Effects of the Processing Parameters on the Forming Quality of Stainless Steel Parts by Selective Laser Melting

2011 ◽  
Vol 189-193 ◽  
pp. 3668-3671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Song Wei ◽  
Xiao Zhao ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
Rui Di Li ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
...  

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) can produce high-performance metal parts with complex structures. However, it’s difficult to control the processing parameters, because many factors involves. From the perspective of the molten pool, the study focuses on the effects of processing parameters, including scanning speed, laser power, scanning space, layer thickness, and scanning strategies, on the surface quality, the balling effect, the density of SLM parts, by conducting experiments of single track, single layer and block forming. The results show that the quality of the molten pool is affected by laser power and scanning speed. Scanning drove in the strategy of “jumping and turning”,a smooth surface and a less balling effect will be obtained. The thicker the powder layer is, the lower density will be obtained. The optimal parameters from series of experiments are: laser power of 98W; scanning speed of 90mm/s; scanning space of 0.07mm; layer thickness of 0.1mm; and scanning strategy of “jumping and turning”.

Metals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 877
Author(s):  
Cong Ma ◽  
Xianshun Wei ◽  
Biao Yan ◽  
Pengfei Yan

A single-layer three-dimensional model was created to simulate multi-channel scanning of AlSi25 powder in selective laser melting (SLM) by the finite element method. Thermal behaviors of laser power and scanning speed in the procedure of SLM AlSi25 powder were studied. With the increase of laser power, the maximum temperature, size and cooling rate of the molten pool increase, while the scanning speed decreases. For an expected SLM process, a perfect molten pool can be generated using process parameters of laser power of 180 W and a scanning speed of 200 mm/s. The pool is greater than the width of the scanning interval, the depth of the molten pool is close to scan powder layer thickness, the temperature of the molten pool is higher than the melting point temperature of the powder and the parameters of the width and depth are the highest. To confirm the accuracy of the simulation results of forecasting excellent process parameters, the SLM experiment of forming AlSi25 powder was carried out. The surface morphology of the printed sample is intact without holes and defects, and a satisfactory metallurgical bond between adjacent scanning channels and adjacent scanning layers was achieved. Therefore, the development of numerical simulation in this paper provides an effective method to obtain the best process parameters, which can be used as a choice to further improve SLM process parameters. In the future, metallographic technology can also be implemented to obtain the width-to-depth ratio of the SLM sample molten pool, enhancing the connection between experiment and theory.


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):  
Yong Deng ◽  
Zhongfa Mao ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
Xiaodong Niu ◽  
Xiangdong Lu

Although the concept of additive manufacturing has been proposed for several decades, momentum of selective laser melting (SLM) is finally starting to build. In SLM, density and surface roughness, as the important quality indexes of SLMed parts, are dependent on the processing parameters. However, there are few studies on their collaborative optimization in SLM to obtain high relative density and low surface roughness simultaneously in the previous literature. In this work, the response surface method was adopted to study the influences of different processing parameters (laser power, scanning speed and hatch space) on density and surface roughness of 316L stainless steel parts fabricated by SLM. The statistical relationship model between processing parameters and manufacturing quality is established. A multi-objective collaborative optimization strategy considering both density and surface roughness is proposed. The experimental results show that the main effects of processing parameters on the density and surface roughness are similar. It is noted that the effects of the laser power and scanning speed on the above objective quality show highly significant, while hatch space behaves an insignificant impact. Based on the above optimization, 316L stainless steel parts with excellent surface roughness and relative density can be obtained by SLM with optimized processing parameters.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasan Dadbakhsh ◽  
Liang Hao

In situreaction was activated in the powder mixture of Al/5 wt.%Fe2O3by using selective laser melting (SLM) to directly fabricate aluminium metal matrix composite parts. The microstructural characteristics of thesein situconsolidated parts through SLM were investigated under the influence of thick powder bed, 75 μm layer thickness, and 50 μm layer thickness in various laser powers and scanning speeds. It was found that the layer thickness has a strong influence on microstructural outcome, mainly attributed to its impact on oxygen content of the matrix. Various microstructural features (such as granular, coralline-like, and particulate appearance) were observed depending on the layer thickness, laser power, and scanning speed. This was associated with various material combinations such as pure Al, Al-Fe intermetallics, and Al(-Fe) oxide phases formed afterin situreaction and laser rapid solidification. Uniformly distributed very fine particles could be consolidated in net-shape Al composite parts by using lower layer thickness, higher laser power, and lower scanning speed. The findings contribute to the new development of advanced net-shape manufacture of Al composites by combining SLM andin situreaction process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2097 (1) ◽  
pp. 012016
Author(s):  
Wentong Wang ◽  
Linfeng Tang ◽  
Congyan Chen ◽  
Yu Li ◽  
Tao Zhou

Abstract Selective laser melting (SLM), as an emerging technology in additive manufacturing, often has various defects in the forming process. To ensure the consistency and stability of the parts forming quality, the effects of two typical technological parameters, laser power and scanning speed, on the temperature of molten pool are investigated in this paper. Firstly, the temperature field of Ti-6Al-4V is simulated theoretically via ANSYS software, and the effects of two typical technological parameters on the temperature field are studied. Then, in the experiment, using the designed radiation monitoring device and Ti-6Al-4V powder as forming material, the influence of these two typical factors on the state of molten pool is studied. The simulation and experimental results show that the temperature of molten pool shows positive correlation with the laser power and negative correlation with the scanning speed. This will provide a certain reference value for upgrading and optimizing SLM equipment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Stašić ◽  
Dušan Božić

