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Vacuum Powder Making Machine

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[what is Vacuum Powder Making Machine-Water Metal Atomizer]

CDOCAST Water Metal Atomizer

Water atomization powder making equipment is a process that uses high-speed water flow to break molten metal into fine droplets, which are then rapidly cooled and solidified into metal powder. This technology is widely used in powder metallurgy, 3D printing, coating materials, and other fields. The following is a detailed description of its principle, equipment composition, and key features:

The basic principle of water atomization powder production

1. Preparation of molten metal
-Heating a metal or alloy above its melting point to form a uniform molten liquid metal.

2. High-pressure water flow impact fragmentation
-Molten metal flows out through a guide tube and is impacted by high-pressure (usually 10-50 MPa) water jets, causing the liquid flow to be sheared and torn into tiny droplets.
-The kinetic energy of water overcomes the surface tension of metals to achieve atomization.

3. Rapid cooling and solidification
-The atomized metal droplets are rapidly cooled in water (with a cooling rate of up to 10 ^ 3~10 ^ 6 K/s) to form solid powder.
-The cooling rate affects the microstructure of the powder, such as grain size and phase composition.

4. Powder collection and post-treatment
-Obtain the target particle size of metal powder through steps such as filtration, drying, and sieving.

The main components of water atomization powder equipment

1. Melting system
-Induction furnace or electric arc furnace: used for melting metals, requiring precise temperature control.
-Thermal insulation ladle: stores molten metal and stabilizes flow rate.

2. Atomization system
-High pressure water pump: Provides a stable high-pressure water source.
-Atomizing nozzle: The core component designed to affect the flow pattern (such as annular, laminar, or turbulent) and atomization efficiency.
-Diversion tube: controls the flow rate and flux of molten metal.

3. Cooling and collection system
– Atomization chamber: A closed space where metal droplets and water are mixed and cooled.
– Circulating water cooling device: Prevents excessive water temperature from affecting the atomization effect.

4. Drying and screening system
-Vacuum dryer: removes surface moisture from powder.
-Vibration screen or air classifier: classified by particle size.

Application Fields

1. Powder metallurgy
-Manufacturing mechanical parts such as gears and bearings (iron-based, copper based powder pressing and sintering).

2. Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
-Metal powder used for selective laser melting (SLM) (requiring subsequent spheroidization treatment).

3. Thermal spray coating
-Prepare wear-resistant and anti-corrosion coatings (such as nickel based alloy powder).

4. Magnetic materials
-Production of soft magnetic alloy powder (such as iron silicon alloy).

Technical Challenges and Development Trends

1. Challenges
– Control oxidation: by adding antioxidants or post-treatment reduction.
– Improve sphericity: Combine centrifugal atomization or secondary treatment (such as plasma spheroidization).

2. Trends
– Compound atomization: Water-gas combined atomization balances cost and performance.
– Nano powder preparation: ultra-high pressure water atomization combined with rapid cooling technology.
– Intelligent control: real-time monitoring of atomization parameters (water pressure, temperature, flow).

If you need to know more about the powder-making process or specific equipment parameters of a certain type of metal (such as stainless steel, titanium alloy), you can continue to ask questions

Machine Pictures

Introduction

Water Atomizer/Vacuum Metal Powder Making Machine

The process of making metal powder by water atomization has a long history. In ancient times, people poured molten iron into water to make it explode into fine metal particles, which were used as raw materials for making steel; There are also people who pour molten lead water directly into the water to make lead pills. The process principle of making alloy powder by water atomization is the same as that of making water-burst metal liquid in ancient times, but modern technology has greatly improved the efficiency of crushing and manufacturing particles

To make metal alloy powder by high-pressure water atomization method, first, melt the raw metal in the melting furnace, and then the molten gold must be overheated for about 50 degrees and then injected into the tundish. Start the high-pressure water pump before the injection of metel solution, and let the high-pressure water atomization device start the workpiece. The metel liquid in the tundish enters the atomizer through the nozzle at the bottom of the tundish through the beam flow.

