ECKART has been manufacturing conventional aluminum and copper powders by gas atomization for decades, producing thousands of tonnes annually across multiple facilities in Germany and the United States. In 2021, ECKART acquired TLS Technik, now called ECKART TLS, a pioneer in titanium and zirconium powder atomization based in Bitterfeld, Germany.
Our 9100-certified ECKART TLS plant combines ECKART’s industrial-scale atomization expertise with TLS’s more than 20 years of experience in reactive and high-performance alloy powder production.
TLS Technik was one of Europe’s longest-established producers of metal powders for additive manufacturing. Established in the 1990s, TLS began operating EIGA (Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization) systems at its Bitterfeld, Germany site in 2003, building deep expertise in the atomization of reactive metals such as titanium alloys Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5 and Grade 23 ELI, as well as zirconium alloys. Since acquiring TLS in 2021, ECKART continues this legacy at the same 9100-certified Bitterfeld site, combining TLS’s specialized know-how with ECKART’s large-scale production infrastructure and global commercial reach.
ECKART uses two gas atomization technologies depending on the alloy system. Conventional inert gas atomization is used for aluminum, copper or nickel alloy powders, where the alloy is melted in a crucible and atomized with high-pressure inert gas. For reactive metals such as titanium, zirconium, or special materials such as nitinol (nickel titanium alloy), ECKART employs EIGA (Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization), a crucible-free process that avoids contact between the molten metal and any refractory material. This eliminates a major source of ceramic inclusions and ensures the high purity levels required for safety-critical aerospace and medical applications.
EIGA stands for Electrode Induction Melting Gas Atomization. Unlike conventional crucible-based melting, EIGA uses a pre-alloyed rotating electrode bar that is inductively melted at its tip. The molten metal flows directly into the atomization nozzle without ever contacting a crucible wall. This crucible-free approach is critical for titanium and zirconium alloys because it prevents contamination with ceramic particles, which could act as crack initiation sites in finished parts. EIGA is the method of choice for producing titanium powders such as Ti64 (Grade 5 & Grade 23) and CP-Ti (Grade 1 & Grade 2) destined for aerospace and medical implant applications where material integrity is non-negotiable. Building on this technology base, ECKART is today one of the world's largest manufacturers of titanium alloy powders for additive manufacturing.
Yes. All of ECKART’s metal powders for additive manufacturing are currently produced in-house at the company’s own atomization facilities in Germany. Titanium and zirconium alloy powders are atomized using EIGA at the Bitterfeld site, while aluminum and copper alloy powders are produced by conventional gas atomization at the Bitterfeld and Wackersdorf facilities. In-house production from melting through atomization, classification, and quality control gives ECKART full control over powder quality and traceability at every stage.
ECKART’s additive manufacturing portfolio, marketed under the AMspheres brand, covers four alloy families:
Titanium alloys: Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5 (the most widely used titanium alloy in additive manufacturing), Ti-6Al-4V Grade 23 (ELI, the extra-low interstitial variant for medical implants), commercially pure titanium Grade 1 and Grade 2, as well as high-temperature and high-strength titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6242), Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo (Ti-6246), and Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr (Ti-5553).
Aluminum alloys: AlSi10Mg and AlSi7Mg powders, as well as the patented A20X (A205) high-strength aluminum alloy developed specifically for demanding structural applications.
Copper alloys: High-purity oxygen-free copper powder (OFHC Cu) for thermal and electrical conductivity applications, CuCrZr precipitation-hardened copper alloy for applications requiring both conductivity and strength, and various bronze alloy powders such as CuSn-based alloys.
Zirconium alloys: Specialty zirconium-based powders for applications requiring exceptional corrosion resistance, primarily in the chemical processing, nuclear, and medical industries. ECKART is one of very few producers of spherical zirconium powders in the Western world.
Beyond these core alloy families, ECKART also produces a range of specialty powders including pure nickel and pure iron, AlSi40 and AlSi50 low-CTE aluminum alloys, Ni-Ti (Nitinol) shape memory alloy, and Ti-6Al-7Nb for medical applications.
