Interplay of laser power and pore characteristics in selective laser melting of ZK60 magnesium alloys:A study based on in-situ monitoring and image analysis

This study offers significant insights into the multi-physics phenomena of the SLM process and the subsequent porosity characteristics of ZK60 Magnesium(Mg)alloys.High-speed in-situ monitoring was employed to visualise process signals in real-time,elucidating the dynamics of melt pools and vapour plumes under varying laser power conditions specifically between 40 W and 60 W.Detailed morphological analysis was performed using Scanning-Electron Microscopy(SEM),demonstrating a critical correlation between laser power and pore formation.Lower laser power led to increased pore coverage,whereas a denser structure was observed at higher laser power.This laser power influence on porosity was further confirmed via Optical Microscopy(OM)conducted on both top and cross-sectional surfaces of the samples.An increase in laser power resulted in a decrease in pore coverage and pore size,potentially leading to a denser printed part of Mg alloy.X-ray Computed Tomography(XCT)augmented these findings by providing a 3D volumetric representation of the sample internal structure,revealing an inverse relationship between laser power and overall pore volume.Lower laser power appeared to favour the formation of interconnected pores,while a reduction in interconnected pores and an increase in isolated pores were observed at higher power.The interplay between melt pool size,vapour plume effects,and laser power was found to significantly influence the resulting porosity,indicating a need for effective management of these factors to optimise the SLM process of Mg alloys.

Selective Laser Melting of Novel SiC and TiC Strengthen 7075 Aluminum Powders for Anti-Cracks Application

The aerospace and military sectors have widely used AA7075, a type of 7075 aluminum alloy, due to its exceptional mechanical performance. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a highly effective method for producing intricate metallic components, particularly in the case of aluminum alloys like Al-Si-Mg. Nevertheless, the production of high-strength AA7075 by SLM is challenging because of its susceptibility to heat cracking and elemental vaporization. In this study, AA7075 powders were mechanically mixed with SiC and TiC particles. Subsequently, this new type of AA7075 powder was effectively utilized in green laser printing to create solid components with fine-grain strengthening microstructures consisting of equiaxial grains. These as-printed parts exhibit a tensile strength of up to 350 MPa and a ductility exceeding 2.1%. Hardness also increases with the increasing content of mixed powder, highlighting the essential role of SiC and TiC in SLM for improved hardness and tensile strength performance. .

Design and Manufacture of Bionic Porous Titanium Alloy Spinal Implant Based on Selective Laser Melting(SLM)

In order to meet the clinical requirements of spine surgery,this paper proposed the exploratory research of computer-aided design and selective laser melting(SLM)fabrication of a bionic porous titanium spine implant.The structural design of the spinal implant is based on CT scanning data to ensure correct matching,and the mechanical properties of the implant are verified by simulation analysis and laser selective melting experiment.The surface roughness of the spinal implant manufactured by SLM without post-processing is Ra 15μm,and the implant is precisely jointed with the photosensitive resin model of the upper and lower spine.The surface micro-hardness of the implant is HV 373,tensile strengthσ_(b)=1238.7 MPa,yield strengthσ_(0.2)=1043.9 MPa,the elongation is 6.43%,and the compressive strength of porous structure under 84.60%porosity is 184.09 MPa,which can meet the requirements of the reconstruction of stable spines.Compared with the traditional implant and intervertebral fusion cage,the bionic porous spinal implant has the advantages of accurate fit,porous bionic structure and recovery of patients,and the ion release experiment proved that implants manufactured by SLM are more suitable for clinical application after certain treatments.The elastic modulus of the sample is improved after heat treatment,mainly because the microstructure of the sample changes fromα’phase toα+βdual-phase after heat treatment.In addition,the design of high-quality bionic porous spinal implants still needs to be optimized for the actual needs of doctors.

