Journal of Production Engineering

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut ero labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco.

Search
GUIDE FOR AUTHORS SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT
Vol. 26 No. 2 (2023)
Original Research Article

Analyzing properties of semi-molten powder granules in laser powder bed fusion

FULL TEXT ARTICLE (PDF)
  • Pal Snehashis,
  • Matjaž Finšgar,
  • Janez Gotlih,
  • Tomaž Brajlih,
  • Prabas Banerjee,
  • Özkan Yapar,
  • Gorazd Lojen,
  • Tonica Bončina,
  • Igor Drstvenšek
Pal Snehashis Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Matjaž Finšgar Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Janez Gotlih Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Tomaž Brajlih Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Prabas Banerjee Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur, India
Özkan Yapar Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia.
Gorazd Lojen Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Tonica Bončina Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia
Igor Drstvenšek Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Published 2023-11-22

Keywords

  • adhered powder particle,
  • partially melted particle,
  • titanium alloy,
  • porosity,
  • microcrack,
  • microstructure,
  • selective laser melting
    • ...More
    Less

Copyright (c) 2023 Journal of Production Engineering

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The research focused on the properties of partially fused powder particles and their possible effects on the mechanical and corrosive properties of products produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate surfaces and pores, both for adherent particles and for particles completely enclosed in the molten bath. The study focused on Ti-6Al-4V, considering powder particles between 10–45 µm and a layer thickness of 25 µm. Different combinations of laser powers and scanning speeds were chosen to investigate the melting, mixing and solidification behavior. The analysis revealed that certain partially melted powder particles caused microcracks and increased the corrosive surface area, which showed distinct microstructures compared to the core area of the product. The investigation identified fully integrated particles and mostly melted particles by microstructure analysis. The results suggest potential innovative applications in complex product designs where the removal of these particles is a challenge, as well as in bone implantation to improve osseointegration.

FULL TEXT ARTICLE (PDF)