scholarly journals Prediction of Upper Surface Roughness in Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Wenjia Wang ◽  
Hamid Garmestani ◽  
Steven Y. Liang
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Analytical Method ◽  
Molten Pool ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Surface Profile ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Analytical Thermal Model

In this study, a physics-based analytical method was proposed for the prediction of upper surface roughness in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The temperature distribution and molten pool shape in the melting process were first predicted by an analytical thermal model. The cap area of the solidified molten pool was assumed to be half-elliptical. Based on this assumption and the principle of mass conservation, the cap height and the specific profile of the cap area were obtained. The transverse overlapping pattern of adjacent molten pools of upper layer was then obtained, with given hatch space. The analytical expression of the top surface profile was obtained after putting this overlapping pattern into a 2D coordinate system. The expression of surface roughness was then derived as an explicit function of the process parameters and material properties, based on the definition of surface roughness (Ra) in the sense of an arithmetic average. The predictions of surface roughness were then compared with experimental measurements of 316L stainless steel for validation and show acceptable agreement. In addition, the proposed model does not rely on numerical iterations, which ensures its low computational cost. Thus, the proposed analytical method can help understand the causes for roughness in LPBF and guide the optimization of process conditions to fabricate products with good quality. The sensitivity of surface roughness to process conditions was also investigated in this study.

scholarly journals Analytical Prediction of Balling, Lack-of-Fusion and Keyholing Thresholds in Powder Bed Fusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 12053
Author(s):  
Wenjia Wang ◽  
Jinqiang Ning ◽  
Steven Y. Liang
Keyword(s):  
Molten Pool ◽  
Laser Power ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Analytical Prediction ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Lack Of Fusion ◽  
Analytical Thermal Model

This paper proposes analytical modeling methods for the prediction of balling, lack-of-fusion and keyholing thresholds in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing. The molten pool dimensions were first predicted by a closed-form analytical thermal model. The effects of laser power input, boundary heat loss, powder size distribution and powder packing pattern were considered in the calculation process. The predicted molten pool dimensions were then employed in the calculation of analytical thresholds for these defects. Reported experimental data with different materials were compared to predictions to validate the presented analytical models. The predicted thresholds of these defects under various process conditions have good agreement with the experimental results. The computation time for the presented models is less than 5 min on a personal computer. The optimized process window for Ti6Al4V was obtained based on the analytical predictions of these defects. The sensitivity analyses of the value of threshold to the laser power and scanning speed were also conducted. The proposed analytical methods show higher computational efficiency than finite element methods, without including any iteration-based computations. The acceptable predictive accuracy and low computational time will make the proposed analytical strategy be a good tool for the optimization of process conditions for the fabrication of defects-free complex products in laser powder bed fusion.

scholarly journals On the Relevance of Volumetric Energy Density in the Investigation of Inconel 718 Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizia Caiazzo ◽  
Vittorio Alfieri ◽  
Giuseppe Casalino
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Energy Density ◽  
Process Parameters ◽  
Vickers Hardness ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Processing Conditions ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Fractional Density ◽  
Experimental Variation

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) can fabricate products with tailored mechanical and surface properties. In fact, surface texture, roughness, pore size, the resulting fractional density, and microhardness highly depend on the processing conditions, which are very difficult to deal with. Therefore, this paper aims at investigating the relevance of the volumetric energy density (VED) that is a concise index of some governing factors with a potential operational use. This paper proves the fact that the observed experimental variation in the surface roughness, number and size of pores, the fractional density, and Vickers hardness can be explained in terms of VED that can help the investigator in dealing with several process parameters at once.

A printability assessment framework for fabricating low variability nickel-niobium parts using laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bing Zhang ◽  
Raiyan Seede ◽  
Austin Whitt ◽  
David Shoukr ◽  
Xueqin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Uncertainty Quantification ◽  
Process Optimization ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Analytical Thermal Model

Purpose There is recent emphasis on designing new materials and alloys specifically for metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes, in contrast to AM of existing alloys that were developed for other traditional manufacturing methods involving considerably different physics. Process optimization to determine processing recipes for newly developed materials is expensive and time-consuming. The purpose of the current work is to use a systematic printability assessment framework developed by the co-authors to determine windows of processing parameters to print defect-free parts from a binary nickel-niobium alloy (NiNb5) using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal AM. Design/methodology/approach The printability assessment framework integrates analytical thermal modeling, uncertainty quantification and experimental characterization to determine processing windows for NiNb5 in an accelerated fashion. Test coupons and mechanical test samples were fabricated on a ProX 200 commercial LPBF system. A series of density, microstructure and mechanical property characterization was conducted to validate the proposed framework. Findings Near fully-dense parts with more than 99% density were successfully printed using the proposed framework. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of as-printed parts showed low variability, good tensile strength of up to 662 MPa and tensile ductility 51% higher than what has been reported in the literature. Originality/value Although many literature studies investigate process optimization for metal AM, there is a lack of a systematic printability assessment framework to determine manufacturing process parameters for newly designed AM materials in an accelerated fashion. Moreover, the majority of existing process optimization approaches involve either time- and cost-intensive experimental campaigns or require the use of proprietary computational materials codes. Through the use of a readily accessible analytical thermal model coupled with statistical calibration and uncertainty quantification techniques, the proposed framework achieves both efficiency and accessibility to the user. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that following this framework results in printed parts with low degrees of variability in their mechanical properties.