The atomizer is the key part for producing metal alloy powder by high-pressure water mist. The atomizer is related to the metal powder-making efficiency, Under the action of the high-pressure water from the atomizer, the molten metal liquid is continuously broken into fine droplets, which fall into the cooling liquid in the water tank and solidify into alloy powder。

In the traditional high-pressure water atomization process for producing metal powder, the metal powder can be collected continuously, but a small amount of metal powder is lost with the atomized water， In the process of producing alloy powder by high-pressure water atomization, the atomized product is concentrated in the atomization device, and then precipitated and filtered (it can be dried if necessary, and generally sent directly to the next process。

A complete set of equipment for producing metal alloy powder by high-pressure water atomization is composed of the following parts:

1:For the melting part, the medium frequency induction melting furnace is the best choice. The capacity of the furnace depends on the processing capacity of the metal powder, we have furnace capacity from 2kg to 100kg per batch.

2: The atomization part, the equipment in this part is non-standard equipment, which should be designed and arranged according to the site conditions of the manufacturer, mainly including the tundish: when the tundish is produced in winter, it needs to be preheated;

Atomizer: the atomizer will come from high-pressure water, The high-pressure water of the pump impacts the metal liquid from the tundish at a predetermined speed and angle, breaking it into metal droplets.

Under the same water pump pressure, the amount of fine metal powder after atomization is related to the atomization efficiency of the atomizer; the atomization cylinder: it is the place where the alloy powder is atomized, crushed, cooled and collected.

3:In order to prevent the ultra-fine alloy powder from being lost with water, the obtained alloy powder should be left for a period of time after atomization, and then placed in the powder collecting box.

4:Post-processing part: powder collecting box: used to collect the atomized alloy powder and separate and remove excess water; drying furnace: dry the wet alloy powder with water;

screening machine: sieve the alloy powder, Out-of-specification coarser alloy powder can be re-melted and atomized as the return material

Feature

1: Adopt the electromagnetic induction heating principle with the feature of rapid melting time and high production efficiency， The melting temperature rises quickly, the production efficiency is high, and the particle size distribution is good;

2: With the ability to 24-hour continuously work, can meet the needs of customers with different production output

3: Come with vacuum Pump design, the whole granulation is carried out in the vacuum environment to minimize oxidation

4: CDOCAST vacuum powder making machine can be used for both granulation and pulverizing. with One machine you can do both purposes

5: This Vacuum powder making machine covers a very small production area and is easy to operate. No engineer needs to sent to do the on-site installation .

6: The Vacuum powder making machine with different capacity can be customized according to customer’s demand, and the maximum capacity can reach 100 kg per batch.

7:The brand-new integrated furnace body structure design helps to improve the performance of powder making.

8:The metal smelting process can be protected by inert gas to reduce oxidation;

Parameter

Integrated Type Powder Making Machine

Model	CDO-PM20	CDO-PM25	CDO-PM30	CDO-PM40	CDO-PM45	CDO-PM50
Power	20 KW	25 KW	30 KW	40 KW	45 KW	50 KW
Voltage	380V, 3 phase, 50/60Hz
Melting time	10 min	15 min	18 min	20 min	25 min	30 min
Casting time	2 min	3 min	5 min	8 min	10 min	15 min
Capacity	5 kg gold	10 kg gold	15 kg gold	20 kg gold	30 kg gold	50 kg gold
Pump power	15 KW	15 KW	15 KW	23 KW	23 KW	23 KW
Water pressure	15Mpa	15Mpa	15Mpa	20Mpa	20Mpa	20Mpa
Flow rate	20L/min	20L/min	20L/min	30L/min	30L/min	30L/min
Dimension	136011352000 mm				145012902000 mm
Weight	680 kg	700 kg	720 kg	750 kg	1000 kg	1100 kg
Application metal	Gold、Silver、Copper、Aluminum、Zinc、Tin、etc.

