**3.3 Atomization of liquid metals in levitation**

The advent of 3D metal printing and other additive technologies has stimulated an increase in demand for spherical metal powders with high rheological flow characteristics. The spraying process consists of feeding a vertical sacrificial rod into a conical inductor, where the end of the rod is melted by eddy currents of an electromagnetic field, resulting in the formation of a stream or droplets of liquid metal that are sprayed with a powerful flow of inert gas. In fact, one of the functions of classical electromagnetic levitation is involved in the process-the melting of the metal, without holding it by a magnetic field. The spraying unit is very simple and consists of a feeder with a sacrificial rod, a melting chamber with an inductor, a spraying chamber with nozzles for supplying an inert gas, a powder storage device and a generator. The proposed method is noncontact and ideal for producing high-purity, reactive and refractory metal powders. All process parameters are known and easily adjusted, which allow full control of the size of the powders. The process is simple, manageable and flexible. Perhaps, this process stands out among analogues for its simplicity and reliability, especially in the production of high-quality pure spherical powders from refractory and rare metals such as titanium, zirconium, niobium and precious metals, which are in great demand in additive technologies in aerospace, medical and other industries [20–22].
