Invar 36 Alloy Powder (Fe-36Ni / FeNi36 / 4J36)

Invar 36 Alloy Powder Price & List

Spec.	Shape	Particle Size	Application
Invar 36-DS045	Spherical	15-45 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS053	Spherical	15-53 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS105	Spherical	45-105 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS150	Spherical	45-150 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Customizable	Spherical	Customizable	3D printing / additive manufacturing

Note: We provide customized service. If you don't find the powder you want, please send us an email directly. We can customize it according to your requirements.

Invar 36 Alloy Powder

Invar 36, often referred to as Invar alloy,invariant steel, or yin steel, is a very unique nickel-iron-based low-expansion superalloy. The core characteristic of Invar 36 is its extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion within a certain temperature range. The name "Invar" is derived from "invariable," vividly describing its property of barely expanding when heated. This alloy typically conforms to the American ASTM F1684 standard, with a nominal composition of 64% iron and 36% nickel.

Core Characteristics

Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion: Within the temperature range from approximately room temperature (around 20°C) to about 100°C, its average coefficient of thermal expansion is typically only 1.6 × 10⁻⁶ /°C. For comparison, the coefficient of thermal expansion for ordinary steel is about 12 × 10⁻⁶ /°C, and for aluminum alloy, it is about 24 × 10⁻⁶ /°C. This characteristic stems from its specific iron-nickel composition ratio, which causes the lattice thermal expansion effect and the magnetostrictive contraction induced by heating to counteract each other below the magnetic transformation temperature (Curie temperature, approximately 230°C), resulting in macroscopic dimensional stability.
Poor Thermal Conductivity: Its thermal conductivity is low, approximately one-fourth that of ordinary steel.
Moderate Strength and Hardness: Its mechanical properties are similar to those of low-carbon steel and can be moderately improved through cold working.
Good Plasticity: It is easy to machine, stamp, and form.
Magnetism: It is ferromagnetic below the Curie temperature.

Invar 36 Alloy Powder

Invar 36 alloy powder is an iron-based alloy powder composed of 64% Fe and 36% Ni. Invar 36 alloy has the characteristics of low expansion coefficient, low strength, low hardness, low thermal conductivity, high plasticity and toughness. It is mainly used for precision instruments, components in optical instruments, length scales, blades and support rods of standard capacitors, storage tanks and transportation pipelines of liquid natural gas, liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, passive layer of thermal bimetallic sheet, shade in high-resolution cathode ray tube (picture tube), mold of composite parts in aerospace industry, artificial satellite, laser, ring laser gyroscope and other advanced high-tech products.

Preparation Process of Invar 36 Alloy Powder

① Using high-purity nickel powder and iron powder melted into Invar 36 alloy according to the standard composition ratio of Invar 36 alloy;
② Producing spherical Invar 36 alloy powder through gas atomization process;
③ Screening and vacuum packaging.

Chemical Composition of Invar 36 Alloy Powder

Ni	Cr	Co	Fe	Si	Mn	P
36.0%	≤ 0.25%	≤ 0.5%	Balance	≤ 0.4%	≤ 0.6%	≤ 0.015%
S	Zr	Ti	Mg	Al	C	O
≤ 0.015%	≤ 0.1%	≤ 0.1%	≤ 0.1%	≤ 0.1%	≤ 0.05%	≤ 0.08%

Invar 36 Alloy Powder Application

Invar 36 alloy powder is particularly suitable for manufacturing lightweight and stable structures with extremely complex shapes, highly integrated precision devices, and composite components with localized functionality achieved through coatings. These applications are primarily concentrated in cutting-edge technological fields such as aerospace, precision instruments, and high-end scientific research, where ultimate pursuit of dimensional stability is required. Specific applications are as follows:

Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)

This is the highest-value application area for Invar 36 powder, used to manufacture complex, lightweight, and dimensionally highly stable structures that are unprocessable by traditional methods.
Application Advantages:
Design Freedom: Can create lightweight components with complex lattice structures, internal channels, or integrated parts.
Functional Integration: Consolidates multiple parts into a single printed component, avoiding stress and dimensional errors from assembly.
Rapid Prototyping and Customization: Enables quick manufacturing of precision parts for testing or specific tasks.
Typical Printing Processes:
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF/SLM): The most commonly used technique for producing high-precision, complex-shaped Invar 36 parts.
Electron Beam Melting (EBM): Also usable for printing Invar 36, but its application in precision-demanding fields is less widespread than L-PBF due to higher surface roughness.
Binder Jetting: Enables efficient production of Invar 36 parts in larger batches with complex structures through printing and subsequent sintering, although density and performance may be slightly lower than L-PBF parts.
Specific Application Components:
Aerospace Precision Structural Components: Optical instrument mounts, reflector bases, antenna support structures on satellites and spacecraft, which require extremely high dimensional stability across large temperature differentials.
High-Precision Molds: Molds for producing composite materials, especially in aerospace, where Invar molds ensure dimensional accuracy of parts during high-temperature curing. 3D printing allows creation of molds with conformal cooling channels, improving production efficiency.
Scientific Instruments and Measuring Devices: Components for research equipment requiring ultra-stable benchmarks, such as interferometer frames, standard scales, etc.

Powder Metallurgy - Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) and Sintering

This method focuses on obtaining high-quality materials with uniform microstructure and consistent properties, rather than complex shapes.
Application Process:
Invar 36 powder is formed into dense billets or simple-shaped parts through Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) or powder pressing and sintering processes.
Application Purpose:
Producing High-Performance Billets: The resulting material has uniform composition, no segregation, and its low-expansion properties are more stable and predictable.
Manufacturing Simple-Shaped Parts: Used to make standard parts with extremely high demands for dimensional stability, such as gauge blocks, reference bars, etc.

Coatings and Repair

Utilizes thermal spray and other techniques to employ Invar 36 powder as a coating material.
Application Process:
Cold Spray: This is a process particularly suitable for Invar 36. It deposits powder particles onto a substrate via a high-speed gas stream at relatively low temperatures, avoiding thermal effects on the substrate material and thermal stress within the coating, thus better preserving Invar 36's low-expansion characteristics.
Laser Cladding: Used for repairing or enhancing the surface properties of specific components.
Application Purpose:
Functional Coatings: Depositing an Invar 36 coating on substrate materials (like aluminum or titanium alloys) where thermal expansion control is needed, giving the component low-expansion characteristics in specific directions or locally.
Repair and Remanufacturing: Repairing expensive precision Invar 36 components, such as molds or measuring tools.
Technical Points for Using Invar 36 Powder
Printing Parameter Optimization: As with most metal 3D printing, parameters like laser power, scan speed, and scan strategy need optimization to achieve printed parts with high density and few defects.
Heat Treatment: Printed Invar 36 parts usually require annealing heat treatment to eliminate internal residual stress and ensure optimal dimensional stability. The heat treatment regimen (temperature, time, cooling method) significantly impacts its final coefficient of thermal expansion.
Powder Quality: High-quality spherical powder is essential for ensuring smooth printing processes and achieving good performance.
 

Spec.	Shape	Particle Size	Application
Invar 36-DS045	Spherical	15-45 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS053	Spherical	15-53 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS105	Spherical	45-105 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Invar 36-DS150	Spherical	45-150 um	3D printing / additive manufacturing
Customizable	Spherical	Customizable	3D printing / additive manufacturing

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