Investigation of a hybrid manufacturing method involving selective laser melting and sintering

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been widely used in the aerospace, automotive and medical fields. However, there are obstacles, such as long manufacturing times and high costs for large parts. This study focuses on the development of a new hybrid manufacturing technique to utilize both selective laser melting and traditional powder sintering together. The shell section and the lattice structures were produced by AM, and then the metal powders remaining in the closed volume were sintered. Ti6Al4V powders were preferred in the study. The specimens were subjected to scanning electron microscope microstructure examination, compression tests, crash tests, and damage analysis. Specimens have a hardness ranging from 184 to 971 HV, a relative density ranging from 81% to 100%, a compressive strength of up to 870 MPa and a crash strength of around 520 MPa.