Frontier Insights: Ultrasonic Atomization — A Novel Mechanism for Fabricating Metal Powders to Empower Additive Manufacturing

Recently, a multinational collaborative research team published its findings in the journal Additive Manufacturing. Leveraging two advanced in-situ characterization techniques—high-speed optical imaging and ultrafast synchrotron X-ray imaging—the team has fully elucidated the fundamental mechanisms underlying ultrasonic atomization, thereby establishing a robust theoretical foundation for the industrial-scale production of high-quality metal powders via this method.

Ultrasonic Atomization Powder Production: Empowering Alloy R&D and Closed-Loop Recycling of Metallic Materials

In the field of additive manufacturing (3D printing), spherical metal powders are the core raw material, and their sphericity, flowability, and compositional uniformity directly determine the quality of the final product. While conventional powder‑making techniques such as gas atomization, water atomization, and plasma spheroidization can achieve large‑scale production, they suffer from bulky equipment, high changeover costs, and poor feedstock compatibility, making it difficult to meet the demands of rapid new‑alloy development in laboratory settings and hindering the practical implementation of metal‑material recycling. Ultrasonic atomization, with its advantages of compactness, high flexibility, and strong feedstock compatibility, has emerged as a leading technology in powder metallurgy and additive manufacturing, opening up new avenues for sustainable materials development.

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