A good understanding of powders behaviour allows you to optimize productivity and improve product quality. Freeman Technology’s FT4 powder rheometer is the best technique to understand and resolve powder flow issues.
Two samples of metal powders (AlSi10Mg) were analyzed in Alfatestlab. Through the “Basic Flowability” test the rheometer indicated a difference between the two powders in terms of the energy required to make them flow. Thanks to Phenom’s benchtop electron microscope, it was possible to take a closer look at the two samples, identifying the main cause of this difference i.e. the different morphological uniformity and surface texture of the particles.
Sample 1 (in blue) which has a more homogeneous morphology requires less energy than sample 2 (in green) to be moved and to flow.