Platform Type Powder Making Machine

Model		CDO-LPM50	CDO-LPM75	CDO-LPM90
Hydraulic metal furnace	Power	50 KW	75 KW	90 KW
	Voltage	380V, 3 phase, 50/60Hz
	Capacity	50 kg gold	100 kg gold	150 kg gold
Platform	Dimension	442.5 m	452.5 m	452.5 m
	Capacity	5 kg gold	10 kg gold	15 kg gold
Powder size		200-1000 mesh	200-1000 mesh	200-1000 mesh
Hydraulic pump		Inlet pressure: ≥0.1 MPA, Outlet pressure: 17MPA, Flow rate: 170L/min, Speed: 405r/min
Casting method		Gravity granulation	Gravity granulation	Gravity granulation
Applacation metal		Iron, stainless steel, platinum and other high temperature metals

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Powder Characteristic

Water atomized powder is a metal or alloy powder prepared by high-pressure water atomization technology. It is widely used in powder metallurgy, 3D printing, magnetic materials, welding materials and other fields. Its core features are as follows:

1. Particle morphology and structure
-Irregular shape: During the water atomization process, the molten metal droplets are rapidly cooled under the impact of high-pressure water flow, forming irregular shapes (such as spherical, flaky or dendritic) with high surface roughness.
-Surface oxide layer: Due to the contact between water and high-temperature metal, an oxide layer is easily formed on the surface of the powder (subsequent reduction treatment is required).
-Satellite powder and hollow powder: Some particles may form “satellite powder” due to collision and adhesion, or “hollow powder” may be formed due to the failure of internal gas to escape.

2. Particle size distribution
-Wide range: The particle size of water atomized powder is usually distributed between 10~150μm, which can be controlled by adjusting parameters such as water pressure and nozzle design.
-Suitable for coarse powder needs: Compared with gas atomized powder (finer and more spherical), water atomization is more suitable for scenes with looser particle size requirements (such as MIM metal injection molding).

3. Chemical composition and properties
-High oxygen content: Oxygen is easily introduced during the water atomization process (H₂O decomposition), and the oxygen content needs to be reduced by vacuum annealing or hydrogen reduction (for example, the oxygen content of iron-based powder can be reduced to less than 0.3%).
-Alloy flexibility: A variety of alloy powders can be prepared (such as stainless steel, tool steel, copper alloy, etc.), but highly active metals (such as titanium and aluminum) require special protection.

4. Process efficiency and cost
-High production efficiency: Water atomization equipment is simple, suitable for large-scale continuous production, and the cost is significantly lower than gas atomization.
-Low energy consumption: No inert gas protection is required, only high-pressure water pumps and cooling systems are required, and energy consumption costs are lower.

5. Application
-Powder metallurgy: automotive parts (gears, bearings), cemented carbide premixed powder.
-Magnetic materials: Preparation of Sendust soft magnetic powder.
-Welding and coating: used as welding rods and thermal spraying materials.
-3D printing (some areas): Binder jetting (Binder Jetting) with low requirements for powder sphericity.

6. Comparison of advantages and disadvantages

Advantage	Disadvantage
Low cost, suitable for large-scale production	Irregular powder shape, poor fluidity
Can be used for high melting point alloys	High oxygen content, requires subsequent treatment
Simple operation	Low fine powder yield (<20μm)

7. Comparison with other atomization technologies
-Gas atomization: finer powder, high sphericity, low oxygen content, but high cost, suitable for high-end fields such as aerospace, 3D printing, etc.
-Centrifugal atomization: uniform particles but complex equipment, mostly used for specific alloys (such as titanium powder).
-Water atomization: the king of cost-effectiveness, suitable for industrial applications that are not demanding on cost and shape.

The core competitiveness of water atomized powder lies in low cost and high production capacity, especially suitable for fields with high tolerance for powder shape and oxygen content. If higher purity or sphericity powder is required, gas atomization or plasma atomization process can be considered. The actual selection needs to be comprehensively evaluated in combination with the application scenario, cost budget and post-processing capabilities.