Inconel 600 Powder

Overview

Inconel 600 Powder is a nickel-chromium-iron alloy with excellent corrosion and heat resistance. It is used extensively in high temperature applications. Inconel 600 powder is the powder metallurgy form of Inconel 600, which offers several advantages over conventional Inconel 600 such as better mechanical properties.

Some key details about Inconel 600 powder:

• Composition: Nickel 72%, Chromium 14-17%, Iron 6-10% plus minor amounts of carbon, manganese, silicon, sulfur and copper
• High temperature strength from cryogenic to 1093°C (2000°F)
• Excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation
• Good mechanical properties at both low and high temperatures
• Versatile material used in a wide range of industries
• Powder metallurgy processing results in fine grains and improved properties
• Available in various size ranges suitable for different applications

Table 1: Composition of Inconel 600 Powder

Types and Grades

Several variants of Inconel 600 powder are commercially available:

Table 2: Variants of Inconel 600 Powder

Inconel 600 powder also comes in different size ranges for various applications:

Table 3: Size Grades of Inconel 600 Powder

Properties and Characteristics

Inconel 600 has outstanding high temperature properties combined with good resistance to corrosive environments. Some of the key properties include:

Table 4: Properties of Inconel 600 Powder

The microstructure of Inconel 600 consists of an austenitic face centered cubic matrix with small additions of niobium and titanium carbides. The grain size is very fine in the powder product compared to conventional Inconel 600.

Micrograph showing the fine grained microstructure of gas atomized Inconel 600 powder. Image credit PMReview

Applications and Uses

The combination of strength across a wide temperature range, corrosion resistance and ease of fabrication makes Inconel 600 suitable for numerous high performance applications:

Table 5: Applications of Inconel 600 Powder

In powder form, Inconel 600 is ideal for part manufacture using powder bed fusion or directed energy deposition. This gives greater design freedom compared to conventional techniques for making components with complex shapes.

Specifications

Inconel 600 powder is covered by various national and international specifications:

Table 6: Specifications for Inconel 600 Powder

Manufacturers and Pricing

There are several reputable global suppliers that manufacture Inconel 600 alloy powder:

Table 7: Suppliers of Inconel 600 Powder

Pricing varies based on factors like order volume, size distribution and whether value-added processing is included. Small quantities for R&D purposes are more expensive.

Comparison

Table 8: Comparison of Inconel 600 with other alloys

So Inconel 600 provides an optimal balance between performance and cost for many applications requiring good environmental resistance and strength at extreme temperatures.

Pros and Cons

Table 9: Advantages and limitations of Inconel 600 powder

In general, Inconel 600 powder provides valuable benefits in extreme environment service that justify the higher cost in many critical applications.

FAQs

What is the difference between Inconel and stainless steel?

Inconel alloys are nickel-based while stainless steels contain at least 10.5% chromium and more than 50% iron. Inconels offer substantially better tensile strength and corrosion resistance at high temperatures exceeding 540°C where steels rapidly lose strength.

What industries use Inconel 600?

Aerospace is the largest consumer of Inconel alloys but they find widespread use in power generation, chemical processing, pollution control equipment, nuclear reactors and even motorsports and Formula 1 exhaust systems.

What fabrication methods can be used with Inconel 600 powder?

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and powder bed technologies like selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam melting (EBM) are popular. Other techniques like metal injection molding (MIM) and binder jetting can also utilize the powders.

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