A20X (also designated A205) is a patented high-strength aluminum alloy originally developed for casting and subsequently adapted for additive manufacturing. It belongs to the Al-Cu system and is reinforced with TiB₂ particles that act as grain refiners during solidification. This gives A20X significantly higher strength than conventional AM aluminum alloys like AlSi10Mg — both at room temperature and at elevated temperatures up to approximately 190 °C. A20X is already used in aerospace LPBF series production for structural components where conventional AM aluminum alloys like AlSi10Mg cannot meet the mechanical property requirements.
ECKART supplies metal powders to customers across a broad range of high-technology industries. Key sectors include:
Aerospace and defense: Structural and engine components where material certification, traceability, and consistent powder quality are mandatory requirements.
Medical technology: Orthopedic and dental implants, surgical instruments, and patient-specific devices, where biocompatibility and powder purity are critical.
Automotive: Lightweight structural components, heat exchangers, and functional prototypes, increasingly moving toward series production.
Industrial and mechanical engineering: Tooling inserts with conformal cooling, hydraulic components, and custom parts for specialized machinery.
ECKART also supplies a network of AM service bureaus and powder distributors who serve additional end-use markets.
ECKART’s metal powders are primarily used for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), also known as direct metal laser melting (DMLS) or selective laser melting (SLM), which is the most widely adopted metal AM process for industrial series production. The particle size distributions, morphology, and flowability of ECKART’s powders are tailored to the specific requirements of LPBF recoater systems and melt pool dynamics.
Beyond LPBF, ECKART offers powder grades tailored to other manufacturing processes. Coarser particle size distributions such as 45–105 µm or 50–150 µm are available for electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) and directed energy deposition (DED). For metal injection molding (MIM), ECKART supplies fine powders below 25 µm, including Ti-6Al-4V Grade 5, pure copper and CuCrZr powders. Customers with specific process or PSD requirements are encouraged to contact ECKART’s application engineering team to discuss tailored specifications.
Typical ECKART particle size distributions for LPBF are:
Titanium and aluminum alloys (Ti64, AlSi10Mg, etc.): 20–53 µm, 20–63 µm, or 20–75 µm
Copper alloys (Pure Cu, CuCrZr, etc.): 10–53 µm, 10–63 µm, or 10–80 µm
The finer lower cut-off for copper alloys (10 µm vs. 20 µm) reflects the higher material density of copper, which ensures that even fine particles have sufficient mass for good flowability and spreadability
Yes. ECKART’s experience with numerous customers across different industries confirms that broader particle size distributions — such as 20–75 µm for Ti-6Al-4V, AlSi10Mg, and A20X, or 10–80 µm for CuCrZr — are well suited for industrial-scale LPBF series production of high-performance components. Broader PSDs increase the usable yield from each atomization run, which makes the powder more cost-effective and more sustainable by reducing waste. For many applications, the part quality achieved with broader PSDs is essentially indistinguishable from that achieved with narrower standard cuts. ECKART also offers a 45–90 µm Ti-6Al-4V grade that delivers comparable part quality to standard PSDs at a significantly lower price point — contact ECKART’s application engineering team for details
Flowability depends on the alloy system and particle size distribution. ECKART’s AMspheres titanium and aluminum alloy powders in the 20–63 µm and 20–75 µm size ranges are free-flowing and designed for reliable, automated powder handling in production environments. For higher-density materials such as ECKART’s AMspheres copper alloys, even finer particle size distributions like 10–53 µm or 10–63 µm exhibit good flowability and spreadability, because the higher particle density compensates for the smaller particle size.
Every production batch undergoes a comprehensive quality control protocol. Depending on the alloy and specification, this can include chemical composition analysis, particle size distribution measurement using laser diffraction or dynamic image analysis, morphology assessment, flowability testing, apparent and tap density, among others.
Because ECKART controls the entire production chain, from raw material procurement through melting, atomization, sieving, and packaging, full traceability is maintained from incoming feedstock to the final powder lot delivered to the customer. Each shipment is accompanied by a certificate of analysis documenting the measured properties against the agreed specification.
The ECKART TLS facility in Bitterfeld is AS9100-certified, meeting the quality management standards required by the aerospace industry for the production of safety-critical metal powders.
Yes, zinc flake systems (zinc flake coatings) are suitable for heavy-duty corrosion protection.
There are zinc flake systems that have been proven to meet the relevant standard DIN EN ISO 12944 (corrosion protection in steel construction).
