Ball milling of Fe, Mn powders (30 min) and also tumbler mixing of Fe, Mn powders (5hr) were done before laser cladding. However, in both cases sample turned to be inhomogeneous and no significant difference between the two methods.
Fine-grained powders tend to clump, which is why, after grinding and mixing, a treatment should take place that transforms the clumped powder into a free-flowing, spherical powder. Usually this processing is done by means of spray drying.