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MANUFACTURER FOR 3D PRINTING
MG ALLOY POWDERS
Leading in Powder Manufacturing Technology through
3D Printing Mg Powder Manufacturing.
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute-Hana AMT Develops 3D Printing Metal Powder to Manufacture SMR Pressure Vessels
- Excellent shock absorption in extreme low-temperature environments, expanding the use of nuclear power plant parts manufacturing
Researchers in Korea are expected to contribute to the safe operation of nuclear power plants by developing metal powder materials for metal 3D printing that can manufacture small modular reactor (SMR) pressure containers.
Researchers at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KARA) announced on the 26th that Dr. Kang Seok-hoon of the Ministry of Material Safety and Technology Development collaborated with Professor Ryu Ho-jin of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Hana AMT (CEO Kim Hong-mul) to develop metal powder materials for 3D printing.
3D printing technology has recently been in the spotlight in the nuclear power plant parts industry because it can design and manufacture precise parts with complex structures such as nuclear reactors seamlessly. In addition, no separate casting or processing is required, and there is little material loss.
In particular, in the field of metal 3D printing, process technology that optimizes metal powder and printing, which are essential materials, as well as equipment, is a key element. The reactor pressure vessel material has a relatively high carbon content, making it difficult to make fine powder for 3D printing. This is because the fluidity of the powder is low, making it difficult to pass through the nozzle, and it is easily oxidized in the process of making the powder.
Accordingly, Dr. Kang Seok-hoon's researchers produced tens of micrometers (μm, 1/m) of round and even 3D printing fine powder to be used to manufacture reactor pressure containers by improving the gas spray process to develop metal powder exclusively for 3D printing.
The gas spray process is a process of making powder by spraying an inert gas to block the inflow and oxidation of impurities into a metal melted by heat. Using an improved method, the researchers improved liquidity by finely controlling the size of the powder during gas injection using a vortex nozzle.
Since then, the optimal process conditions have been derived to make materials with excellent impact absorption by controlling beam energy, scan speed, and amount of heat with L-PBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion) 3D printing.
As a result of comparing and evaluating the impact absorption rate with the actual pressure container material from -196°C to 80°C high temperature, excellent safety was confirmed. In fact, the material for the pressure vessel was split around -75℃, but the newly manufactured 3D printing material was split around -145℃. The metal's safety has increased as the soft-brittle transition temperature has been lowered by absorbing shocks well even in extreme low-temperature environments where metals are prone to breakage.
In particular, when operating a nuclear power plant, the reactor pressure vessel is exposed to neutrons by internal nuclear fission, and gradually changes to a fragile state. Therefore, a strong pressure vessel that can withstand neutron exposure for a long time is needed. Given that the transition temperature is lowered by about 70℃, it is expected to be able to withstand ultra-long-period neutron irradiation of more than 80 years, assuming that the current commercial reactor design life is 40 years. The researchers plan to standardize 3D printing-based manufacturing technology and obtain licenses from regulators in the future.
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is conducting advanced research not only in SMR design but also in various fields, said Han Kook-kyu, director of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The powder material for 3D printing developed this time is expected to be widely used in the production of various reactor parts that require high safety, including SMR in the future.