Argon-helium mixtures as Laser-Powder Bed Fusion atmospheres: Towards increased build rate of Ti-6Al-4V

Pauzon, Camille Nicole Géraldine; Forêt, Pierre; Hryha, Eduard; Arunprasad, Tanja; Nyborg, Lars

doi:10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2019.116555

Cited by 46 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The most used inert gases are argon and nitrogen, although, in the case of highly reactive materials prone to nitride formation, Ar is the only available option [102]. However, Pauzon et al [103] recently studied combinations of Ar and He to process Ti-6Al-4V, and their results showed improved cooling rates and an impressively higher build rate (up to 40%).…”

Section: Shielding Gas Flowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material Reuse in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Side Effects of the Laser—Metal Powder Interaction

Santecchia

Spigarelli

Cabibbo

2020

Metals

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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. Figure 1. Schematics of the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) equipment. Adapted from Reference [9] with permission from Elsevier.While the market and the applications of laser powder bed fusion continuously and impressively grew in recent years, there is a common view across users and researchers concerning the repeatability of the process in terms of chemical composition and mechanical properties of the final parts, which are of paramount importance when challenging environmental or testing conditions are considered [10][11][12][13][14][15][16].The most typical approach to study the microstructural and mechanical properties of parts built by LPBF is to compare them with castings of the same alloy or, rather, the corresponding alloy since the starting material is metal powder rather than a fuse. However, in some existing alloys designed for cast and wrought parts, laser additive manufacturing processing results in cracking or other microstructure deficiencies [11,12,16,17]. It is worth noting that LPBF has more similarities with laser welding rather than casting, since the two laser-based techniques have some common features (i.e., melt-pool formation, moving heat source) [18]. However, process parameters are, in general, quite different in terms of laser power and scan speed, and the laser-matter interaction is much more complicated in LPBF processes, since the powder feedstock is inherently unstable and the solidified material undergoes multiple thermal cycles corresponding to the fusion of subsequent layers during the additive process [19][20][21][22]. Furthermore, owing to the similarities with welding and to the complicated interaction between laser and metal particles, when comparing laser powder bed fusion with other metal forming processes, it is evident that the range of processable alloys is very limited and the number of high-productivity commercially available alloys is even smaller [23]. One of the reasons behind this is that the level of metal powder sensitivity to the laser action during LPBF is not yet fully understood, despite the efforts of the scientific community to uncover it [24][25][26][27], and ...

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Section: Shielding Gas Flowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Material Reuse in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Side Effects of the Laser—Metal Powder Interaction

Santecchia

Spigarelli

Cabibbo

2020

Metals

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“…Our recent research on utilization of He for L-PBF processing of Ti-6Al-4V proved high potential of this processing gas for improvement of the L-PBF process productivity (> 40 pct) without compromising mechanical properties of the material. [19,20] However, it is necessary to better understand the effect of the process gas to ensure the robustness and then the productivity of the process, which might be threatened by ambitious design features such as thin walls. This understanding will allow the greater adoption of this technology among several industrial segments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of the Process Gas and Scan Speed on the Properties and Productivity of Thin 316L Structures Produced by Laser-Powder Bed Fusion

Pauzon

Leicht

Klement

et al. 2020

Metall Mater Trans A

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The development of the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process to increase its robustness and productivity is challenged by ambitious design optimizations, such as thin wall structures. In this study, in addition to the effect of commonly used gases as Ar and N2, increased laser scanning speed and new process gases, such as helium, were successfully implemented. This implementation allowed to build 316L stainless steel components with thin walls of 1 mm thickness with an enhanced build rate of 37 pct. The sample size effect and the surface roughness were held responsible for the reduction in strength (YS > 430 MPa) and elongation (EAB > 30 pct) for the 1 mm samples studied. Similar strength was achieved for all process gases. The increased scanning speed was accompanied by a more random texture, smaller cell size, and grain size factor along the building direction when compared to the material built with the standard laser parameters. Stronger preferential orientation 〈101〉 along the building direction was observed for material built with standard parameters. Finally, the use of helium as a process gas was successful and resulted in reduced cell size. This finding is promising for the future development of high strength 316L stainless steel built with high build rates.

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“…For Ag, improved powder morphology with reduced satellite particles could improve powder packing density and further parameter optimization improve fusion 63 . For Cu an improvement in packing density and build chamber constraints such as different inert gas mixtures and oxygen and contamination reduction could be suitable to reduce gas entrapment porosity 64,65 . The high melt pool temperature as a result of the intense energy density required for highly reflective materials such as Ag and Cu may have also aided pore defects.…”

Section: Pore Morphology and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical and thermal performance of additively manufactured copper, silver and copper–silver alloys

Robinson

Arjunan

Baroutaji

et al. 2021

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part L:

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On-demand additive manufacturing (three-dimensional printing) offers great potential for the development of functional materials for the next generation of energy-efficient devices. In particular, novel materials suitable for efficient dissipation of localised heat fluxes and non-uniform thermal loads with superior mechanical performance are critical for the accelerated development of future automotive, aerospace and renewable energy technologies. In this regard, this study reports the laser powder bed fusion processing of high purity (>99%) copper (Cu), silver (Ag) and novel copper–silver (CuAg) alloys ready for on-demand additive manufacturing. The processed materials were experimentally analysed for their relative density, mechanical and thermal performance using X-ray computed tomography, destructive tensile testing and laser flash apparatus, respectively. It was found that while Ag featured higher failure strains, Cu in comparison showed a 109%, 17% and 59% improvement in yield strength ([Formula: see text]), Young’s modulus ( E) and ultimate tensile strength, respectively. As such the [Formula: see text], E and ultimate tensile strength for laser powder bed fusion Cu is comparable to commercially available laser powder bed fusion Cu materials. CuAg alloys, however, significantly outperformed Ag, Cu and all commercial Cu materials when it came to mechanical performance offering significantly superior performance. The [Formula: see text], E and ultimate tensile strength for the novel CuAg composition were 105%, 33% and 94% higher in comparison to Cu. Although slightly different, the trend continued with a 106% and 91% rise for [Formula: see text] and ultimate tensile strength, respectively, for CuAg in comparison to industry-standard Cu. Unfortunately, E values for industry-standard Cu alloys were not available. When it came to thermal performance, laser powder bed fusion Ag was found to offer a 70% higher thermal diffusivity in comparison to Cu despite the variation in density and porosity. CuAg alloys however only showed a 0.8% variation in thermal performance despite a 10–30% increase in Ag. Overall, the study presents a new understanding regarding the three-dimensional printing and performance of Cu, Ag and CuAg alloys.

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Argon-helium mixtures as Laser-Powder Bed Fusion atmospheres: Towards increased build rate of Ti-6Al-4V

Cited by 46 publications

References 13 publications

Material Reuse in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Side Effects of the Laser—Metal Powder Interaction

Material Reuse in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: Side Effects of the Laser—Metal Powder Interaction

Effect of the Process Gas and Scan Speed on the Properties and Productivity of Thin 316L Structures Produced by Laser-Powder Bed Fusion

Mechanical and thermal performance of additively manufactured copper, silver and copper–silver alloys

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