scholarly journals Capability of Multi-Material Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion—Development and Analysis of a Prototype Large Bore Engine Component

Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Matthias Schneck ◽  
Max Horn ◽  
Maik Schindler ◽  
Christian Seidel

Additive Manufacturing (AM) allows the manufacturing of functionally graded materials (FGM). This includes compositional grading, which enables the allocation of desired materials corresponding to local product requirements. An upcoming AM process for the creation of metal-based FGMs is laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) utilized for multi-material manufacturing (MM). Three-dimensional multi-material approaches for PBF-LB/M are stated to have a manufacturing readiness level (MRL) of 4 to 5. In this paper, an advancement of multi-material technology is presented by realizing an industry-relevant complex part as a prototype made by PBF-LB/M. Hence, a multi-material injection nozzle consisting of tool steel and a copper alloy was manufactured in a continuous PBF-LB/M process. Single material regions showed qualities similar to the ones resulting from mono-material processes. A geometrically defined transition zone between the two materials was achieved that showed slightly higher porosity than mono-material regions. Nevertheless, defects such as porosity, cracks, and material cross-contamination were detected and must be overcome in further MM technology development.

Author(s):  
M. Schneck ◽  
M. Horn ◽  
M. Schmitt ◽  
C. Seidel ◽  
G. Schlick ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this review paper, the authors investigate the state of technology for hybrid- and multi-material (MM) manufacturing of metals utilizing additive manufacturing, in particular powder bed fusion processes. The study consists of three parts, covering the material combinations, the MM deposition devices, and the implications in the process chain. The material analysis is clustered into 2D- and 3D-MM approaches. Based on the reviewed literature, the most utilized material combination is steel-copper, followed by fusing dissimilar steels. Second, the MM deposition devices are categorized into holohedral, nozzle-based as well as masked deposition concepts, and compared in terms of powder deposition rate, resolution, and manufacturing readiness level (MRL). As a third aspect, the implications in the process chain are investigated. Therefore, the design of MM parts and the data preparation for the production process are analyzed. Moreover, aspects for the reuse of powder and finalization of MM parts are discussed. Considering the design of MM parts, there are theoretical approaches, but specific parameter studies or use cases are not present in the literature. Principles for powder separation are identified for exemplary material combinations, but results for further finalization steps of MM parts have not been found. In conclusion, 3D-MM manufacturing has a MRL of 4–5, which indicates that the technology can be produced in a laboratory environment. According to this maturity, several aspects for serial MM parts need to be developed, but the potential of the technology has been demonstrated. Thus, the next important step is to identify lead applications, which benefit from MM manufacturing and hence foster the industrialization of these processes.


Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora Santecchia ◽  
Stefano Spigarelli ◽  
Marcello Cabibbo

Metal additive manufacturing is changing the way in which engineers and designers model the production of three-dimensional (3D) objects, with rapid growth seen in recent years. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is the most used metal additive manufacturing technique, and it is based on the efficient interaction between a high-energy laser and a metal powder feedstock. To make LPBF more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly, it is of paramount importance to recycle (reuse) the unfused powder from a build job. However, since the laser–powder interaction involves complex physics phenomena and generates by-products which might affect the integrity of the feedstock and the final build part, a better understanding of the overall process should be attained. The present review paper is focused on the clarification of the interaction between laser and metal powder, with a strong focus on its side effects.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Emminghaus ◽  
Johanna Paul ◽  
Christian Hoff ◽  
Jörg Hermsdorf ◽  
Stefan Kaierle

Abstract A promising approach to address the mismatch of bone and implant stiffness, leading to the stress-shielding phenomenon, is the application of functionally graded materials with adjusted porosity. Although defect formation and porosity in laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) are already widely investigated, so far there is little research on the influences and parameter interactions regarding the pore characteristics. This work therefore aims to provide an empirical process model for the generation of gas porosity in the PBF-LB process of Ti-6Al-4V. For the first time, parts with closed locally adjusted porosity of ~ 6 % achieved through gaseous pores instead of lack-of-fusion defects or lattice structures were built by PBF-LB. Parameter variation and evaluation of relative density, pore size and sphericity was done in accordance with the design of experiments approach. A parameter set for maximum gas porosity (laser power of 189 W, scanning speed of 375 mm/s, hatch spacing of 150 µm) was determined for a constant layer thickness of 30 µm and a spot diameter of 35 µm. Tensile tests were conducted with specimens consisting of a core with maximum gas porosity or lack-of-fusion porosity, respectively, and a dense skin as well as fully dense specimens. Whereas lack of fusion defects can lead to significant reduction of stiffness, the elastic modulus remained unchanged when implementing spherical pores. Nevertheless, the found superior strength and ductility of specimens with gas porous core underline the advantages of adjusted porosity for the application in functionally graded materials and lightweight applications.


Author(s):  
Shaw C. Feng ◽  
Yan Lu ◽  
Albert T. Jones

Abstract The number and types of measurement devices used for monitoring and controlling Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion of Metals (PBF-LB/M) processes and inspecting the resulting AM metal parts have increased rapidly in recent years. The variety of the data collected by such devices has increased, and the veracity of the data has decreased simultaneously. Each measurement device generates data in a unique coordinate system and in a unique data type. Data alignment, however, is required before 1) monitoring and controlling PBF-LB/M processes, 2) predicting the material properties of the final part, and 3) qualifying the resulting AM parts can be done. Aligned means all data must be transformed into a single coordinate system. In this paper, we describe a new, general data-alignment procedure and an example based on PBF-LB/M processes. The specific data objects used in this example include in-situ photogrammetry, thermography, ex-situ X-ray computed tomography (XCT), coordinate metrology, and computer-aided design (CAD) models. We propose a data-alignment procedure to align the data from melt pool images, scan paths, layer images, XCT three-dimensional (3D) model, coordinate measurements, and the 3D CAD model.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4251
Author(s):  
Gregor Graf ◽  
Niki Nouri ◽  
Stefan Dietrich ◽  
Frederik Zanger ◽  
Volker Schulze

As part of an international research project (HiPTSLAM), the development and holistic processing of high-performance tool steels for AM is a promising topic regarding the acceptance of the laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) technology for functionally optimized die, forming and cutting tools. In a previous work, the newly developed maraging tool steel FeNiCoMoVTiAl was qualified to be processed by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) with a material density of more than 99.9% using a suitable parameter set. To exploit further optimization potential, the influence of dual-laser processing strategies on the material structure and the resulting mechanical properties was investigated. After an initial calibration procedure, the build data were modified so that both lasers could be aligned to the same scanning track with a defined offset. A variation of the laser-based post-heating parameters enabled specific in-situ modifications of the thermal gradients compared to standard single-laser scanning strategies, leading to corresponding property changes in the produced material structure. An increase in microhardness of up to 15% was thus obtained from 411 HV up to 471 HV. The results of the investigation can be used to derive cross-material optimization potential to produce functionally graded high-performance components on PBF-LB systems with synchronized multi-laser technology.


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