Track evolution and surface characteristics of selective laser melting Ti6Al4V

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1554-1562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luo Zhang ◽  
Haihong Zhu ◽  
Jiahe Liu ◽  
Xiaoyan Zeng

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the track evolution and surface characteristics of selective laser melting Ti6Al4V. Design/methodology/approach In the present paper, Ti6Al4V single-track, multi-track and bulk sample were formed at different scanning speed by selective laser melting (SLM). Then, the surface morphology, three-dimension profile and surface roughness were evaluated. The width of the single and multi-track was measured and compared. Findings The results showed that the heat accumulation played a great role on the evolution of tracks and surface characteristics from single-track to multi-track and to bulk. The surface morphology of the subsequent tracks became more regular when the single-track was irregular at the same high scanning speed. The width of last track Wn was always larger than that of the first track W1. The Ra of the top of the bulk increased with the increase of the scanning speed, this trend was as same as the Ra of the single-track, but the trend of Ra of the side was opposite. Originality/value The effect of heat accumulation on the track evolution and surface characteristics is obtained. The results can help to derive a smooth surface with a regular and continuous track in SLM.

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1388-1397
Author(s):  
Jieren Guan ◽  
Xiaowei Zhang ◽  
Yehua Jiang ◽  
Yongnian Yan

Purpose This study aims to obtain the mechanistic insights for the fabrication of pure copper thin wall components by selective infrared (IR) laser melting (SLM) and correlated with microstructure development, microhardness, surface morphology and phase analysis. Experimental processes for single track and selection of substrate materials have been studied using a combination of different laser powers and scanning speeds. Design/methodology/approach SLM of pure copper was performed on a YONGNIAN Laser YLMS-120 SLM machine using an Nd: YAG fiber laser operating at 1,060 nm in the NIR region. Single-track experiments and processing parameters are investigated through different combinations of laser power and scanning speed. The microstructure of the fabricated pure copper samples by SLM technique was analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope equipped with energy disperse spectrometer, optical microscope (OM) and micro-hardness tester. Findings Steel-based substrates were found suitable for pure copper manufacturing due to sufficient heat accumulation. The width of a single track was determined by liner energy density, showing discontinuities and irregular morphologies at low laser powers and high scanning speeds. As a result of instability of the molten pool induced by Marangoni convection, cracks and cavities were observed to appear along grain boundaries in the microstructure. The top surface morphology of SLM-processed component showed a streamflow structure and irregular shapes. However, the powder particles attached to side surface, which manifest copper powders, are even more sensitive to melt pool of contour track. The crystal phase characteristics of copper components indicated increasing crystallite size of a-Cu, and the decreasing intensity of diffraction peak was attributed to the presence of defects during SLM. The maximum relative density and microhardness were 82 per cent and 61.48 HV0.2, respectively. The minimum thickness of a pure copper thin wall component was 0.2 mm. Originality/value This paper demonstrated the forming mechanism and explored feasibility of pure copper thin wall parts by SLM technology in the NIR region. The surface morphology, microstructure and crystal structure were preliminary studied with laser processing parameters.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Monroy ◽  
Jordi Delgado ◽  
Lidia Sereno ◽  
Joaquim Ciurana ◽  
Nicolas J Hendrichs

