Granutools at ICAM 2026

Granutools is pleased to announce its participation in ICAM 2026, taking place from September 28 to October 2, 2026, in Orlando, Florida. Throughout the event, our powder characterization specialists Dr. Aurélien Neveu and Filip Francqui will represent Granutools at our booth and engage with the additive manufacturing community.

During the conference, Granutools will present recent research exploring the impact of powder cohesion on metal powder spreadability, a critical factor influencing the quality, consistency, and performance of powder bed fusion processes.

Powder spreadability directly affects layer uniformity during additive manufacturing. Poorly spread powder layers can lead to defects such as lack-of-fusion porosity, surface irregularities, and dimensional inaccuracies, ultimately impacting the mechanical properties and reliability of final components. While spreadability can be evaluated directly within AM machines, such approaches are often impractical due to material consumption, machine downtime, and production constraints.

To address these challenges, this work combines GranuDrum® measurements with advanced Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations to provide deeper insight into the relationship between powder cohesion and powder bed quality. Using experimental characterization data and a calibrated digital twin of the GranuDrum, researchers developed virtual powder models capable of accurately reproducing real material behavior.

The study systematically investigates the influence of:

• Powder cohesive strength
• Particle size distribution
• Particle morphology
• Recoater operating conditions

The results confirm and strengthen the experimentally observed correlation between the Cohesive Index and powder spreadability while providing valuable particle-scale insights into the mechanisms responsible for layer defects and non-uniform powder deposition.

Meet Our Team at ICAM 2026

📅 September 28 – October 2, 2026
📍 Orlando, Florida, USA

Visit the Granutools booth and meet Dr. Aurélien Neveu and Filip Francqui to discuss:

• Powder characterization for additive manufacturing
• Feedstock qualification and quality control
• Powder cohesion and flowability assessment
• DEM calibration using experimental data
• Powder spreadability optimization
• Powder bed fusion process reliability

Whether you are working on material development, feedstock qualification, process optimization, or quality assurance, our team will be pleased to discuss how advanced powder characterization can support your additive manufacturing objectives.

We look forward to meeting researchers, engineers, and industry professionals at ICAM 2026 and sharing the latest advances in powder characterization and digital modeling for metal additive manufacturing.