Topology optimization of microstructure and selective laser meltingfabrication for metallic biomaterial scaffolds

The precise design and fabrication of biomaterial scaffolds is necessary to provide a systematic study for bone tissue engineering. Biomaterial scaffolds should have sufficient stiffness and large porosity. These two goals generally contradict since larger porosity results in lower mechanical properties. To seek the microstructure of maximum stiffness with the constraint of volume fraction by topology optimization method, algorithms and programs were built to obtain 2D and 3D optimized microstructure and then they were transferred to CAD models of STL format. Ti scaffolds with 30% volume fraction were fabricated using a selective laser melting （SLM） technology. The architecture and pore shape in the metallic biomaterial scaffolds were relatively precise reproduced and the minimum mean pore size was 231μm. The accurate fabrication of intricate microstructure has verified that the SLM process is suitable for fabrication of metallic biomaterial scaffolds.

Metal-ceramic Bond Mechanism of the Co-Cr Alloy Denture with Original Rough Surface Produced by Selective Laser Melting

The porcelain fracture caused by low metal-ceramic bond strength is a critical issue in porcelain fused to metal（PFM） restorations. Surface roughening methods, such as sand blasting, acid etching and alkaline degreasing for the metal matrix are used to increase bond strength. However, the metal matrix of PFM processed by selective laser melting（SLM） has natural rough surface. To explore the effect of the original roughness on metal-ceramic bond strength, two groups of specimen are fabricated by SLM. One group of specimen surface is polished smooth while another group remains the original rough surface. The dental porcelain is fused to the specimens＇ surfaces according to the ISO 9693：1999 standard. To gain the bond strength, a three-point bending test is carried out and X ray energy spectrum analysis（EDS）, scanning electron microscope（SEM） are used to show fracture mode. The results show that the mean bond strength is 116.5 16 MPa of the group with rough surface（Ra= 17.2）, and the fracture mode is cohesive. However, when the surface is smooth （Ra =3.8）, the mean bond strength is 74.5 MPa _＋ 5 MPa and the fracture mode is mixed. The original surface with prominent structures formed by the partly melted powder particles, not only increases surface roughness but also significantly improves the bond strength by forming strong mechanical lock effect. Statistical analysis （Student＇s t-test） demonstrates a significant difference （p〈0.05） of the mean value of bond strength between the two groups. The experiments indicate the natural rough surface can enhance the metal-ceramic bond strength to over four times the minimum value （25 MPa） of the ISO 9693：1999 standard. It is found that the natural rough surface of SLM-made PFM can eliminate the porcelain collapse defect produced by traditional casting method in PFM restorations.

In situ monitoring methods for selective laser melting additive manufacturing process based on images-A review

Selective laser melting(SLM)has been widely used in the fields of aviation,aerospace and die manufacturing due to its ability to produce metal components with arbitrarily complex shapes.However,the instability of SLM process often leads to quality fluctuation of the formed component,which hinders the further development and application of SLM.In situ quality control during SLM process is an effective solution to the quality fluctuation of formed components.However,the basic premise of feedback control during SLM process is the rapid and accurate diagnosis of the quality.Therefore,an in situ monitoring method of SLM process,which provides quality diagnosis information for feedback control,became one of the research hotspots in this field in recent years.In this paper,the research progress of in situ monitoring during SLM process based on images is reviewed.Firstly,the significance of in situ monitoring during SLM process is analyzed.Then,the image information source of SLM process,the image acquisition systems for different detection objects(the molten pool region,the scanned layer and the powder spread layer)and the methods of the image information analysis,detection and recognition are reviewed and analyzed.Through review and analysis,it is found that the existing image analysis and detection methods during SLM process are mainly based on traditional image processing methods combined with traditional machine learning models.Finally,the main development direction of in situ monitoring during SLM process is proposed by combining with the frontier technology of image-based computer vision.

