An often little understood key element of the 3D printing equation is powder. Powdered metal is the material in powder bed fusion and binder jet systems. We write, read, and hear a lot about machines and parts, but not often do we learn much about powder itself. One man who can teach us a lot about it is Carpenter Additive's Ben Ferrar.

Ben is very knowledgeable about powder and in this episode walks us through what can go wrong, what makes a good powder, why storage is important, and tells us some new material developments. Carpenter Additive is one of the largest 3D printing powder providers and has a wide range of materials on offer. We discuss the most notable of these. The omnipresent Ti-64, which was once the end-all-be-all of materials is now being complemented by many materials that are newer to additive. Ben is really great at explaining things in a measured tone, so it was a treat to get to talk to him about the powder side of our business. We really hope that you like this episode!