances corrosion resistance while molybdenum addition improves resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in environments containing chlorides. Low carbon content avoids carbide precipitation during welding.

Properties of 316L Powder

316L powder possesses the following properties:

Property	Nilai
Kepadatan	7.9-8.1 g/cm3
Titik Leleh	1370-1400 Masehi
Kekonduksian termal	16 W/mK
Resistivitas listrik	0.75 Ã×´Î.cm
Modulus Young	190-210 GPa
Rasio Poisson	0.27-0.30
Kekuatan Tarik	485-620 MPa
Kekuatan mulur	170-310 MPa
Pemanjangan	40-50%
Kekerasan	79-95 DJC

316L offers excellent corrosion resistance combined with good formability and weldability. The austenitic structure provides good toughness and ductility.

Production Method for 316L Powder

Common production methods for 316L powder include:

• Atomize Gas?- Inert gas jets disintegrate molten 316L alloy stream into fine spherical powders with controlled size distribution.
• Atomisasi Air?- High pressure water jet impacts and disintegrates molten metal to produce fine irregular powder particles.
• Mechanical Alloying?- Penggilingan bola pada bubuk unsur campuran yang diikuti dengan proses penyinteran dan atomisasi sekunder.

Gas atomization allows excellent control over particle characteristics like size, shape, oxygen pickup and microstructure.

Applications of 316L Powder

Typical applications of 316L powder include:

• pembuatan aditif?- Powder bed fusion, binder jetting processes use 316L powder for chemical, marine, biomedical parts.
• Pencetakan Injeksi Logam?- To manufacture small, complex components needing corrosion resistance.
• Lapisan Semprotan Termal?- Wire arc spray deposition to produce protective coatings in harsh environments.
• Barang Habis Pakai Pengelasan?- Used as filler material for joining 316L components providing excellent weld strength.
• Pemrosesan kimia?- Powder metallurgy vessels, trays, baskets used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Specifications of 316L Powder

316L powder is available under different size ranges, shapes and purity levels:

• Besaran partikel:?From 10-45 Ã×m for AM methods, up to 150 Ã×m for thermal spray processes.
• Morfologi:?Spherical, irregular and blended particle shapes. Smooth spherical powder provides optimal flow.
• Kemurnian:?From commercial to high purity (99.9%) tailored to application requirements.
• Kandungan Oksigen:?Levels maintained at 100-1000 ppm for most applications.
• Laju Aliran:?Powder customized for flow rates above 25 s/50 g.

Global Suppliers of 316L Powder

Some of the major global suppliers of 316L powder include:

• Sandvik Osprey (UK)
• Hoganas (Swedia)
• Carpenter Powder Products (USA)
• Praxair (USA)
• Oerlikon Metco (Switzerland)
• LPW Technology (UK)

These companies produce various grades of 316L powder tailored for additive manufacturing, thermal spray, metal injection molding and other applications.

Pricing of 316L Powder

316L powder prices depend on factors like:

• Tahap kemurnian
• Karakteristik partikel
• Jumlah Pesanan
• Pemrosesan tambahan
• Produsen dan lokasi geografis

Kelas	Kisaran Harga
Iklan Niaga	$15-25 per kg
Kemurnian tinggi	$25-50 per kg
Ultrafine	Rp 50.000-Rp 120.000 per kg
Kelas khsus	$120-250 per kg

Gas atomized, controlled particle size, high purity powders command much higher pricing over regular commercial grade 316L powder.

Storage and Handling of 316L Powder

316L powder should be handled with care to:

• Prevent contact with moisture, acids etc. leading to corrosion
• Avoid fine powder accumulation to minimize risk of dust explosions
• Use proper ventilation, PPE when handling fine powders
• Follow recommended practices from supplier SDS
• Store sealed containers in a dry, inert atmosphere

Proper protective measures must be taken when handling reactive alloy powders like 316L.

Inspection and Testing of 316L Powder

Key quality control tests performed on 316L powder:

• Analisis kimia menggunakan OES atau XRF untuk memastikan bahwa komposisi berada dalam batas yang ditentukan
• Distribusi ukuran partikel sesuai standar ASTM B822
• Analisis morfologi melalui pencitraan SEM
• Powder flow rate measured as per ASTM B213 standard
• Penentuan densitas dengan helium piknometer
• Pengujian pengotor dengan ICP-MS
• Karakterisasi struktur mikro dengan difraksi sinar-X

Thorough testing ensures the powder meets the required chemical, physical and microstructural characteristics for the intended application.

Comparison Between 316L and 304L Stainless Steel Powders

316L and 304L stainless steel powders compared:

Parameter	316L	304L
Komposisi	Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo	Fe-Cr-Ni
Tahanan terhadap korosi	Jauh lebih baik	Baik
Biaya	Lebih Tinggi	Lebih rendah
Temperature resistance	Lebih baik	Baik
Kelasawelan	Luar biasa	Luar biasa
Ketersediaan	Sedang	Luar biasa
APLIKASI	Marine, chemical industry	Consumer products, appliances

316L offers substantially better corrosion resistance whereas 304L is more economical for less demanding applications.

316L Powder FAQs

Q: How is 316L stainless steel powder produced?

A: 316L powder is commercially produced using gas atomization, water atomization and mechanical alloying followed by sintering. Gas atomization offers the best control of powder characteristics.

Q: What are the main applications of 316L powder?

A: Key applications for 316L powder include additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, thermal spray coatings, and powder metallurgy parts for chemical, marine, pharmaceutical and food industries needing excellent corrosion resistance.

Q: What is the recommended 316L powder size for binder jetting AM?

A: For binder jetting process, the typical 316L powder size range is 20-45 microns with spherical morphology for optimal powder bed density and binder infiltration.

Q: Does 316L powder require special handling precautions?

A: Yes, 316L is a reactive alloy powder and should be handled carefully under controlled humidity and inert atmosphere using proper grounding, ventilation and PPE.

Q: Where can I buy 316L powder suitable for biomedical implants?

A: High purity, gas atomized 316L powder meeting biomedical specifications can be purchased from leading manufacturers like Sandvik Osprey, Hoganas, Carpenter Powder Products and LPW Technology.