Influence of graphene oxide(GO)on microstructure and biodegradation of ZK30-xGO composites prepared by selective laser melting

Different graphene oxide(GO)contents were chosen as the addition to prepare ZK30-xGO composites by selective laser melting(SLM).The microstructure and biodegradation of the SLMed ZK30-xGO composites were investigated.The results indicated that(i)SLM effectively produced a small grain size,(ii)the incorporation of GO into ZK30 caused a further decrease in grain size,and(iii)GO has a strong effect on the formation of the MgZn2 precipitates.The SLMed ZK30-0.6GO had the lowest biodegradation rate,which is attributed to the fact that the effect of the increased grain refinement and decreased amount of the MgZn?precipitates counteracted the effect of the increased GO content on the biodegradation rate.Furthermore,the SLMed ZK30-xGO composites had good cytocompatibility.This work provided a novel approach to the composition design and fabrication of novel biodegradable GO reinforced Mg-based biomedical implants.

Effects of selective laser melting process parameters on powder formability of Ti6Al4V

Taking Ti6Al4V titanium alloy powder as the research object,on the basis of single layer scanning and single channel scanning experiment,this paper studies the influence of selective laser melting(SLM)process parameters on Ti6Al4V alloy material formability,and block forming experiment is carried out.Through the design of orthogonal experiment,morphology observation of sample and density analysis,results show that the best block molding parameters of SLM technology in Ti6Al4V alloy powder are laser power of 400 W,lap rate of 1 and the scanning speed of 750 mm/min,density can up to 96.17%.

Microstructures,Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Pure Tungsten—A Comparison Between Selective Laser Melting and Hot Rolling

A comparative study on the influence of different manufacturing methods(selective laser melting and hot rolling)on the microstructure,mechanical and thermal behaviours of tungsten(W)was presented for the first time.The results indicated that the selective laser melting(SLM)W exhibited a finer grain sizes,a lower strength ductility,hardness and thermal conductivity compared to hot-rolled W.The main reason for this result was that the laser underwent rapid heating and cooling when it was used to melt W powder with high energy density,resulting in large internal stress in the sample after manufacturing.Subsequently,the internal stress was released,leading to the generation of microcracks at the grain boundaries,thereby affecting the performance of SLM W samples.In addition,the higher fraction of high-angle grain boundaries(HAGBs)of SLM W was found to be the key factor for intrinsic brittleness.Because the HAGBs are the preferred crack paths,which could promote crack propagation and decrease fracture energy.

Impact of laser scanning speed on microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 718 alloys by selective laser melting

Inconel 718 alloys were fabricated by selective laser melting under different scanning speeds to investigate the change of the morphology of molten pool,direction of grain growth,and tensile properties.Results show that as the scanning speed increases from 1,000 to 1,450 mm·s^(-1),the ratio between depth and width of molten pool increases,yet their overlapping regimes decrease.Meanwhile,increasing scanning speed can promote the solidified structure evolve from cell to columnar dendrites,and decrease the dendrite spacing from 0.54 to 0.39 μm;the average columnar grain size also decreases from 84.42 to 73.51 μm.At different scanning speeds,the preferred orientation of grains along the building is mainly <001> direction.In addition,the tensile properties of samples under different scanning speeds present a non-monotonic transition.The maximum ultimate tensile strength and elongation can reach 1,014±19 MPa and 19.04±1.12 (%),respectively,at the scanning speed of 1,300 mm·s^(-1).

Build orientation determination of multi-feature mechanical parts in selective laser melting via multi-objective decision making

Selective laser melting(SLM)is a unique additive manufacturing(AM)category that can be used to manufacture mechanical parts.It has been widely used in aerospace and automotive using metal or alloy powder.The build orientation is crucial in AM because it affects the as-built part,including its part accuracy,surface roughness,support structure,and build time and cost.A mechanical part is usually composed of multiple surface features.The surface features carry the production and design knowledge,which can be utilized in SLM fabrication.This study proposes a method to determine the build orientation of multi-feature mechanical parts(MFMPs)in SLM.First,the surface features of an MFMP are recognized and grouped for formulating the particular optimization objectives.Second,the estimation models of involved optimization objectives are established,and a set of alternative build orientations(ABOs)is further obtained by many-objective optimization.Lastly,a multi-objective decision making method integrated by the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution and cosine similarity measure is presented to select an optimal build orientation from those ABOs.The weights of the feature groups and considered objectives are achieved by a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process.Two case studies are reported to validate the proposed method with numerical results,and the effectiveness comparison is presented.Physical manufacturing is conducted to prove the performance of the proposed method.The measured average sampling surface roughness of the most crucial feature of the bracket in the original orientation and the orientations obtained by the weighted sum model and the proposed method are 15.82,10.84,and 10.62μm,respectively.The numerical and physical validation results demonstrate that the proposed method is desirable to determine the build orientations of MFMPs with competitive results in SLM.

