Improvement of Tool Steel Powder Cold Sprayability Via Softening and Agglomeration Heat Treatments

Abstract Cold spray can produce deposits from a broad range of materials but reports on cold steels are still limited to the few steel families demonstrating high ductility and medium strength. Softening agglomeration powders via heat treatment in rotary tube furnace were investigated as promising ways improve H13 tool powder sprayability. By adjusting starting size, well conditions (maximum temperature, cooling rate atmosphere), improved virtually no deposition production dense, sound thick with efficiency 70%. Powder agglomeration, surface state, microstructure evolution softening identified key factors determining resulting deposit microstructure. The developed modification method has potential facilitate all subjected martensitic transformation.