In situ monitoring of the layer height in laser powder bed fusion
Author(s)
Williams, Richard J
Davies, Catrin M
Hooper, Paul A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In situ process monitoring has frequently been cited as an critical requirement in certifying the performance of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) components for use in high integrity applications. Despite much development in addressing this need, little attention has been been paid to monitoring the layer thickness during the process. In this paper, a laser displacement sensor has been integrated into the build chamber of an LPBF machine, and the height of the top surface layer of a component has been monitored during a build. This has permitted the deposited layer thickness to be measured throughout the build, and the effect on this of a change in processing conditions is characterised. The thermal contraction of the top layer in between successive laser scans has also been evaluated. This demonstrates the potential of utilising laser displacement sensory as a process monitoring tool in LPBF and provides insightful data for implementation in detailed process models.
Date Issued
2021-12
Date Acceptance
2020-03-26
Citation
Material Design & Processing Communications, 2021, 3 (6), pp.1-5
ISSN
2577-6576
Publisher
Elsevier
Start Page
1
End Page
5
Journal / Book Title
Material Design & Processing Communications
Volume
3
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2020 The Authors. Material Design & Processing Communications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Sponsor
AWE Plc
Identifier
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mdp2.173
Grant Number
See further info
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-04-17