Rapid Material Multiparameter Optimization for Small-scale Series Productions in PBF-LB/M

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering

Background:

• Additive Manufacturing (AM) is increasingly researched for specialized material applications.
• Companies seek to combine unique alloy properties with AM's geometric advantages.
• Laser Powder Bed Fusion in Metals (PBF-LB/M) is a key AM technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a method for rapid multiparameter optimization in PBF-LB/M.
• To enable simultaneous optimization of various quality features.
• To demonstrate the method on a specific case component requiring specialized alloy development.

Main Methods:

• Utilized compact Design of Experiment (DoE) approaches for optimization.
• Focused on optimizing parameters for surface roughness, down face integrity, mechanical performance, and bulk density.
• Applied the method to develop processing parameters for Stainless Steel 310S.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed rapid processing parameters for Stainless Steel 310S using PBF-LB/M.
• Achieved simultaneous optimization of multiple quality features for the case component.
• Produced high-quality parts meeting specific requirements like weldability, corrosion, and mechanical resistance.

Conclusions:

• The developed method allows for rapid materials and parameter development in PBF-LB/M.
• This approach significantly shortens lead times for product development with specialized alloys.
• Highlights the potential of simple DoE for advancing PBF-LB/M applications.