The quality of parts produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is strongly influenced by the powder. Despite its significance, the powder lacks quantified and broadly accepted requirements. One relevant aspect is powder flowability, which is nowadays assessed with a plethora of different measurement methods. The goal of the proposed project is therefore to simplify the assessment of powder flowability and develop a method for its measurement, potentially by using or combining already existing methods. Therefore, a variety of powders are characterized. Subsequently, a novel method to measure the powder layer quality is integrated into a LPBF machine. This method is then used to measure how powder characteristics affect the powder layer and, in turn, the part quality. This information is then used to derive quantitative recommendations for powder flowability properties and a measurement procedure for those.
