MPS  /  MATERIALS  /  SPHERICAL AM POWDER  /  STEEL & STAINLESS AM POWDER
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IRON-BASED AM ALLOYS

Steel & Stainless AM Powder

Tool steel, stainless, maraging — printed.   Gas-atomized 17-4 PH, 15-5 PH, 316L, 304L, H13, M2, M300 (18Ni-300) maraging steel, and Invar 36 for LPBF, EBM, and DED. AMS 5643-analog chemistry with LPBF-tuned rheology.

Program Intake Program Tiers
Grades
17-4 · 15-5 · 316L · 304L · H13 · M300
Standards
AMS 5643 · 5659 · UNS S31603
PSD cuts
15–45 · 20–63 · 45–106 μm
Process
VIM · GA · Water/N₂ atomized
Lead time
4 weeks standard
Traceability
Melt heat → GA lot → PO
01METALLURGY

Iron-based AM alloys cover the largest volume of printed metal parts by mass. The "big three" — 17-4 PH stainless, 316L austenitic, and H13 tool steel — dominate tooling, industrial manifolds, injection-mold conformal-cooling inserts, and general-purpose structural production. Maraging M300 (18Ni-300) enables printed tooling with as-heat-treated hardness above 50 HRC.

Steel powder atomization capacity is deep and geographically diverse across the qualified U.S. and allied supplier base. Supply-chain risk is low compared to refractories. Our value here is program-tuned rheology (LPBF, EBM, MIM cuts) and lot-level chemistry consistency across long-running production, not source scarcity.

02SPECIFICATION
Chemistry — 17-4 PH
AMS 5643 · UNS S17400 · Cr 15–17.5, Ni 3–5, Cu 3–5
Chemistry — 316L
ASTM A276 · UNS S31603 · Cr 16–18, Ni 10–14, Mo 2–3, C ≤ 0.03
Chemistry — H13
AISI H13 · UNS T20813 · Cr 4.75–5.5, Mo 1.1–1.75, V 0.8–1.2
Chemistry — M300 (18Ni-300)
AMS 6514 · Ni 18–19, Co 8.5–9.5, Mo 4.6–5.2
Chemistry — Invar 36
ASTM F1684 · Ni 35–37, low CTE 1.6e-6/K
Oxygen
≤ 200 ppm
Nitrogen
≤ 100 ppm
Morphology
Spherical (GA), low satellite
Apparent density
Reported per lot COA under program qualification
Hall flow
Reported per lot COA under program qualification
PSD (LPBF)
Reported per lot COA under program qualification
Traceability
Melt heat → GA lot → screen lot → PO
03GRADES & ALLOYS
17-4 PH
AMS 5643. General-purpose precipitation-hardened stainless.
15-5 PH
AMS 5659. Similar to 17-4 with improved toughness.
316L
UNS S31603. Corrosion-resistant austenitic. Chemical process, medical.
304L
General-purpose austenitic. Food, medical, chemical.
H13
Hot-work tool steel. Injection-mold conformal cooling inserts.
M2 · M300
M2 high-speed tool steel · M300 maraging steel for AM tooling.
Invar 36
Low-CTE alloy. Precision instruments, tooling for CFRP layup.
Duplex 2205
Austenitic-ferritic. Oil & gas subsea components.
04PROCESSING ROUTES
LPBF (17-4, 316L, H13)
Fully qualified production. N₂ or Ar atmosphere.
LPBF (M300, Invar)
Program-tuned parameter sets. Post-age heat treatment.
EBM
Available for tool steels and Ni-Fe alloys.
DED
Repair and cladding route. Coarser PSD.
Binder jet + sinter
High-volume production. 316L and 17-4 fully qualified.
MIM
Metal injection molding for < 22 μm powders. High-volume small parts.
05APPLICATIONS
Industrial
Conformal-Cooling Tooling
H13 and M300 injection-mold inserts. Cycle-time reduction 20–40%.
Aerospace
General Structural
17-4 PH and 15-5 PH for non-hot-section brackets and fittings.
Chemical
Process Manifolds
316L LPBF manifolds and heat exchangers.
Medical
Surgical Instruments
316L and 17-4 PH for reusable instruments and implantable trials.
Defense
General Structural
DFARS-compliant U.S. and allied melt for defense-program brackets.
Precision
Instrument Frames
Invar 36 for optical benches, laser platforms, low-CTE tooling.
06QUALITY CONTROL
Chemistry
LECO (O/N/C) · OES for all alloying elements · sulfur/phosphorus per lot
PSD
Laser diffraction per ASTM B822
Morphology
SEM per lot; hollow-sphere count on request
Density
Apparent (B212), tap (B527)
Cleanliness
Sieve residue, ceramic-inclusion Marshall count on request
Recyclability
Oxygen pickup measurement on re-atomized/reconditioned lots
Every lot ships with a mill-certified Certificate of Conformance (CofC) documenting chemistry, PSD, morphology, flow, and traceability from mill heat through atomization to PO. Retained samples are held per lot for program-life duration.

Move it to a
program.

MPS-1 qualification, MPS-2 production, or MPS-3 strategic supply. 4-week standard lead time on qualified stock.

Program Intake Compare Program Tiers