A Combined Experimental-Numerical Method to Evaluate Powder Thermal Properties in Laser Powder Bed Fusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cheng ◽  
Brandon Lane ◽  
Justin Whiting ◽  
Kevin Chou
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Diffusivity ◽  
Laser Flash ◽  
Powder Layer ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Powder Particles

Powder bed metal additive manufacturing (AM) utilizes a high-energy heat source scanning at the surface of a powder layer in a pre-defined area to be melted and solidified to fabricate parts layer by layer. It is known that powder bed metal AM is primarily a thermal process and further, heat conduction is the dominant heat transfer mode in the process. Hence, understanding the powder bed thermal conductivity is crucial to process temperature predictions, because powder thermal conductivity could be substantially different from its solid counterpart. On the other hand, measuring the powder thermal conductivity is a challenging task. The objective of this study is to investigate the powder thermal conductivity using a method that combines a thermal diffusivity measurement technique and a numerical heat transfer model. In the experimental aspect, disk-shaped samples, with powder inside, made by a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system, are measured using a laser flash system to obtain the thermal diffusivity and the normalized temperature history during testing. In parallel, a finite element model is developed to simulate the transient heat transfer of the laser flash process. The numerical model was first validated using reference material testing. Then, the model is extended to incorporate powder enclosed in an LPBF sample with thermal properties to be determined using an inverse method to approximate the simulation results to the thermal data from the experiments. In order to include the powder particles’ contribution in the measurement, an improved model geometry, which improves the contact condition between powder particles and the sample solid shell, has been tested. A multi-point optimization inverse heat transfer method is used to calculate the powder thermal conductivity. From this study, the thermal conductivity of a nickel alloy 625 powder in powder bed conditions is estimated to be 1.01 W/m·K at 500 °C.

scholarly journals A Combined Experimental-Numerical Method to Evaluate Powder Thermal Properties in Laser Powder Bed Fusion

2018 ◽  
Vol 140 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cheng ◽  
Brandon Lane ◽  
Justin Whiting ◽  
Kevin Chou
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Diffusivity ◽  
Laser Flash ◽  
Powder Layer ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Powder Particles

Powder bed metal additive manufacturing (AM) utilizes a high-energy heat source scanning at the surface of a powder layer in a predefined area to be melted and solidified to fabricate parts layer by layer. It is known that powder bed metal AM is primarily a thermal process, and further, heat conduction is the dominant heat transfer mode in the process. Hence, understanding the powder bed thermal conductivity is crucial to process temperature predictions, because powder thermal conductivity could be substantially different from its solid counterpart. On the other hand, measuring the powder thermal conductivity is a challenging task. The objective of this study is to investigate the powder thermal conductivity using a method that combines a thermal diffusivity measurement technique and a numerical heat transfer model. In the experimental aspect, disk-shaped samples, with powder inside, made by a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system, are measured using a laser flash system to obtain the thermal diffusivity and the normalized temperature history during testing. In parallel, a finite element (FE) model is developed to simulate the transient heat transfer of the laser flash process. The numerical model was first validated using reference material testing. Then, the model is extended to incorporate powder enclosed in an LPBF sample with thermal properties to be determined using an inverse method to approximate the simulation results to the thermal data from the experiments. In order to include the powder particles' contribution in the measurement, an improved model geometry, which improves the contact condition between powder particles and the sample solid shell, has been tested. A multipoint optimization inverse heat transfer method is used to calculate the powder thermal conductivity. From this study, the thermal conductivity of a nickel alloy 625 powder in powder bed conditions is estimated to be 1.01 W/m K at 500 °C.

scholarly journals Preparation of Cu-Cr-Zr Alloy by Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Parameter Optimization, Microstructure, Mechanical and Thermal Properties for Microelectronic Applications

Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1410
Author(s):  
Xiangyao Fang ◽  
Weisheng Xia ◽  
Qingsong Wei ◽  
Yiping Wu ◽  
Weiwen Lv ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Vickers Hardness ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Phase Identification ◽  
Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Zr Alloy