Purpose – Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the relationships between the processing parameters and the geometric form of the produced single tracks, in order to control dimensional quality in future experimentations. The quality of the deposited single track and layer is of prime importance in the selective laser melting (SLM) process, as it affects the product quality in terms of dimensional precision and product performance. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, a vertical milling machining center equipped with an Ytterbium-fiber laser was used in the SLM experimentation to form single cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) tracks. The different geometric features and the influence of the scanning parameters on these morphologic characteristics were studied statistically by means of ANOVA. Findings – Evidently, track height (h1) inaccuracy reduced in layer thicknesses between 100 and 200 μm. The re-melt depth (h2) was determined by the energy parameters, with laser power of 325-350 W and scanning speed (SS) of 66.6-83.3 mm/s being the most favorable parameters to obtain the required anchoring. Moreover, a contact angle of 117° was proposed as optimal, as it permitted an adequate overlapping region and a full densification, and, finally, an SS of 50 mm/s and a layer thickness of 250 were suggested for its development. Originality/value – The comprehension of the phenomena inherent to the process is related to the single track geometrical characteristics, which allow the definition of an optimal value for each factor for a further proposal of processing conditions that can finally derive a higher precision, wetting, density and mechanical properties.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Zhang ◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Wenhe Liao ◽  
Changdong Zhang ◽  
Yishuai Yan ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to obtain high-performance ceramics and enrich additive manufacturing of ceramic parts. Also, a new manufacturing technique based on slurry by selective laser melting (SLM) was studied, which has some significant advantages compared to indirect selective laser sintering of ceramic powders. Design/methodology/approach To study the effect of laser parameters on the surface morphology and melting state of pure Al2O3 ceramics, laser power varied between 100 and 200 W and scan speed varied between 60 and 90 mm/s. Findings Experimental results show that Al2O3 slurry melts completely when the laser power is about 200 W and the scanning speed is 90 mm/s. Surface quality cannot be improved effectively by changing the scanning speed. However, surface quality improves when the laser power is 200∼205 W and energy density is 889∼911 J/mm3. Thermocapillary convection was observed during SLM. By changing the temperature gradient, streak convection and flowing Bénard cells were obtained during SLM of Al2O3 slurry. Originality/value It is feasible to produce slurry ceramic parts without binders through SLM. Increasing the laser power is the most effective way to fully melt the ceramics. Complex thermocapillary convection was observed during this new process; it may be used to produce crystals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (15) ◽  
pp. 2025-2035
Author(s):  
Mohd Faizal Sadali ◽  
Mohamad Zaki Hassan ◽  
Fauzan Ahmad ◽  
Hafizal Yahaya ◽  
Zainudin A Rasid

Abstract


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (14) ◽  
pp. 17252-17257
Author(s):  
Haifang Liu ◽  
Haijun Su ◽  
Zhonglin Shen ◽  
Di Zhao ◽  
Yuan Liu ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 871-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haihua Wu ◽  
Junfeng Li ◽  
Zhengying Wei ◽  
Pei Wei

Purpose To fabricate a selective laser melting (SLM)-processed AlSi10Mg part with almost full density and free of any apparent pores, this study aims to investigate the effect of ambient argon pressure and laser scanning speed on the particles splash during the AlSi10Mg powder bed laser melting. Design/methodology/approach Based on the discrete element method (DEM), a 3D model of random distribution of powder particles was established, and the 3D free surface of SLM forming process was dynamically tracked by the volume of fluid, where a Gaussian laser beam acts as the energy source melting the powder bed. Through the numerical simulation and process experimental research, the effect of the applied laser power and scanning speed on the operating laser melting temperature was studied. Findings The process stability has a fundamental role in the porosity formation, which is process-dependent. The effect of the processing conditions on the process stability and the resultant forming defects were clarified. Research limitations/implications The results shows that the pores were the main defects present in the SLM-processed AlSi10Mg sample, which decreases the densification level of the sample. Practical implications The optimal processing parameters (argon pressure of 1,000 Pa, laser power of 180 W, scan speed of 1,000 mm/s, powder layer thickness of 35 µm and hatch spacing of 50 µm ) applied during laser melting can improve the quality of selective laser melting of AlSi10Mg, Social implications It can provide a technological support for 3D printing. Originality/value Based on the analysis of the pore and balling formation mechanisms, the optimal processing parameters have been obtained, which were argon pressure of 1,000 Pa, laser power of 180 W, scan speed of 1,000 mm/s, powder layer thickness of 35 µm and hatch spacing of 50 µm. Then, a near-fully dense sample free of any apparent pores on the cross-sectional microstructure was produced by SLM, wherein the relative density of the as-built samples is larger than 97.5%.


Author(s):  
Subin Shrestha ◽  
Thomas Starr ◽  
Kevin Chou

Porosity is an inherent attribute in selective laser melting (SLM) and profoundly degrades the build part quality and its performance. This study attempts to understand and characterize the keyhole pores formed during single-track scanning in SLM. First, 24 single tracks were generated using different line energy density (LED) levels, ranging from 0.1 J/mm to 0.98 J/mm, by varying the laser power and the scanning speed. The samples were then scanned by micro-computed tomography to measure keyhole pores and analyze the pore characteristics. The results show a general trend that the severity of the keyhole porosity increases with the increase of the LED with exceptions of certain patterns, implying important individual contributions from the parameters. Next, by keeping the LED constant in another set of experiments, different combinations of the power and the speed were tested to investigate the individual effect. Based on the results obtained, the laser power appears to have a greater effect than the scanning speed on both the pore number and the pore volume as well as the pore depth. For the same LED, the pore number and volume increase with increasing laser power until a certain critical level, beyond which, both the pore number and volume will decrease, if the power is further increased. For the LED of 0.32 J/mm, 0.4 J/mm, and 0.48 J/mm, the critical laser power that reverses the trend is about 132 W, 140 W, and 144 W, respectively.


