Resumen
One of the main limitations for widespread additive manufacturing is availability and processability of the precursor materials feedstock. For the first time, this study reports the development of a ?pomegranate-like? structured TiB2-Si ceramic-metalloid powder feedstock suitable for selective laser melting (SLM) of ceramic-based composite. The powder was produced via self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS) at a moderate combustion temperature of 1530 °C. The effective activation energy in the Ti-B-Si system for the slow step of the combustion process was estimated as 184 kJ. Conditions of SHS process demonstrated a strong influence on the properties of produced powders and, therefore, on SLM parameters and properties of the printed materials. The powders have demonstrated a high performance for manufacturing bulks of 56 wt%TiB2?44 wt%Si ceramic-based composite.