Testing services provider Element has expanded its powder characterization capabilities for additive manufacturing at its Antwerp, Belgium laboratory.
With the increasing application of powder bed fusion for series production, additive manufacturing (AM) has matured as an industrial manufacturing technology. In response to this, the Antwerp laboratory is offering full scope powder characterization services according to ISO/ASTM 52907.
The Antwerp laboratory has procured equipment to provide a full suite of techniques and services for powder characterization including chemical composition, particle size distribution, morphology, contamination, flowability and characteristic densities.
Accurate determination of powder properties is the front end of quality assurance in the AM process. Powder quality has a significant impact on the printing process and the properties of the printed material. The recent equipment acquisitions enables Element’s engineers at Antwerp to determine if the powders used for AM are compliant and within specification limits, ensuring the quality of the final part.
Matt Hopkinson, executive vice president of EMEAA at Element said, “3D printing is continuing to grow and feature across more and more industries and it’s important that Element responds accordingly in order to provide the best possible service to our customers.
“Antwerp’s new capabilities add to an extensive range of testing services for additive manufacturing that are unrivalled in Europe. This ensures we are best placed to provide essential testing services to a broad range of industries that utilize powder characterization, including aerospace and medical devices.”
Element Antwerp is a BELAC (NEN-EN-ISO/IEC17025) accredited testing laboratory that supports customers from sectors including energy, aerospace, transportation and industrials. The laboratory is scheduled to be audited for Nadcap accreditation for its chemistry services in order to better service the aerospace market and customers.
