Quantitative Analysis of the Physical Properties of Ti6Al4V Powders Used in a Powder Bed Fusion Based on 3D X-ray Computed Tomography Images

The physical properties of Ti6Al4V powder affect the spreadability of the powder and uniformity of the powder bed, which had a great impact on the performance of built parts made by powder bed fusion technology. Micro-computed tomography is a well-established technique used to analyze the non-destructivity of the objects’ interior. Ti6Al4V powders were scanned with micro-CT to show the internal and external information of all the particles. The morphology, particle size distribution, hollow particle ratio, density, inclusion, and specific surface area of the powder samples were quantitatively characterized, and the relationship of flowability with these physical properties was analyzed in this work. The research results of this article showed that micro-CT is an effective way to characterize these items, and can be developed as a standard method of powder physical properties in the future.