Effect of Cu content on microstructure and mechanical properties of in-situ β phases reinforced Ti/Zr-based bulk metallic glass matrix composite by selective laser melting(SLM)

In this study,non-toxic in-situβphases of reinforced Ti/Zr-based bulk metallic glass matrix composites(BMGCs)of(Ti_(0.65)Zr_(0.35))100-xCux(x=5,10,15 at.%)are fabricated via selective laser melting.The effect of Cu content on phase formation,microstructure,and mechanical properties is investigated.The average volume fraction and width of theβphase decreases with increasing Cu content,while a more amorphous phase and the(Ti,Zr)_(2)Cu phase forms.In the center zone of the molten pool,theβphase grows in the direction of the temperature gradient,and the amorphous phase distributes among theβphases.This occurs using:sphere morphology(for x=5),a more continuous elongated sphere and network morphology(for x=10),and network morphology(for x=15),respectively.In the edge zone of the molten pool,due to the smaller cooling rate and the existence of a partially molten zone,theβphase becomes coarser,and an amorphous phase forms for more continuous networks.Furthermore,the hardness improves significantly with increasing Cu content.No crack is found for x=5.Although the average volume fraction of theβphase for x=5 is about 90%,the compression yield strength is 1386±64 MPa,reaching to an average level of conventionally fabricated counterparts,due to finer microstructure,and twinning and martensitic transformation of theβphase.

Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Fe-Ni Alloy Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting Fe/Ni Mixed Powders

Fe-Ni alloy, as a widely applied ferromagnetic material, is synthesized using selective laser melting （SLM）. The chemical compositions and microstructure of the SLM Fe-Ni alloy are characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the samples exhibited fine grains with homogenous distribution when a low laser scanning velocity was used. Moreover, the magnetic properties of the samples with different laser parameters are also measured. It shows that the SLM Fe-30%Ni alloy possesses a low coercivity and high saturation magnetization. It also can be obtained that SLM is an alternative faster method to prepare soft magnetic material with complex shapes. Moreover, the magnetic properties can be influenced by the laser parameters.

Oxide dispersion strengthened stainless steel 316L with superior strength and ductility by selective laser melting

Dense oxide dispersion strengthened(ODS) 316 L steels with different amount of Y2O3 additions were succe s s fully fabricated by selective laser melting(SLM) even though part of the added Y2O3 got lost during the process.The microstructure was characterized in details and the mechanical properties were tested at room temperature,250℃ and 400℃,respectively.The effect of the scanning speed on agglomeration of nanoparticles during SLM process was discussed.Superior properties,e.g.,yield strength of 574 MPa and elongation of 91%,were achieved at room temperature in SLM ODS 316 L with additional 1% of Y2 O3.At elevated temperature s,the strength kept high but the elongations dropped dra matically.It was observed that nano-voids nucleated throughout the whole gauge section at the sites where nanoinclusions located.The growth and coalescence of these voids were suppre s sed by the formation of an element segregation network before necking,which relieved local stress concentration and thus delayed necking.This unusual necking behavior was studied and compared to the previous theory.It appeared that the strong convection presented in the melt pool can evenly redistribute the short-time milled coarse Y2O3 precursor powder during SLM process.These findings can not only solve the problems encountered during the fabrication of ODS components but also replenish the strengthening mechanism of SLM 316 L thus pave a way for further improving of mechanical properties.