Purpose This paper aims to report the production of 316L-1 Wt.% NiB cubes by using the selective laser melting (SLM) process. The laser used was pulsed, millisecond Nd:YAG system with maximum average power 100 W. Design/methodology/approach Densification under different processing conditions (pulse energy, average laser power, laser scan speed, powder layer thickness, pulse frequency) was investigated. Morphology, macro and microstructure of laser melted samples were characterized by digital camera images and by scanning electron microscope. Density of the cubes was determined by Archimedes method in water. Vickers microhardness of samples was determined under the load of 25 g. Corrosion behavior of 316L and 316L-NiB samples was conducted in 5 per cent HCl solution at the testing temperature of 20°C during 240 h. Findings Using laser power of ∼60-70 W, lower beam overlap and powder layer thickness of 200 µm, 3D cubical samples were obtained with significant balling in individual layers and an overall porosity being around 30 per cent. By increasing laser power to ∼80 W, with higher beam overlap and lower powder layer thickness of 100 µm, SLM parts with no balling and the presence of small pores of up to 4 per cent (20 Hz) and 9 per cent (40 Hz) were obtained. With further increase of laser power to 90 W, overall porosity rose to around 12 per cent. The addition of 1 Wt.% NiB to stainless steel negligibly lowered its corrosion resistance in 5 per cent HCl solution. Originality/value A part from 316L stainless steel with balling-free structure and good density was successfully obtained through pulsed-SLM process with the aid of 1 Wt.% of NiB addition. Aside from significant influence on the improved structure of cubes, NiB had a favorable effect on microhardness values while practically not affecting the corrosion resistivity of the base material in an aggressive surrounding.


Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Deng ◽  
Zhongfa Mao ◽  
Nan Yang ◽  
Xiaodong Niu ◽  
Xiangdong Lu

Although the concept of additive manufacturing has been proposed for several decades, momentum in the area of selective laser melting (SLM) is finally starting to build. In SLM, density and surface roughness, as the important quality indexes of SLMed parts, are dependent on the processing parameters. However, there are few studies on their collaborative optimization during SLM to obtain high relative density and low surface roughness simultaneously in the literature. In this work, the response surface method was adopted to study the influences of different processing parameters (laser power, scanning speed and hatch space) on density and surface roughness of 316L stainless steel parts fabricated by SLM. A statistical relationship model between processing parameters and manufacturing quality is established. A multi-objective collaborative optimization strategy considering both density and surface roughness is proposed. The experimental results show that the main effects of processing parameters on the density and surface roughness are similar. We observed that the laser power and scanning speed significantly affected the above objective quality, but the influence of the hatch spacing was comparatively low. Based on the above optimization, 316L stainless steel parts with excellent surface roughness and relative density can be obtained by SLM with optimized processing parameters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 410 ◽  
pp. 203-208
Author(s):  
I.S. Loginova ◽  
N.A. Popov ◽  
A.N. Solonin

In this work we studied the microstructure and microhardness of standard AA2024 alloy and AA2024 alloy with the addition of 1.5% Y after pulsed laser melting (PLM) and selective laser melting (SLM). The SLM process was carried out with a 300 W power and 0.1 m/s laser scanning speed. A dispersed microstructure without the formation of crystallization cracks and low liquation of alloying elements was obtained in Y-modified AA2024 aluminum alloy. Eutectic Al3Y and Al8Cu4Y phases were detected in Y-modified AA2024 aluminum alloy. It is led to a decrease in the formation of crystallization cracks The uniform distribution of alloying elements in the yttrium-modified alloy had a positive effect on the quality of the laser melting zone (LMZ) and microhardness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 871 ◽  
pp. 277-283
Author(s):  
Chun Yan Yang ◽  
Yun Hao ◽  
Bozhe Wang ◽  
Hai Yuan ◽  
Liu Hui Li

A picosecond laser in spin-cutting mode was used to drill 500μm diameter microholes on 150μm thick aluminium nitride ceramic. The effects of laser processing parameters such as the laser power, scanning speed, and defocus amount on the microhole quality were studied. The results show that as the laser power increases, the inlet and outlet diameters of the holes increase, the taper decreases slightly, and the thickness of the recast layer decreases evidently. The scanning speed has no obvious effect on the diameter and taper of the hole; however, the hole can not be drilled through when the speed is too large. Positive defocus can effectively reduce the taper of the hole. Under 28.5W laser power, 400Hz frequency, 200mm/s scanning speed, and zero defocus amount conditions, high-quality microholes with a taper of 0.85° were obtained.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel A. Podrabinnik ◽  
Alexander E. Shtanko ◽  
Roman S. Khmyrov ◽  
Andrey D. Korotkov ◽  
Andrey V. Gusarov

Gas-phase flows occurring in a plume in a processing zone during selective laser melting (SLM) can significantly affect the quality of the process. To further enhance SLM performance, the characteristics of the flows should be considered. In this article, the vapor-gas jet emerging from the laser processing zone was studied. It was visualized by interferometry to evaluate flow velocity, geometry and changes in refractory index depending on laser power. The velocity and pressure fields of the vapor jet and the entrained ambient gas were estimated by mathematical modeling. It was shown that the increase of laser power led to higher jet velocity and greater change in its refractory index. The latter also was used to evaluate the content of metal vapor in the plume and its influence on the absorption of laser radiation.


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