Metal additive manufacturing has improved productivity by orders of magnitude in its 2+ decades of industrial use. It is going through an exponential development cycle with myriad new alloy development approaches coupled with exciting new process improvements.  Taken together a new phase of industrial application expansion of its use is happening.  The key to unlocking…

Different phases of materials have different benefits to their performance in a specific application. These phases form from the relationship of how atoms in a material stack together and even the same chemistry can present as different phases under different conditions of heat treatment or in different environments! Examining a material’s phase requires special testing…

In 1965, Gordon Moore set the path for the semiconductor revolution with his article “Cramming More Components onto Integrated Circuits” That vision of doubling the number of integrated circuits on each chip every 1-2 years was coined “Moore’s Law”. For the past 60 years, it has motivated exponential technology roadmaps that have transformed modern life….

Unlocking Velocity in Metal AM Materials Development through Testing Metal AM printing technology is going through an exponential development period with a myriad of new alloy development approaches coupled with exciting new process improvements.  Taken together a new phase of industrial application expansion of its use is happening.  The key to unlocking this potential is…

Metal powders exhibit native oxide surface films which readily interact with ambient moisture to varying degrees. A series of typical metal powders used in AM powder bed fusion processes were exposed to various environmental conditions in order to control their moisture content. The bulk flow properties of the powders were then characterized using a drum-style…

The use of true cryogenic treatments in the United States can be followed back to the Watertown Arsenal in Watertown, Massachusetts circa World War II. Since then, the use of cryogenic and sub-zero treatments during conventional heat-treating processes has continued to play an important role in maximizing wear resistance and dimensional stability in high alloy,…

Watch this “Famous Failures” webinar to learn key considerations for selecting materials to be used in cryogenic temperatures. Douglas Wells, a structural materials engineer from NASA and Dave Kovarik, an NSL failure analyst presented various examples of use by NASA in ground test and flight systems. They also discussed variations in strength, toughness, and fatigue…

Since 1945, NSL Analytical has been relied upon as not only a provider of material testing and analysis, but also as a thought leader in our industry. Part of this responsibility includes curating content that may be useful, educational, or beneficial for other businesses and professionals. As part of this initiative, we’d like to share a fascinating study…

While X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy provides quantitative elemental composition of materials, it cannot distinguish between identical atoms in different crystalline phase arrangements. However, we can confirm both the elemental and phase content of ceramic materials with certainty by combining XRF analysis with powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. Watch this webinar from NSL Analytical Services and Rigaku, a leader…