Operating limits for beam melting of glass materials

Abstract

Laser-based Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes for the use of metals out of the powder bed have been investigated profusely and are prevalent in industry. Although there is a broad field of application, Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), also known as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of glass is not fully developed yet. The material properties of glass are significantly different from the investigated metallic material for LPBF so far. As such, the process cannot be transferred, and the parameter limits and the process sequence must be redefined for glass. Starting with the characterization of glass powders, a parameter field is initially confined to investigate the process parameter of different glass powder using LPBFprocess. A feasibility study is carried out to process borosilicate glass powder. The effects of process parameters on the dimensional accuracy of fabricated parts out of borosilicate and hints for the post-processing are analysed and presented in this paper.

Powder‐fed directed energy deposition of soda lime silica glass on glass substrates

“…Opaque, decorative pieces were fabricated for jewelry applications 18 . The feasibility of processing borosilicate glass by SLM was demonstrated by Eichler et al., again experiencing adhesion of loose powder to part surfaces due to the dissipation of heat energy within the powder bed and requiring a post–heat treatment to improve the surface finish 19 . The reduction in geometrical accuracy caused by the dissipation of energy through a melt pool in powder bed fusion of glass was also noted by Luo et al., who also observed a reduction in transparency caused by bubble formation 20 …”