ATO Technology uses ultrasonic vibrations to break a molten metal into small droplets that quickly solidify into metal powder under an inert gas protective atmosphere. The size of the metal powder produced is affected by the ultrasonic frequency used, with higher frequencies producing smaller particles and lower frequencies producing larger particles. Other factors that affect particle size and distribution include viscosity, density, ultrasonic amplitude and atomizer design.
The process of ultrasonic atomization of metal powder using the atomizer with ATO technology involves feeding raw material into the pressurized atomization chamber where an electric arc is created to melt the material. Ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted through a sonotrode to the molten metal bath, forming capillary waves that eject metal droplets with a diameter that depends on the ultrasonic frequency, surface tension, and density of the liquid metal. The droplets are ejected into a cooled stream of argon gas and rounded into near-perfect spheres by surface tension. The droplets then cool and solidify before being sorted and collected.