Francesca Friso (right) with Giuseppe R. Del Sorbo (left) from Granutools during a visit at ZHAW.

1. Could you briefly introduce your research activities at ZHAW?

I work in the Metallic Materials group at the Institute of Materials and Process Engineering at ZHAW in Switzerland. My current research focuses on Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), particularly on the printability of high-performance alloys, which are challenging to process.. In addition, I am responsible for metallographic characterization and the analysis of metallic materials, including failure analysis.

2. How important is powder characterization in your research activities?

Powder characterization is very important in our research activities because it helps us better understand and control the LPBF process. I often compare it to cooking: a successful recipe requires high-quality ingredients. Even with optimized machine parameters, low quality powder can strongly influence the manufacturing process and hence the reliability and performance of the produced parts. Therefore, accurate powder characterization is essential for achieving reproducible and stable manufacturing results.

3. How do GranuFlow and GranuPack benefit your research?

The GranuFlow and GranuPack from Granutools provide quantitative and reproducible measurements while reducing operator influence compared to conventional standard methods. We use these systems together with other methods to investigate the properties of the powder over time, for example during powder reuse, storage, or repeated processing cycles.

GranuFlow and GranuPack installed in the IMPE laboratory and used for powder characterization studies related to additive manufacturing.

4. Do you believe powder characterization should become a standard practice for research groups and companies?

I definitely believe powder characterization should become a standard practice both in research and industrial additive manufacturing environments. Before working in additive manufacturing, I spent many years in the cast iron industry, where the measurement and control of the sand properties were considered essential for ensuring stable and reproducible production. I believe the same philosophy should apply to powders in additive manufacturing. Moreover, standardized powder characterization enables better comparison between studies, more reliable process qualification, and improved traceability.