Additive Manufacturing Metal Powder for Nozzle Clog Prevention

The patent applies mechanical vibration through tapping balls during the sieving process to prevent acicular particles from aligning parallel to the sieve surface. The vibration causes these particles to tumble and reorient, ensuring they are effectively separated by the sieve aperture rather than passing through in an aligned state. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining precise particle size classification while reliably removing acicular particles that would otherwise compromise process reliability.

The patent implements preliminary action by removing acicular particles from the metal powder before the additive manufacturing process begins. Through controlled sieving with vibration, acicular particles are eliminated in advance, preventing them from causing nozzle clogging during long-term operation. This preliminary removal ensures both good fluidity (since the remaining particles are more spherical) and reliable continuous operation without clogging interruptions.

The patent uses mechanical vibration during sieving to disrupt the alignment of acicular particles with the sieve aperture. By vibrating the sieve surface, acicular particles are prevented from settling into an aligned position that would allow them to pass through. This maintains precise particle size distribution control while making the separation of acicular particles effective, resolving the difficulty of detecting and measuring them during standard sieving.