Ames Lab Receives Funding for Commercialized Gas-Atomization Design

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has received $392,000 in funding to commercialize a gas-atomization nozzle design used to produce metal powders for manufacturing. The funding is part of the DOE’s Office of Technology Transition’s Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) announced recently by U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. The funding, totaling $19.7 million, will support 54 projects across 12 National Laboratories involving more than 30 private sector partners, and will help businesses move promising energy technologies from National Laboratories to the marketplace. In addition, Ames Lab will contribute in-kind matching funds of equal value for the project from private sector partner Ampal, Inc., Palmerton, Pa., a part of the United States Metal Powders group of companies.

"We’ll be working with our industrial partner to adapt our experimental gas atomization nozzle design to increase efficiency and control in their manufacturing process,” said Ames Laboratory metallurgist Emma White. “We hope that if we can demonstrate the advantages of our technology with this manufacturer, it will develop interest across the industry."

Gas atomization is a powder production method that uses high-pressure gas flow to disintegrate molten metal, poured through a custom-designed nozzle, into particles. Ames Laboratory’s gas atomization method efficiently produces metal powders that are customizable, consistently sized and spherical, resulting in smooth flow, optimal packing and improved quality of produced parts.

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global problems.

DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.