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of 300M steel produced by low and high power selective laser melting

300 M ultra-high strength steel has been widely used in critical structural components for aviation and aerospace vehicles,owing to its high strength,excellent transverse plasticity,fracture toughness and fatigue resistance.Herein,low and high power selective laser melting(SLM)of 300 M steel and their microstructural evolution and mechanical properties have been reported.The results show that the optimal energy density range with the highest relative density for SLMed 300 M steel is between 60 and160 J/mm^3.Furthermore,molten pools for deposition exhibit a conduction mode with semi-elliptical shape at a lower laser power of 300~600 W but a keyhole mode with"U"shape at a higher laser power of 800~1900 W.The heterogeneous microstructure of as-built samples is cha racterized by a skin-core structure which is that tempered troostite with the coarse non-equiaxed grains in the molten pool is wrapped by tempered sorbite with the fine equiaxed grains in the heat-affected zone.The skin-core structure of SLMed 300 M steel has the characteristics of hard inside and soft outside.The average microhardness of samples varies from 385 to 341 HV when laser power increases from 300 to 1900 W.Interestingly,ultimate tensile strength(1156-1193 MPa)and yield tensile strength(1085-1145 MPa)of dense samples fabricated at diffe rent laser powers vary marginally.But,the elongation(6.8-9.1%)of SLMed 300 M steel is greatly affected by the laser power.

Nickel-titanium shape memory alloys made by selective laser melting:a review on process optimisation

Selective laser melting(SLM)is a mainstream powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing(AM)process that creates a three-dimensional(3D)object using a high power laser to fuse fine particles of various metallic powders such as copper,tool steel,cobalt chrome,titanium,tungsten,aluminium and stainless steel.Over the past decade,SLM has received significant attention due to its capability in producing dense parts with superior mechanical properties.As a premier shape memory alloy,the nickel-titanium(NiTi)shape memory alloy is attractive for a variety of biomedical applications due to its superior mechanical properties,superelasticity,corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.This paper presents a comprehensive review of the recent progress in NiTi alloys produced by the SLM process,with a particular focus on the relationship between processing parameters,resultant microstructures and properties.Current research gaps,challenges and suggestions for future research are also addressed.

In-situ formation of Ti-Mo biomaterials by selective laser melting of Ti/Mo and Ti/Mo_(2)C powder mixtures:A comparative study on microstructure,mechanical and wear performance,and thermal mechanisms

Ti-Mo alloys/composites are expected to be the next-generation implant material with low moduli but without toxic/allergic elements.However,synthesis mechanisms of the Ti-Mo biomaterials in Selective Laser Melting(SLM)vary according to raw materials and fundamentally influence material performance,due to inhomogeneous chemical compositions and stability.Therefore,this work provides a comparative study on microstructure,mechanical and wear performance,and underlying thermal mechanisms of two promising Ti-Mo biomaterials prepared by SLM but through different synthesis mechanisms to offer scientific understanding for creation of ideal metal implants.They are(i)Ti-7.5 Mo alloys,prepared from a conventional Ti/Mo powder mixture,and(ii)Ti-7.5 Mo-2.4 Ti C composites,in-situ prepared from Ti/Mo_(2)C powder mixture.Results reveal that the in-situ Ti-7.5 Mo-2.4 Ti C composites made from Ti/Mo_(2)C powder mixture by SLM can produce 61.4%moreβphase and extra Ti C precipitates(diameter below 229.6 nm)than the Ti-7.5 Mo alloys.The fine Ti C not only contributes to thinner and shorterβcolumnar grains under a large temperature gradient of 51.2 K/μm but also benefits material performance.The in-situ Ti-7.5 Mo-2.4 Ti C composites produce higher yield strength(980.1±29.8 MPa)and ultimate compressive strength(1561.4±39 MPa)than the Ti-7.5 Mo alloys,increasing by up to 12.1%.However,the fine Ti C with an aspect ratio of 2.71 dominates an unfavourable rise of elastic modulus to 91.9±2 GPa,44.7%higher than the Ti-7.5 Mo alloys,which,nevertheless,is still lower than the modulus of traditional Ti-6 Al-4 V.While,Ti C and its homogeneous distribution benefit wear resistance,decreasing the wear rate of the in-situ Ti-7.5 Mo-2.4 Ti C composites to 6.98×10^(-4)mm^3 N^(-1)m^(-1),which is 36%lower than that of the Ti-7.5 Mo alloys.Therefore,although with higher modulus than the Ti-7.5 Mo alloys,the SLM-fabricated in-situ Ti-7.5 Mo-2.4 Ti C composites can expect to provide good biomedical application potential in cases where combined good strength and wear resistance are required.

