Abstract
Atomization mechanism and production of atomized high quality powder by Plasma Rotating Electrode Process (PREP) were discussed. The atomization mechanism changed from direct drop formation (DDF) to film disintegration (FD), through ligament disintegration (LD) depending on either the changes in material parameters or those in the operation parameters. DDF mechanism yielded the highest quality powder particles consisting of exceedingly spherical shape, uniform size and clean without contamination. Therfore, this powder seemed to be suitable for compaction by Wing or near-net-shape forming. The results of the study were applied for producing PREPed powders of some intermetallics such as Ti-aluminides and TiNi. The compacts of those powders showed improved mechanical properties compared with the conventionally processed materials.
