Introduction: The trapped powder that leaves the processing area with the parts during the 3D printing metal process can bring many safety hazards. Some metal powder raw materials such as titanium and aluminum are self igniting, which means they can explode.

The trapped powder that leaves the processing area with the parts during the 3D printing metal process can bring many safety hazards. Some metal powder raw materials such as titanium and aluminum are self igniting, which means they can explode. The progress of comprehensively understanding and diagnosing safety hazards related to metal 3D printing is still ongoing, and local firefighters need to be notified in advance when necessary to make faster responses in emergency situations.

Parts manufactured through conventional manufacturing processes (such as casting, forging, etc.) will not experience explosions. However, explosions are a potential safety hazard for parts manufactured through metal 3D printing. The safety hazards that need to be taken seriously in the process of using metal 3D printing for manufacturing parts.

However, just the trapped powder that leaves the processing area with the parts during the 3D printing metal process can bring many safety hazards. Let's explore the safety issues related to metal powder, especially during the post-processing of parts.

Perhaps you have seen the scene of operators and technicians wearing respirators and personal protective equipment, because the metal powder raw materials used in metal 3D printing systems are usually small enough and easily inhaled and absorbed into the human body with breathing. In fact, some people are also allergic to nickel metal, which further makes the inhalation of metal powder a major concern.

Most people may not realize that once parts made using metal 3D printing technology are removed from the construction room and cleaned, they may still contain trace amounts of powder material. Because even if the metal part is completely dense, its supporting structure may not be.

Most supporting structures are hollow, so the powder may be trapped inside. When components are removed from the construction board, one end of these support structures may release metal powder trapped in the support structure into the atmosphere. This is why it is usually recommended to remove the construction substrate through underwater EDM wire cutting, in order to release these loose powders into the water.

If 3D printed parts are not removed from the substrate using EDM processing technology, secondary cleaning operations such as vacuuming are required to remove loose powder trapped in the support structure. However, the difficulty of actual operation is not as easy as it sounds, as powder particles can adhere to the inner wall of the supporting material or partially melt onto the surface of the part during stress release. Even if the parts are hit multiple times on the table in an exaggerated way, there may still be some powder that has not been removed.

Obviously, the method of removing loose powder from parts is very complex, and more research is needed to better understand how to use finishing techniques such as soda blasting, abrasive flow machining (AFM), and electrochemical polishing to help remove loose powder from within the support structure.

Among them, abrasive flow machining technology is a new mechanical processing method that uses abrasive media (a flowable mixture mixed with abrasive particles) to flow through the surface of the workpiece under pressure, perform deburring, deburring, and rounding to reduce the surface waviness and roughness of the workpiece, and achieve precision machining smoothness. The AFM method is a good and optional machining method for workpieces that require complex manual precision machining or complex shapes, as well as for parts that are difficult to machine using other methods. The AFM method can also be applied to workpieces that are not satisfactory or may be injured during mass processing, such as drums, vibrations, and other factors. And it can effectively remove the delamination generated after discharge machining or laser beam machining, as well as the residual stress on the surface processed in the previous process.

Electrochemical polishing, also known as electrolytic polishing. Electrolytic polishing is a process in which the workpiece being polished is used as the anode and insoluble metal is used as the cathode. The two electrodes are simultaneously immersed in the electrolytic cell and subjected to direct current to produce selective anodic dissolution, thereby achieving an increase in the surface brightness of the workpiece.

It should be noted that some metal powder raw materials such as titanium and aluminum are self igniting, which means they may explode. Therefore, professional processing personnel should be careful when handling parts made of these materials, as the powder captured by the parts may be released again. If it infiltrates the machine environment, it may cause explosions under sparks or other conditions. Therefore, special care should be taken when handling and reprocessing these components, first ensuring that appropriate cleaning has been carried out. If loose powder falls during part processing, processing cannot proceed.

The progress of comprehensively understanding and diagnosing safety hazards related to metal 3D printing is still ongoing, and local firefighters need to be notified in advance when necessary to make faster responses in emergency situations. In addition, when placing 3D printed metal parts on a grinder or turning/milling machine for processing, it is important to ensure that the powder in these parts does not explode in the event of sparks igniting during the processing.

Article link: Intelligent Manufacturing Network https://www.gkzhan.com/news/detail/104502.html