Si-Assisted Solidification Path and Microstructure Control of 7075 Aluminum Alloy with Improved Mechanical Properties by Selective Laser Melting

The construction and application of traditional high-strength 7075 aluminum alloy(Al7075) through selective laser melting(SLM) are currently restricted by the serious hot cracking phenomenon. To address this critical issue, in this study, Si is employed to assist the SLM printing of high-strength Al7075. The laser energy density during SLM is optimized, and the eff ects of Si element on solidification path, relative density, microstructure and mechanical properties of Al7075 alloy are studied systematically. With the modified solidification path, laser energy density, and the dense microstructure with refined grain size and semi-continuous precipitates network at grain boundaries, which consists of fine Si, β-MgSi, Q-phase and θ-AlCu, the hot cracking phenomenon and mechanical properties are eff ectively improved. As a result, the tensile strength of the SLM-processed Si-modified Al7075 can reach 486 ± 3 MPa, with a high relative density of ~ 99.4%, a yield strength of 291 ± 8 MPa, fracture elongation of(6.4 ± 0.4)% and hardness of 162 ± 2(HV) at the laser energy density of 112.5 J/mm~3. The main strengthening mechanism with Si modification is demonstrated to be the synergetic enhancement of grain refinement, solution strengthening, load transfer, and dislocation strengthening. This work will inspire more new design of high-strength alloys through SLM.

Influences of processing parameters and heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical behavior of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated using selective laser melting

Selective laser melting(SLM)has provided an alternative to the conventional fabrication techniques for Ti-6Al-4V alloy parts because of its flexibility and ease in creating complex features.Therefore,this study investigated the effects of the process parameters and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated using SLM.The influences of various process parameters on the relative density,tensile properties,impact toughness,and hardness of Ti-6Al-4V alloy parts were studied.By employing parameter optimization,a high-density high-strength Ti-6Al-4V alloy was fabricated by SLM.A relative density of 99.45%,a tensile strength of 1188 MPa,and an elongation to failure of 9.5%were achieved for the SLM-fabricated Ti-6Al-4V alloy with optimized parameters.The effects of annealing and solution aging heat treatment on the mechanical properties,phase composition,and microstructure of the SLM-fabricated Ti-6Al-4V alloy were also studied.The ductility of the heat-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy was improved.By applying a heat treatment at 850℃ for 2 h,followed by furnace cooling,the elongation to failure and impact toughness were found to be increased from 9.5%to 12.5%,and from 24.13 J/cm^(2)to 47.51 J/cm^(2),respectively.

Specific heat treatment of selective laser melted Ti-6AI-4V for biomedical applications

The ductility of as-fabricated Ti-6AI-4V fails far short of the requirements for biomedical titanium alloy implants and the heat treatment remains the only applicable option for improvement of their mechanical properties. In the present study, the decomposition of as-fabricated martensite was investigated to provide a general understanding on the kinetics of its phase transformation. The decomposition of as- fabricated martensite was found to be slower than that of water-quenched martensite. It indicates that specific heat treatment strategy is needed to be explored for as.fabricated Ti-6AI-4V. Three strategies of heat treatment were proposed based on different phase transformation mechanisms and classified as subtransus treatment, supersolvus treatment and mixed treatment. These specific heat treatments were conducted on selective laser melted samples to investigate the evolutions of microstructure and mechanical properties. The subtransus treatment leaded to a basket-weave structure without changing the morphology of columnar prior β grains. The supersolvus treatment resulted in a lamellar structure and equiaxed β grains. The mixed treatment yielded a microstructure that combines both features of the subtransus treatment and supersolvus treatment. The subtransus treatment is found to be the best choice among these three strategies for as.fabricated Ti-6AI-4V to be used as biomedical implants.