Powder metallurgy is often used to create products composed of pure metals or metal alloys. A powdered metal or multiple powdered metals blended together are compacted into a desired form. The powdered metal is then sintered by heating the powdered metal until the metal particles bond together. Metal powders have recently been used with additive manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing and laser sintering.
The presence of oxygen in metal powders, especially reactive metals such as titanium (Ti), can often compromise sintering and final product properties such as strength and toughness. Numerous de-oxygenation processes are known and include calcium based de-oxygenation. However, current de-oxygenation processes can involve relatively high temperatures (normally >900° C.), and can be complex to implement.
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