Question:

I seek information on prior art and fields of application associated with the conveying of metal powders, specifically aluminium metal powders. My interest is with the mechanisms used rather than the fluid media employed to convey the particles but as much information on the subject would be appreciated.

1. Prior Art: I am aware that aluminium powder has numerous applications so I assume that the transferring of metal powders is perhaps by now somewhat of an art form and I require sources of information to confirm that this has been a well studied concept. But, I also assume that there are still areas of concern such of internal wear of components used to transport the metal powder. Can you perhaps supply me with a list of such concerns and what type of research is being undertaken to circumvent these industrial problems?

2. Field of Application: Besides the metal powder production industry, what other applications does the pneumatic transport of metal powder have? Am I correct in assuming that the same technology employed by aluminium powder manufacturers to pneumatically transport the product is used by the industries that employ aluminium powder as an ingredient in their products?
This implies that the original field of application was the metal powder production industry unless the technology was derived from another source.
If so, what was the application?

Answer:

This is not a MIM question. Transportation of powders is another subject.
When transporting metal powders, it must be remembered that a number of powders are pyrophoric and the pyrophoricity is enhanced as the size of the powder decreases. It is well known that aluminum powders are pyrophoric and adequate precautions need to be taken in handling aluminum powders.