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What is aluminium powder?
Aluminum powder (also known as silver powder) is a metallic pigment that’s silver in color. It is produced by adding powder to aluminum foil and crushing it into scaly dust, then polishing. The aluminum powder is light, buoyant, concealing and has good heat reflection. After treatment it can become non-floating Aluminum Powder. Aluminum powder can identify fingerprints, and it can also be used in fireworks. Aluminum powder is a type of metallic pigments because of its variety of uses, popularity, and high demand.
What is the purpose of aluminum powder?
The particles of aluminum powder used in the pigments are scaly. The scaly particles are what give the aluminum powder a metallic colour and shielding effect. Metal aluminum powder is produced industrially since a very long time. Ramming was the early production method. The aluminum crumbs was placed in the groove of punching machine. The machine drove a ramming hammer to continuously punch the aluminum in the groove. The ductile metal gradually becomes flake and shatters under impact. The aluminum is then screened to remove the powdered aluminum that meets the required specifications. The ramming technique has a low production efficiency, the product is hard to control, and it produces a lot dust, which can easily catch fire or explode.
German Hamtag began producing aluminum powder using a mill in 1894. Steel balls, scrap aluminum and lubricants went into the ballmill, where the scrap aluminum was crushed by the steel balls. This resulted in scaly aluminium powder that filled the ballmill and pipeline with inertness. The method of “dry production” is still being used for gas. J. Hall in the United States developed the method of adding petroleum solvents to the ballmill to replace the inert air. The produced aluminum powder is then mixed with this solvent to create a thick slurry that can be used to make slurry aluminum paint. This method has been widely adopted because it is safe and easy to use. The “wet method” is the method used by most modern aluminum powders. Aluminum powder can also be used for the manufacture of fireworks and explosives. Certain types of electronic devices are also made from it. A lot of paints and sealing agents contain aluminum powder.
Aluminum powder: Is it harmful?
Exposure to fine particles can cause lung scarring (pulmonary fibrosis) and be accompanied with coughing, shortness in breath. Aluminum powder can be a flammable, solid substance that may pose a fire risk.
The powder coating carries a lower risk of fire than regular paint. Comparing powder/air to solvent/air, the ignition energy is 50-100 fold higher. It is important to note that all flammable powders or dusts will combine explosively with air. Transport, storage, and processing are all safe if the appropriate measures are taken beforehand. To ensure safety, the powder concentrations for the various powders listed above must not exceed 10g/m3. This concentration is often exceedingly high in the spray area. There is always sufficient oxygen in the air, so it is essential to avoid sparks with more energy.
Comparing resin powders without pigment, adding 5-6% of aluminum powder increases the “powder constant” (Dust Constant is a measure for explosive power), and maximum pressure explosion by 10%. As the amount of aluminum powder increases, so will the explosive power. Aluminum powder with a content greater than 25 percent will have the same explosive power as pure metal powder. This dependency on aluminum powder pigments is not responsible for the lowest initiation energy. Pure resin powder will not reach the initiation energies, no matter what dispersion technique is used. Aluminum powder with a pigment content > 10%, fine particle size, and uncoated aluminium powder can reduce the ignition energy.
Aluminum-containing powder coated coatings are identical to pigmented powder coated coatings. Fire or explosion is not a problem as long they don’t exceed the specified limit.
Aluminum powder must not be separated, accumulated or concentrated in the factory to ensure safety. These requirements are also applicable to solvent-based paints that contain gold and copper powder. The explosion risk directly caused by the copper-zinc powder alloy is lower than that of aluminum.
Aluminium powder characteristics
Aluminum powder suitable for the pigment is the type of aluminum powder with scales. It is also coated on the surface. Aluminum powder paste consists of a pigment, aluminum powder and solvent. Its characteristics and use are similar to those of aluminum powder. The output and dosage is larger because it’s easy to use. Comparing to other pigments, the aluminum powder for paints has a greater number of characteristics.
1. Scaly coverings have certain characteristics.
The particles of aluminum powder are scaly and have a diameter-to-thickness ratio of about (40 to 1) – 100:1. Aluminum powder dispersed on the carrier has the characteristic to be parallel to the substrate. Numerous aluminum particles are connected. The particles are filled together to form a continuous metallic film that covers the surface and reflects light from outside. The uniqueness of aluminum powder lies in its ability to hide. Aluminum powder has a unique hiding power that is based on its surface area. This is the ratio of thickness to diameter. Aluminum is stretched during the grinding process, the diameter-to-thickness ratio continues to increase, and the hiding power also increases.
2. Shielding properties of aluminum powder
The aluminum dispersed in carrier film floats and, as a result, it always forms a parallel layer of aluminum powder on the substrate. These layers are arranged in parallel in the carrier films. The spacing between the layers of aluminum powder prevents the capillary pores in the carrier film from allowing moisture or gas to pass through. This is due to the physical shielding properties of aluminum powder.
3. Aluminium powder optical properties
The aluminum powder is made from aluminum that has a metallic luster and a light colour. Its smooth surface can reflect between 60%-90% the visible light, UV light and infrared. The surface of the object is bright silvery due to paint that contains aluminum powder. This is the result of aluminum powder reflecting sunlight.
4. Aluminum powder can produce a two-color effect
Aluminum powder exhibits a metallic luster, and is parallel to the coated item. The gloss and color depth change depending on the incident angle of light and the viewing angle. The “two color effect” is the name of this characteristic. The aluminum powder in the coating is arranged differently in different layers. When light strikes each layer of aluminum flake, the film thickness is affected by the light differently. Also, the brightness of the reflected light varies. As light enters a film that contains transparent pigments, it passes through the particles of pigment to become colored and is then reflected by various levels of aluminum. This results in changes of color tone and metal light. Aluminum powders with this property are widely used to create metallic or hammer paint.
5. Aluminium powder floats
The large floating type of aluminum pigments and aluminum powder is characterized as scaly floats on the surface.
This 3D printed electric motorcycle is fully functional and made with aluminum powder
Airbus has entered the 3D motorcycle market. Light Rider is a 3D printed electric bicycle that is also the future for electric cars.
This 3D bike was launched by APWorks, a subsidiary of Airbus, and was described by them as “corrosion-resistant, combined with lightweight aluminum and almost specific strength titanium.” Scalmalloy – a special alloy for APWorks – is responsible for these qualities. Aluminum powder developed by researchers.
How do you print a bicycle-like object using powder? Airbus has explained that Light Rider is made of thousands thin layers with a thickness of 60 microns. Hollow frame adds to the appeal of this 3D printed electric bike. Comparing to other bicycles the frame weight has been reduced by 30%. Joachim Zettler – CEO Airbus APWorks GmbH – explained that this bicycle cannot be made using traditional milling or welding techniques. The team decided on a hollow, branched structure. So, now each Light Rider 3D printed weighs less than 35kg.
Light Rider may seem like a toy but it is incredibly practical. The top speed of the Light Rider is 49m/h, despite not being Harley. The company’s aim is to use 3D Printed electric bicycles mostly for urban driving. Airbus claims the battery of its electric vehicle can travel 37 miles after a single charge.
(aka. Technology Co. Ltd., a trusted global chemical supplier & manufacturer has more than 12 years of experience in providing high-quality Nanomaterials and chemicals. Our company is currently developing a number of materials. Aluminum powder produced by us is high-purity, has fine particles and contains low impurities. Send us an e-mail or click the desired products to
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