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology is beneficial for the fabrication of thermal conductive materials, integrating with the predesigned structure, which shows a great potential for high heat dissipation applications. Here, a Cu–Cr–Zr alloy with relative density of 98.53% is successfully prepared by LPBF after process optimization. On this basis, microstructure, phase identification, precipitates, mechanical and thermal properties are investigated. The results demonstrate that the surface morphology of microstructure is affected by laser energy density, the α-Cu is the main phase of the LPBF sample and the virgin powder, the size of Cr spherical precipitates in some areas is about 1 μm, and the tensile fracture mode is a mixed ductile–brittle mode. Furthermore, the Vickers hardness of the LPBF Cu-Cr-Zr sample is 70.7 HV to 106.1 HV, which is higher than that of LPBF Cu and a wrought C11000 Cu, and the difference in Vickers hardness of different planes reflects the anisotropy. Ultimately, the two types of Cu–Cr–Zr alloy heat sinks are successfully fabricated, and their heat transfer coefficients are positively correlated with the volume flow. The heat dissipation performance of the cylindrical micro-needle heat sink is better, and its maximum heat transfer coefficient is 3887 W/(m2·K).

scholarly journals Vacuum laser powder bed fusion—track consolidation, powder denudation, and future potential

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 3339-3346
Author(s):  
L. Kaserer ◽  
S. Bergmueller ◽  
J. Braun ◽  
G. Leichtfried
Keyword(s):  
Laser Plasma ◽  
Powder Layer ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Laser Plasma Interaction ◽  
Melt Pool ◽  
Powder Particles ◽  
Future Potential ◽  
Titanium Grade

Abstract Defects in parts processed by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) are often triggered by laser/plasma plume interference and spattering. The implementation of a LPBF process in vacuum has been suggested to possibly reduce these effects. Within this study, the effects of process pressure variations between 1 mbar and atmospheric pressure on the generation of single tracks and on the surrounding layer of loose powder particles were studied for CP titanium grade 2 and the Maraging steel 1.2709. Below 10 mbar no single tracks could be generated and the powder layer adjacent to the track was effectively denuded. It was found that the essential mechanism for incorporating powder into the melt pool begins to work at process pressures above 10 mbar and its effectiveness increases with increasing pressure. The amount of powder incorporated into the melt pool depends on the material and the scanning conditions. With identical scanning conditions, this amount of powder is significantly larger for titanium than for steel. For process pressures above 200 mbar, no significant change in the amount of spattering could be found. In this pressure range improved process stability could be possible due to a reduced laser/plasma interaction and an increased laser penetration depth.

Camera signal dependencies within coaxial melt pool monitoring in laser powder bed fusion

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Kolb ◽  
Reza Elahi ◽  
Jan Seeger ◽  
Mathews Soris ◽  
Christian Scheitler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Powder Layer ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Sensory Signals ◽  
Melt Pool ◽  
Research Activities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the signal dependency of the camera-based coaxial monitoring system QMMeltpool 3D (Concept Laser GmbH, Lichtenfels, Germany) for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) under the variation of process parameters, position, direction and layer thickness to determine the capability of the system. Because such and similar monitoring systems are designed and presented for quality assurance in series production, it is important to present the dominant signal influences and limitations. Design/methodology/approach Hardware of the commercially available coaxial monitoring QMMeltpool 3D is used to investigate the thermal emission of the interaction zone during LPBF. The raw images of the camera are analysed by means of image processing to bypass the software of QMMeltpool 3D and to gain a high level of signal understanding. Laser power, scan speed, laser spot diameter and powder layer thickness were varied for single-melt tracks to determine the influence of a parameter variation on the measured sensory signals. The effects of the scan direction and position were also analysed in detail. The influence of surface roughness on the detected sensory signals was simulated by a machined substrate plate. Findings Parameter variations are confirmed to be detectable. Because of strong directional and positional dependencies of the melt-pool monitoring signal a calibration algorithm is necessary. A decreasing signal is detected for increasing layer thickness. Surface roughness is identified as a dominating factor with major influence on the melt-pool monitoring signal exceeding other process flaws. Research limitations/implications This work was performed with the hardware of a commercially available QMMeltpool 3D system of an LPBF machine M2 of the company Concept Laser GmbH. The results are relevant for all melt-pool monitoring research activities connected to LPBF, as well as for end users and serial production. Originality/value Surface roughness has not yet been revealed as being one of the most important origins for signal deviations in coaxial melt-pool monitoring. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the direct comparison of influences because of parameters and environment has not been published to this extent. The detection, evaluation and remelting of surface roughness constitute a plausible workflow for closed-loop control in LPBF.

scholarly journals On the thermal conductivity of AlSi10Mg and lattice structures made by laser powder bed fusion

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 101214
Author(s):  
Richard R.J. Sélo ◽  
Sam Catchpole-Smith ◽  
Ian Maskery ◽  
Ian Ashcroft ◽  
Christopher Tuck
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Lattice Structures ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document