Abstract
Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing (AM) exhibits uncertainties, where variations in build quality are present despite utilizing the same optimized processing parameters. In this work, we identify the sources of uncertainty in SLM process by in-situ characterization of SLM dynamics induced by small variations in processing parameters. We show that variations in the laser beam size, laser power, laser scan speed, and powder layer thickness result in significant variations in the depression zone, melt pool, and spatter behavior. On average, a small deviation of only ~5% from the optimized/reference laser processing parameter resulted in a ~10% or greater change in the depression zone and melt pool geometries. For spatter dynamics, small variation (10 µm, 11%) of the laser beam size could lead to over 40% change in the overall volume of the spatter generated. The responses of the SLM dynamics to small variations of processing parameters revealed in this work are useful for understanding the process uncertainties in the SLM process.
Recommended Citation
Z. A. Young et al., "Uncertainties Induced by Processing Parameter Variation in Selective Laser Melting of Ti6Al4V Revealed by In-Situ X-Ray Imaging," Materials, vol. 15, no. 2, article no. 530, MDPI, Jan 2022.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15020530
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Additive Manufacturing; Laser Powder Bed Fusion; Melt Pool Dynamics; Quality Uncertainty; Selective Laser Melting; Spatter
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1996-1944
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2022 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
11 Jan 2022
Comments
This work is funded by the Boeing Company through the Center for Aerospace Manufacturing Technology (CAMT) at Missouri University of Science and Technology, and the US National Science Foundation.