| abstract |
The invention relates to a method for coding metal powder. Said method comprises the following steps: providing a melt, forming a melt stream, spraying the melt stream by means of a spraying fluid, and forming metal powder particles from the melt stream. The method is characterized in that, during the spraying of the melt and/or the spraying fluid, a coding component or a coding gas is added in such a way that the use of the coding component in the metal powder can be detected, wherein the gaseous coding component comprises one or more isotopes of at least one gas and the fraction of the at least one isotope is changed in comparison with the naturally occurring fraction of said isotope in the gas and/or wherein the gaseous coding component contains gaseous alloying elements. |