Accelerating Process Development for 3D Printing of New Metal Alloys

Additive manufacturing (AM) can be considered one of the pillars of the fourth industrial revolution. The industry has the potential to play a major role in innovation processes and in the US and global economy (1). Metal AM is becoming essential in many industries, including healthcare, aerospace, and defense, due to the benefits of lead time reduction, enhanced production efficiency, part consolidation, and design freedom. Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is the most widely used technology for printing metal alloys. The technology uses a high-power laser as an energy source to melt and fuse powders in specific locations to form certain shapes, a recoater then spreads a new layer of powder, and the process repeats until 3D objects are formed. The variability problem is the main obstacle that hinders the reliability of the quality of printed parts and thus the potential for full production. The mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of printed parts vary depending on the powder and machine used, the scanning strategy, and the printing conditions (2-4).