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The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of pure tungsten for the fabrication of near-fully dense components is challenging owing to the intrinsic properties of tungsten. In this study, routine, gas-atomized, and plasma-processed tungsten powder samples were characterized for their powder shape, size distribution, tapped density, and flowability, and then used to fabricate parts using identical LPBF process parameters to evaluate the influence of the powder characteristics on the metal densification and microstructure. The plasma-processed W powder showed a relative density of 98.7%, the highest value yet to be reported, at a baseplate temperature of 80 °C owing to the higher tapped density and improved flowability of the powder, which result in high-quality powder bed formation. In addition, numerical simulations were conducted to estimate the effect of the powder quality on laser energy absorption and, thus, melt pool formation. The results reveal that enhanced powder characteristics result in an increased density and prevent lack of fusion while tuning the grain boundary characteristics and strengthening the crystallographic texture, which resulted in decreased cracking owing to less crack-sensitive grain boundaries and increased hardness of the as-built W components. |
