A novel mathematical model for predicting a sustainable selective laser melting and controlled densification Academic Article in Scopus uri icon

abstract

  • We introduce the innovative concept of Sustainable Laser Energy Consumption (SLEC, ¿) that promotes sustainable metal additive manufacturing practices while maintaining productivity and tailored densification in the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. This study focuses on deriving analytical expressions through dimensional analysis and Buckingham¿s ¿ theorem to predict bulk density with high precision across studied materials: In718, W, AlSi10Mg, Ti6Al4V, and SS316L. This approach provides valuable insights and allows the setting of an appropriate combination of scanning speed and hatch distance for a range of laser power, enabling sustainable manufacturing of SLMed components with tailored density. Furthermore, the mathematical expression introduced as SLEC facilitates the tradeoff between energy consumption and productivity, promoting a greener and more sustainable future of metal additive manufacturing. Furthermore, the underlying fractal nature of SLM is explored through the investigation of the influence of fractal structures, present in the powder bed, on densification that provides information on how powder morphology and homogeneity (i.e. fractal dimension and lacunarity) of the powder bed are linked to a sustainable SLM process. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

publication date

  • January 1, 2024