Patent ID: 7198657

Claim:
A metal powder produced by a process which comprises: providing molten metal in a metallurgical vessel having a nozzle element, the nozzle element being directed into an atomization chamber associated with the metallurgical vessel; allowing the molten metal to flow through the nozzle element of the metallurgical vessel into the atomization chamber whereby a molten metal stream is fed into the atomization chamber; directing at least three successive gas beams at the molten metal stream inside the atomization chamber wherein the at least three gas beams are oriented in different directions; whereby the molten metal stream is broken down into droplets, the droplets subsequently freezing into grains; and collecting the grains; an average diameter of the collected grains in the as-produced state, as determined by sieve analysis, being not higher than about 80 μm, and wherein the metal comprises, in wt-%, about 1–3.5 C, about 5–20 Cr, about 3–15 V, about 1–5 Mo, up to about 1.0 Si, and up to about 1.0 Mn, remainder comprising iron and impurities.