ArcelorMittal enters AM industry as a steel powder supplier

The company said the atomiser will start production in January 2024 and will have a batch-size production capability from 200kg to 3 tonnes, and an initial annual capacity of 1000 tonnes.

ArcelorMittal aims to supply significant volumes of steel powders with ‘consistent quality, reliability and traceability’, for various AM technologies, such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), binder jetting (BJ) and direct energy deposition (DED).

According to the company, the atomiser will produce powders from scrap steel using renewable electricity, atomising with industrial gases produced by renewable energy and using recycled and recyclable packaging solutions.

The steel powders are said to be offered in size ranges suitable for all existing powder-based metal additive technologies in manufacturing industries such as aerospace, defence, automotive, medical, and energy.

They can also be used in technological developments, such as brake disc coatings being developed to help Automotive OEMs and Tier Ones comply with the EU7 regulation on particle emissions. A layer of powder deposited on the brake disc provides wear and corrosion resistance, which significantly reduces the particulate emissions of braking.