Production of spherical Inconel 625 powder for additive manufacturing by plasma-arc wire atomization: Influence of non-transferred and transferred arc modes on fine powder yield
			
	
 
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				1
				China-Ukraine Institute of Welding, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Material Joining and Advanced Manufacturing: 363, Changxing Road, Tianhe, Guangzhou, 510650, China
				 
			 
						
				2
				E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 11 Kazymyr Malevych St., 03150 Kyiv, Ukraine
				 
			 
										
				
				
		
		 
			
			
		
		
		
		
		
		
	
							
															    		
    			 
    			
    				    					Corresponding author
    					    				    				
    					Shiyi  Gao   
    					China-Ukraine Institute of Welding, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Material Joining and Advanced Manufacturing: 363, Changxing Road, Tianhe, Guangzhou, 510650, China
    				
 
    			
				 
    			 
    		 		
			
																											 
		
	 
		
 
 
Adv. Sci. Technol. Res. J. 2025; 19(11):109-123
		
 
 
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ABSTRACT
The possibility of producing spherical powder from Inconel 625 nickel-based superalloy using plasma-arc wire atomization technology in both non-transferred and transferred arc modes has been experimentally confirmed. Particle size distribution analysis showed that using the non-transferred arc mode reduces the average powder diameter by 23 % compared to the transferred arc mode and increases the yield of the fine fraction (below 63 µm) from 40 to 62 wt.%. This increase in powder dispersity is achieved by using a reverse-polarity plasma torch with a hollow copper electrode and a divergent plasma-forming nozzle, which enables the formation of a high-velocity plasma jet. Morphological analysis showed that the powder has a regular spherical shape, with a sphericity coefficient close to 0.9. The powder microstructure is characterized by the absence of internal pores, which are typically found in gas atomized powders. Chemical composition analysis using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed full compliance of the powder with the original feedstock wire material. Based on these results, plasma-arc wire atomization is recommended as an effective method for producing spherical Inconel 625 powder, fully meeting the requirements for fine powders in additive manufacturing applications.