scholarly journals A study on surface morphology and tension in laser powder bed fusion of Ti-6Al-4V

2020 ◽  
Vol 111 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 2891-2909
Author(s):  
Mahyar Khorasani ◽  
AmirHossein Ghasemi ◽  
Umar Shafique Awan ◽  
Elahe Hadavi ◽  
Martin Leary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Process Parameters ◽  
Surface Profile ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Case Morphology ◽  
Melting Pool

Abstract When reporting surface quality, the roughest surface is a reference for the measurements. In LPBF due to recoil pressure and scan movement, asymmetric surface is shaped, and surface roughness has different values in different measurement orientations. In this research, the influence of the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process parameters on surface tension and roughness of Ti-6AI-4 V parts in three orientations are investigated. To improve the mechanical properties, heat treatment was carried out and added to the designed matrix to generate a comprehensive data set. Taguchi design of experiment was employed to print 25 samples with five process parameters and post-processing. The effect and interaction of the parameters on the formation of surface profile comprising tension, morphology and roughness in various directions have been analysed. The main contribution of this paper is developing a model to approximate the melting pool temperature and surface tension based on the process parameters. Other contributions are an analysis of process parameters to determine the formation and variation of surface tension and roughness and explain the governing mechanisms through rheological phenomena. Results showed that the main driving factors in the variation of surface tension and formation of the surface profile are thermophysical properties of the feedstock, rheology and the temperature of the melting pool. Also, the results showed that while the value of surface tension is the same for each test case, morphology and the value of roughness are different when analysing the surface in perpendicular, parallel and angled directions to laser movement.

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.

Realistic design of laser powder bed fusion channels

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 1827-1836
Author(s):  
Christopher Gottlieb Klingaa ◽  
Sankhya Mohanty ◽  
Jesper Henri Hattel
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Channel Design ◽  
Conformal Cooling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
Conformal Cooling Channels

Purpose Conformal cooling channels in additively manufactured molds are superior over conventional channels in terms of cooling control, part warpage and lead time. The heat transfer ability of cooling channels is determined by their geometry and surface roughness. Laser powder bed fusion manufactured channels have an inherent process-induced dross formation that may significantly alter the actual shape of nominal channels. Therefore, it is crucial to be able to predict the expected surface roughness and changes in the geometry of metal additively manufactured conformal cooling channels. The purpose of this paper is to present a new methodology for predicting the realistic design of laser powder bed fusion channels. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes a methodology for making nominal channel design more realistic by the implementation of roughness prediction models. The models are used for altering the nominal shape of a channel to its predicted shape by point cloud analysis and manipulation. Findings A straight channel is investigated as a simple case study and validated against X-ray computed tomography measurements. The modified channel geometry is reconstructed and meshed, resulting in a predicted, more realistic version of the nominal geometry. The methodology is successfully tested on a torus shape and a simple conformal cooling channel design. Finally, the methodology is validated through a cooling test experiment and comparison with simulations. Practical implications Accurate prediction of channel surface roughness and geometry would lead toward more accurate modeling of cooling performance. Originality/value A robust start to finish method for realistic geometrical prediction of metal additive manufacturing cooling channels has yet to be proposed. The current study seeks to fill the gap.

Effects of Powder Attributes and Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) Process Conditions on the Densification and Mechanical Properties of 17-4 PH Stainless Steel

JOM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 860-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harish Irrinki ◽  
Michael Dexter ◽  
Brenton Barmore ◽  
Ravi Enneti ◽  
Somayeh Pasebani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed

scholarly journals Characterization of additively manufactured AlSilOMg cubes with different porosities

2021 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Taute ◽  
H. Möller ◽  
A. du Plessis ◽  
M. Tshibalanganda ◽  
M. Leary
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Sample Characteristics

SYNOPSIS Additive manufacturing can be used to produce complex and custom geometries, consolidating different parts into one, which in turn reduces the required number of assemblies and allows distributed manufacturing with short lead times. Defects, such as porosity and surface roughness, associated with parts manufactured by laser powder bed fusion, can severely limit industrial application. The effect these defects have on corrosion and hence long-term structural integrity must also be taken into consideration. The aim of this paper is to report on the characterization of porosity in samples produced by laser powder bed fusion, with the differences in porosity induced by changes in the process parameters. The alloy used in this investigation is AlSi10Mg, which is widely used in the aerospace and automotive industries. The sample characteristics, obtained by X-ray tomography, are reported. The design and production of additively manufactured parts can be improved when these defects are better understood. Keywords: additive manufacturing, L-PBF, AlSi10Mg, porosity, surface roughness, density.

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