2011 ◽  
Vol 233-235 ◽  
pp. 2844-2848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Wang ◽  
Qing Song Wei ◽  
Yu Sheng Shi ◽  
Jin Hui Liu ◽  
Wen Ting He

Selective laser melting(SLM) is driven by the need to fabricate functional metallic parts and tools with near shape and density. The method of process to fabricate a metal part will save materials, time and energy compared to the traditional manufacturing methods. Unlike the selective laser sintering (SLS), the metal powder particles are molten by the laser beam during the process of selective laser melting. In this paper, IN625 powders were adopted to investigate the characters of single molten track. The factors that affect the surface quality and relative density are the process parameters such as the laser energy, scan speed and so on. They were studied to find out the correlation between the parameters and formation of single-track. It has been found that Optimal ratio between laser power and scanning speed (P/v) is 1-1.5 for IN625 SLM. P/v is the linear energy density. It also has been found that the width and height of single-track can be calculated when the linear energy density is given. In this study the laser power, scan spacing and the hatch spacing which affect the surface quality and the relative density of the metallic parts were optimized.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7486
Author(s):  
Stanislav V. Chernyshikhin ◽  
Denis G. Firsov ◽  
Igor V. Shishkovsky

Unique functional properties such as the low stiffness, superelasticity, and biocompatibility of nickel–titanium shape-memory alloys provide many applications for such materials. Selective laser melting of NiTi enables low-cost customization of devices and the manufacturing of highly complex geometries without subsequent machining. However, the technology requires optimization of process parameters in order to guarantee high mass density and to avoid deterioration of functional properties. In this work, the melt pool geometry, surface morphology, formation mode, and thermal behavior were studied. Multiple combinations of laser power and scanning speed were used for single-track preparation from pre-alloyed NiTi powder on a nitinol substrate. The experimental results show the influence of laser power and scanning speed on the depth, width, and depth-to-width aspect ratio. Additionally, a transient 3D FE model was employed to predict thermal behavior in the melt pool for different regimes. In this paper, the coefficients for a volumetric double-ellipsoid heat source were calibrated with bound optimization by a quadratic approximation algorithm, the design of experiments technique, and experimentally obtained data. The results of the simulation reveal the necessary conditions of transition from conduction to keyhole mode welding. Finally, by combining experimental and FE modeling results, the optimal SLM process parameters were evaluated as P = 77 W, V = 400 mm/s, h = 70 μm, and t = 50 μm, without printing of 3D samples.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Yang ◽  
Dingyong He ◽  
Zengjie Wang ◽  
Zhen Tan ◽  
Hanguang Fu ◽  
...  

Purpose In this research, the highly dense bulk Cu-5Sn alloy specimens were fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM). This study aims to establish the relationship between laser power (LP), scanning speed (SS) and hatch space (HS) with surface roughness (Ra) and density. To obtain Cu-5Sn alloy formed parts with high strength and low surface roughness. The microstructure and mechanical properties of SLMed Cu-5Sn were investigated. Design/methodology/approach The relative density (RD) was optimized using the response surface method (RSM) and analysis of variance. First, the Ra of SLMed formed specimens was studied to optimize the forming process parameters with a good surface. Then, the dense specimens were studied by ANOVA and the RSM to obtain dense specimens for mechanical property analysis. Findings Dense specimens were obtained by RSM and ANOVA. The tensile properties were compared with the casted specimens. The yield and ultimate strengths increased from 71 and 131 MPa for the cast specimens to 334 and 489 MPa for the SLMed specimens, respectively. The ductility increased significantly from 11% to 23%, due to the refined microstructure of the SLMed specimens, as well as the formation of many twin crystals. Originality/value The Ra, RD and mechanical properties of SLM specimens Cu-5Sn were systematically studied, and the influencing factors were analyzed together. This study provides a theoretical and practical example to improve the surface quality and RD.


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