| Category | Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Composition (wt.%) | Fe | Bal. |
| C | ≤0.07 | |
| Si | ≤1.0 | |
| Mn | ≤1.0 | |
| Cr | 14.5-15.5 | |
| Ni | 3.5-5.5 | |
| Nb | 0.15-0.45 | |
| Cu | 2.5-4.5 | |
| P | ≤0.015 | |
| S | ≤0.015 | |
| O | ≤0.08 | |
| N | ≤0.15 | |
| Physical Properties | Particle Size Range (D10/D50/D90) | ≥15 μm / 30-40 μm / ≤60 μm |
| Sphericity | ≥0.9 | |
| Apparent Density | ≥4.0 g/cm³ | |
| Tap Density | ≥4.5 g/cm³ | |
| Flowability | ≤20 s/50g | |
| Mechanical Properties | Status | Heat-Treated |
| Tensile Strength | ≥1100 MPa | |
| Yield Strength | ≥1000 MPa | |
| Elongation | ≥12.0% |
> Please note: Specifications are subject to change without notice. Contact a Forgecise representative for the most current technical data.
1. Product Advantages
15-5PH stainless steel powder is a martensitic precipitation-hardening alloy that offers a superior balance of strength and toughness compared to traditional 17-4PH. Its key advantages include:
- Exceptional Strength: Capable of achieving very high tensile and yield strength after heat treatment, making it suitable for high-stress structural components.
- High Corrosion Resistance: The specific alloy composition provides excellent resistance to corrosion in various environments.
- Good Ductility: Unlike many high-strength steels, 15-5PH maintains good elongation and fracture toughness, reducing the risk of brittle failure.
2. Application in Additive Manufacturing
In the field of Additive Manufacturing (AM), particularly Selective Laser Melting (SLM), 15-5PH powder is highly valued for its processability and final part performance. The powder features a narrow particle size distribution (D50: 30-40 μm) and high sphericity (≥0.9), which ensures excellent flowability (≤20 s/50g) and high packing density during the recoating process. These physical characteristics lead to the production of dense, defect-free parts with superior mechanical properties, making it an ideal material for manufacturing complex, high-performance metal parts for the aerospace, chemical, and food processing industries.
3. What is 15-5PH Stainless Steel Powder?
15-5PH Stainless Steel Powder is a martensitic precipitation-hardening stainless steel powder specifically designed for advanced manufacturing processes such as metal 3D printing (SLM/DMLS) and Metal Injection Molding (MIM).
It is an optimized high-performance material based on 17-4PH stainless steel, achieving significantly improved transverse toughness and isotropy through reduced carbon and sulfur content and precise control of niobium (Nb) elements, while maintaining high strength and excellent corrosion resistance. It is an ideal choice for demanding fields such as aerospace, medical devices, and precision molds.
Core Features
- Perfect Balance of High Strength and High Toughness: After aging treatment, tensile strength can reach ≥1310 MPa, hardness ≥HRC 40, while maintaining excellent impact toughness, suitable for high-stress structural components.
- Superior Corrosion Resistance: Contains chromium (14-15.5%), nickel (3.5-5.5%), and copper (2.5-4.5%), resistant to atmospheric, seawater, and weak acid corrosion, far superior to ordinary martensitic stainless steels.
- Excellent Process Compatibility: Produced by high-pressure nitrogen atomization process, powder exhibits high sphericity (≥95%), low oxygen content (≤0.1%), excellent flowability, reduces 3D printing defects, and supports complex structure formation.
- Minimal Heat Treatment Distortion: Easy to process and form in solution-treated state, excellent dimensional stability after aging treatment, suitable for precision component manufacturing.
- Excellent Isotropy: Compared to 17-4PH, 15-5PH offers better transverse toughness, reducing anisotropy issues in additive manufacturing.
Typical Chemical Composition (wt.%)
| Element | Content Range (%) | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium (Cr) | 14.0 – 15.5 | Forms passive film, provides basic corrosion resistance |
| Nickel (Ni) | 3.5 – 5.5 | Stabilizes austenite, promotes martensitic transformation, enhances toughness |
| Copper (Cu) | 2.5 – 4.5 | Precipitates copper-rich phase during aging, achieves precipitation strengthening |
| Niobium+Tantalum (Nb+Ta) | 0.15 – 0.45 | Refines grain structure, inhibits intergranular corrosion, improves transverse toughness |
| Carbon (C) | ≤ 0.07 | Ensures toughness and corrosion resistance, reduces carbide precipitation risk |
| Manganese (Mn) | ≤ 1.0 | Auxiliary deoxidizer, increases strength |
| Silicon (Si) | ≤ 1.0 | Deoxidizer, improves corrosion resistance |
| Phosphorus (P) | ≤ 0.04 | Impurity, requires strict control |
| Sulfur (S) | ≤ 0.03 | Impurity, requires strict control |
| Iron (Fe) | Balance | Base element |
Major Application Fields
- Aerospace: Aircraft landing gear components, engine brackets, high-strength fasteners, turbine blades.
- Medical Devices: Surgical instruments, orthopedic implants (requires biocompatibility certification), dental instruments.
- Industrial Molds: Precision injection molds, die-casting mold inserts, wear-resistant fixtures, mold ejector pins.
- Additive Manufacturing: Lightweight load-bearing structures, customized functional components, complex internal channel parts.
- Energy Equipment: Oil drilling tools, nuclear power components, high-pressure valves.
15-5PH vs 17-4PH vs 316L
| Feature | 15-5PH | 17-4PH | 316L |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Type | Martensitic precipitation hardening | Martensitic precipitation hardening | Austenitic stainless steel |
| Strength Level | Ultra-high strength | High strength | Medium strength |
| Toughness | Excellent (superior transverse toughness) | Good | Excellent |
| Corrosion Resistance | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Heat Treatment | Solution + aging hardening | Solution + aging hardening | Usually no hardening treatment |
| Isotropy | Excellent | Average | Excellent |
| Typical Applications | Aerospace structural parts, molds | Aerospace, fasteners | Medical, chemical, marine |
4. Customization Services by Forgecise
Forgecise provides comprehensive stainless steel powder customization solutions, covering the full range of products from standard grades to customer-specific formulations. We support mainstream grades such as 17-4PH, 15-5PH, 316L, 304L, 420, 440C, 13-8PH, and can adjust composition, particle size distribution, and sphericity according to your application requirements. Whether it’s small-batch samples for R&D (starting from 1kg) or ton-level orders for mass production, we ensure high purity, low oxygen content, and excellent flowability of our powders, meeting the requirements of various processes including SLM, EBM, MIM, and LMD.
