Fraunhofer DDMC 2025  - March 12 - 13, 2025

DDMC (Direct Digital Manufacturing Conference) is a premier biennial event organized by the Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing, serving as a cutting-edge platform for discussions on Additive Manufacturing (AM). The conference explores industrial applications, sustainability, environmental impact, and societal implications of emerging AM technologies.

Bringing together researchers, educators, and industry professionals from around the world, DDMC fosters a collaborative environment where new ideas are developed, and existing research is refined.

Attendees gain valuable insights into the latest advancements in AM processes, materials, and applications, contributing to the evolution of digital manufacturing.

In this this presentation, Hassoun Ishak, Sales Manager at Granutools, will explore the relationship between powder flow properties and the quality of parts produced via Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). Since fine powders improve part resolution but tend to be more cohesive, understanding and predicting their spreadability is crucial for optimizing additive manufacturing processes.

An experimental study was conducted using an SLM280 printer to assess the spreadability of various metal powders, including Ti alloys, Al alloys, SS316, and FeCo alloys, with different size distributions. By capturing images of the powder bed after each recoater pass and applying image analysis, the research measured interface fluctuations, a key indicator of layer homogeneity. These findings were correlated with powder cohesiveness and rheology, evaluated using the GranuDrum instrument.

The results demonstrate that the Cohesive Index metric from the GranuDrum is a strong predictor of powder spreadability in the printer. This insight enables manufacturers to assess powder performance before large-scale production, reducing material waste and improving layer quality through optimized recoating configurations.

We are excited to meet you at DDMC 2025 and invite you to learn more on the event website.

See you there!