An Innovative Mass Spectrometer to Simplify Materials Characterization for Additive Manufacturing

Characterizing the chemical components of additive manufacturing feedstock powders determines the final parts’ material properties and performance. Currently, feedstock chemical characterization involves multiple analytical techniques and industry standards. Although traditional spectrometry measures both the material’s major and residual constituents, it requires a highly trained analytical chemist to execute proper sample preparation procedures, signal interference corrections, and calibration. Furthermore, these instruments fail to measure light elements (i.e., elements with atomic numbers lower than 11). Thus, quantifying low-mass elements requires additional methods, inert gas fusion and combustion. Addressing many challenges of other techniques, Exum developed the first Laser Ablation Laser Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (LALI-TOF-MS). It combines an innovative dual laser ionization source with a Time-of-Flight mass analyzer for high-sensitivity, high-throughput chemical characterization. As a result, it can measure major metallic elements, residual elements, and low-mass elements in a single analytical session. Plus, it directly analyzes any solid sample, which significantly reduces the sample preparation requirements of other techniques. Thus far, Exum’s beta version has shown technically promising results, however, the team has identified key challenges to commercialization. To meet the additive manufacturing industry’s needs, this Phase I work involves both hardware and software enhancements to Exum’s betaversion instrument.