Effects of laser energy density on forming accuracy and tensile strength of selective laser sintering resin coated sands

Baozhu sand particles with size between 75 μm and 150 μm were coated by resin with the ratio of 1.5 wt.% of sands. Laser sintering experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of laser energy density(E = P/v), with different laser power(P) and scanning velocity(v), on the dimensional accuracy and tensile strength of sintered parts. The experimental results indicate that with the constant scanning velocity, the tensile strength of sintered samples increases with an increase in laser energy density; while the dimensional accuracy apparently decreases when the laser energy density is larger than 0.032 J·mm-2. When the laser energy density is 0.024 J·mm-2, the tensile strength shows no obvious change; but when the laser energy density is larger than 0.024 J·mm-2, the sample strength is featured by the initial increase and subsequent decrease with simultaneous increase of both laser power and scanning velocity. In this study, the optimal energy density range for laser sintering is 0.024-0.032 J·mm-2. Moreover, samples with the best tensile strength and dimensional accuracy can be obtained when P = 30-40 W and v = 1.5-2.0 m·s-1. Using the optimized laser energy density, laser power and scanning speed, a complex coated sand mould with clear contour and excellent forming accuracy has been successfully fabricated.

Simulation and experiment analysis on thermal deformation of tool system in single-point diamond turning of aluminum alloy

The aim of this work is to simulate thermal deformation of tool system and investigate the influence of cutting parameters on it in single-point diamond turning(SPDT) of aluminum alloy. The experiments with various cutting parameters were conducted. Cutting temperature was measured by FLIR A315 infrared thermal imager. Tool wear was measured by scanning electron microscope(SEM). The numerical model of heat flux considering tool wear generated in cutting zone was established. Then two-step finite element method(FEM) simulations matching the experimental conditions were carried out to simulate the thermal deformation. In addition, the tests of deformation of tool system were performed to verify previous simulation results. And then the influence of cutting parameters on thermal deformation was investigated. The results show that the temperature and thermal deformation from simulations agree well with the results from experiments in the same conditions. The maximum thermal deformation of tool reaches to 7 μm. The average flank wear width and cutting speed are the dominant factors affecting thermal deformation, and the effective way to decrease the thermal deformation of tool is to control the tool wear and the cutting speed.