Functionalized metal powders by small particles made by non-thermal plasma glow discharge for additive manufacturing applications

A method of providing a non-thermal plasma process to produce metal or metal alloy functionalized powders composed of a plurality of particles, including metal or metal alloy primary particles being attached to a plurality of smaller particles including metal, metal alloy, ceramic or polymer secondary particles, said secondary particles being distributed on the surface of e primary particles for additive manufacturing applications, the non-thermal plasma method comprising:

• providing carrier gas streams to guide the particles throughout all the process;
• providing a non-thermal plasma glow discharge and an afterglow region downstream of said non-thermal plasma glow discharge;
• providing the metal alloy primary metal or particles, guided via the carrier gas streams, to the non-thermal plasma glow discharge to become activated primary particles;
• providing the activated metal or metal alloy primary particles, guided via the carrier gas streams, to the afterglow region;
• providing the metal, metal alloy, ceramic or polymer secondary particles, guided via the carrier gas streams, to the afterglow region to interact with the activated primary particles to produce the functionalized powders composed of the activated primary particles and the secondary particles;
• and
• providing the functionalized powders by one of:
• (i) continuously blowing the functionalized powders through a nozzle in a spot where the functionalized powders are to be deposited, and (ii) filling a powder bed and successively carrying out a new powder layer after a solid layer is formed,
• wherein the functionalized powders are processed by:
• i) a first step of sintering or melting a specific quantity of functionalized powders provided by exposition to a high energy beam, the high energy beam entirely or partially melting functionalized powders in a specific pattern,
• ii) a second step of solidifying the melted quantity of functionalized powders, leading to the formation of a first solid layer of a desired pattern, and
• iii) a third step of providing a new quantity of functionalized powders, the first and the second steps being repeated until a targeted part is achieved.