The ECKART ProFLAKE® Zn 3000 system holds a C5-VH certificate and complies with DIN EN ISO 12944-6, Category C5.
Structure and form of the pigment:
Zinc flake (zinc lamellar pigments) consists of lamellar particles of zinc or zinc-aluminum.
Zinc dust consists of fine-grained, nearly spherical, or irregular powder-like particles of metallic zinc.
Zinc flakes offer a combination of barrier protection (due to their overlapping flake structure) and cathodic protection.
Zinc flake systems such as ProFLAKE® Zn 3000 allow for significantly lower zinc content while maintaining exceptional performance.
This makes them more sustainable and reduces both production costs and the carbon footprint.
Zinc flakes are not harmless, but they are generally not highly hazardous provided that standard safety precautions are followed.
Recommended safety precautions: Respiratory protection, hand protection, and eye protection; local exhaust ventilation and general ventilation; avoid generating dust; no ignition sources (fire and explosion protection).
Handle in accordance with the safety data sheet; avoid skin contact, and ensure cleanliness and hygiene.
Typical applications include:
ProFLAKE® Zn Hydro PM 3090 is a stabilized, water-compatible zinc flake pigment from ECKART that has been specially developed for aqueous anti-corrosion systems.
It is the first and only zinc flake pigment in the world that can be used stably in water-based coatings.
The aqueous zinc flake has already been used in the following systems:
Total PVC (primer): 35–45%
PVC-zinc flake content: 12–20%
Zinc dust-PVC: at least 30%
|
PRODUCT |
TYPICAL PVC-ZINC FLAKE CONTENT |
TOTAL‑PVC (Primer) |
|
ProFLAKE Zn 3000 |
12,5 % |
approx. 35–45 % |
|
ProFLAKE (ALL FLAKE-VARIETIES) |
12–20 % |
35–45 % |
|
ProFLAKE Zn HYDRO PM 3090 |
12–20 % (derived) |
35–45 % |
|
ZinC DUST (COMPARISON) |
≥ 30 % |
depending on the system |
ECKART primarily offers the eConduct series as conductive pigments. These are silver-coated copper and aluminum substrates developed for the following applications:
Cost-effective and highly electrically conductive alternatives to silver include, in particular:
Copper: approx. 97% of the conductivity of silver, significantly more cost-effective, and highly malleable (however, it corrodes and is therefore often coated).
Aluminum: cost-effective and lightweight; lower conductivity than copper or silver, but sufficient for many applications (e.g., power engineering).
Gold: approx. 70% of the conductivity of silver; generally not a cost-effective alternative due to its high cost.
Carbon-based materials (graphite/graphene): are being investigated as conductive substitute materials, e.g., for printed electronics and energy systems.
Suitable electrically conductive fillers for EMI shielding applications include, for example:
Silver-plated materials are highly conductive, but generally do not achieve the conductivity of solid silver.
Pure silver has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals (approx. 63 × 10⁶ S/m).
In silver-plated materials, it is primarily the silver surface that conducts; the core (e.g., copper or aluminum) has lower conductivity, resulting in an overall conductivity slightly below that of pure silver.
There isn't one—it's the same pigment, just a different name for it.
Yes—we carry a zinc dust spray as well as various zinc flake-based spray cans in our product range.
Yes and no: The stainless steel pigment in the stainless steel spray does not provide active (cathodic) corrosion protection, but only passive corrosion protection.
The protection is therefore achieved solely through shielding and by increasing the diffusion path.
Yes – our ready-mixed paints can be ordered with a minimum order value of 150 euros.
The temperature resistance of our Thermolack Black and Thermolack Silver products is 500 °C.
Our paint is available in 125 ml, 375 ml, 750 ml, and 2500 ml sizes. Larger containers of 25 l and 200 l are also available.
ECKART spray cans are available in 150 ml, 400 ml, and 500 ml sizes.
Yes—we offer a private-label service and would be happy to assist you in designing your own label.
Because they require activation energy: The binder must cross-link for a minimum period of time; only then is the promised protection guaranteed (240 °C, 30 min).
Because organic binders cannot be used due to heat resistance: These would burn off at temperatures of approximately 300 °C or higher. Instead, silicone binders are used, which (in our formulations) are heat-resistant up to +500 °C—though they are significantly more expensive.
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