3DPOD Episode 47: Metal Powders Deep Dive with Carpenter Additive’s Ben Ferrar

An often little understood key element of the 3D printing equation is powder. Powdered metal is the material in powder bed fusion and binder jet systems. We write, read, and hear a lot about machines and parts, but not often do we learn much about powder itself. One man who can teach us a lot about it is Carpenter Additive's Ben Ferrar. Ben is very knowledgeable about powder and in this episode walks us through what can go wrong, what makes a good powder, why storage is important, and tells us some new material developments. Carpenter Additive is one of the largest 3D printing powder providers and has a wide range of materials on offer. We discuss the most notable of these. The omnipresent Ti-64, which was once the end-all-be-all of materials is now being complemented by many materials that are newer to additive. Ben is really great at explaining things in a measured tone, so it was a treat to get to talk to him about the powder side of our business. We really hope that you like this episode!