On the potential of eddy current characterization of the ferritic content of recovered 316L powders after LaserPowder bed fusion fabrication

•Proof of concept of the ability of the Eddy Current technique to monitor ferritic content in reused 316 L powders.•Design of a specific container allowing to carry out measurements on batches of a hundred grams.•EC signals are found to be virtually independent on oxide content in the studied frequency range. An original container was designed to measure the ferritic content of powder batches by the Eddy Current (EC) technique. As opposed to the standard X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) or Electronic BackScatter Diffraction (EBSD) methods, the EC measurements can be implemented on powder batches of significant sizes, say a hundred grams or so. Using a methodology based on the multiple recycling of an initially ferrite-free virgin powder, it was shown that the EC signals are sensitive to the ferritic content of the recovered powder. On the other hand, in the frequency range scanned by the sensor, the EC signals are virtually independent on the oxygen concentration within the tested powder.