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:

• Excellent corrosion resistance in harsh environments
• High oxidation and sulfidation resistance at elevated temperatures
• Very good weldability and formability
• Non-magnetic austenitic structure
• Disponibile in una gamma di distribuzioni dimensionali delle particelle

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:

Elemento	% Peso
Ferro (Fe)	Equilibrio
Cromo (Cr)	16-18%
Nichel (Ni)	10-14%
Molibdeno (Mo)	2-3%
Manganese (Mn)	¨P 2%
Silicio (Si)	¨P 1%
Carbonio (C)	¨P 0,03%
Fosforo (P)	¨P 0.045%
Zolfo (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:

Proprietà	Valore
Densità	7.9-8.1 g/cm3
Punto di fusione	1370-1400 d.C.
Conduttività termica	16 W/mK
Resistività elettrica	0.75 Ã×´Î.cm
Modulo di Young	190-210 GPa
Rapporto di Poisson	0.27-0.30
Resistenza alla trazione	485-620 MPa
Limite di snervamento	170-310 MPa
Allungamento	40-50%
Durezza	79-95 HRB

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:

• Atomizzazione a gas?- Inert gas jets disintegrate molten 316L alloy stream into fine spherical powders with controlled size distribution.
• Atomizzazione dell'acqua?- High pressure water jet impacts and disintegrates molten metal to produce fine irregular powder particles.
• Legame meccanico- Macinazione a sfere di miscele di polveri elementari eseguita con sinterizzazione e atomizzazione secondaria.

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:

• manifattura additiva?- Powder bed fusion, binder jetting processes use 316L powder for chemical, marine, biomedical parts.
• Stampaggio a iniezione di metallo?- To manufacture small, complex components needing corrosion resistance.
• Rivestimento con spruzzatura termica?- Wire arc spray deposition to produce protective coatings in harsh environments.
• Consumabili di Saldatura?- Used as filler material for joining 316L components providing excellent weld strength.
• Elaborazione chimica?- 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:

• Dimensione particellare:Da 10-45 Ã×m per i metodi AM, fino a 150 Ã×m per i processi di spray termico.
• Morfologia:?Spherical, irregular and blended particle shapes. Smooth spherical powder provides optimal flow.
• Purezza:?From commercial to high purity (99.9%) tailored to application requirements.
• Contenuto di ossigeno:?Levels maintained at 100-1000 ppm for most applications.
• Portata:?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 (Regno Unito)
• Höganäs (Svezia)
• Prodotti in polvere Carpenter (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:

• Livelli di purezza
• Caratteristiche delle particelle
• Quantità ordine
• Elaborazione aggiuntiva
• Produttore e località geografica

Grado	Fascia di prezzo
Commerciale	$15-25 al kg
Elevata purezza	25-50 €/kg
Ultrafine	tra i 50 e i 120 dollari a kg
Grado speciale	$ 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:

• Analisi chimica tramite OES o XRF per assicurare che la composizione sia all'interno dei limiti specifici
• Distribuzione delle dimensioni delle particelle secondo lo standard ASTM B822
• Analisi morfologica tramite imaging SEM
• Powder flow rate measured as per ASTM B213 standard
• Determinazione della densità mediante picnometria ad elio
• Verifica contaminazioni da ICP-MS
• Caratterizzazione della microstruttura mediante diffrazione di raggi 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:

Parametro	316L	304L
Composizione	Fe-Cr-Ni-Mo	Fe-Cr-Ni
Resistenza alla corrosione	Di gran lunga migliore	Bene
Costi	Più alto	Inferiore
Temperature resistance	Migliore	Bene
Saldabilità	Eccellente	Eccellente
Disponibilità	Moderato	Eccellente
APPLICAZIONI	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.