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Metal additive manufacturing (Metal AM) continues to gain momentum. Many companies explore the manufacturing of innovative products, including components for safety critical applications. Despite the intensive research of recent years, a fundamental understanding of the process‑structure‑property relationships remains challenging due to, i.a., the inherently complex and highly hierarchical microstructures arising from the wide range of build process parameter variability. This contribution presents the resu lts of an experimental study on the creep behavior of an austenitic 316L stainless steel produced by laser powder bed fusion (PBF LB/M/316L) with an emphasis on understanding the effects of microstructure on creep mechanisms. Hot tensile tests and constant force creep tests at 600 °C and 650 °C, X ray computed tomography, as well as optical and electron microscopy were performed. The produced PBF LB/M/316L exhibits a low void population 0.01 %) resulting from the manufacturing parameters used and which a llowed us to understand the effects of other microstructural aspects on creep behavior, e.g., grain morphology and dislocation substructure. A hot‑rolled variant of 316L hwas also tested as a reference. The produced PBF LB/M/316L possesses shorter primary and secondary creep stages and times to rupture and smaller creep stress exponents than the hot‑rolled variant. Overall, the creep damage is more extensive in the PBF LB/M/316L and is characterized as predominantly intergranular. It is considered that the damage behavior is mainly impacted by the formation of precipitates at the grain boundaries combined with their unfavorable orientation. The dislocation substructure and local elemental segregation appear to have a decisive impact on the overall creep behavior.
Additive manufacturing techniques, such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB), are well known for their exceptional freedom in part design. However, these techniques are also characterized by the development of large thermal gradients during production and thus residual stress (RS) formation in produced parts. In this context, neutron diffraction enables the non-destructive characterization of the bulk RS distribution. By control of the thermal gradients in the powder-bed plane by scan strategy variation we study the impact of in-process scan strategy variations on the microstructure and the three-dimensional distribution of RS. Microstructural analysis by means of electron backscatter diffraction reveals sharp microstructure transitions at the interfaces ranging from 100-200 µm. The components of the RS tensor are determined by means of neutron diffraction and the principal stress directions and magnitudes are determined by eigenvalue decomposition. We find that the distribution of RS in the powder-bed plane corresponds to the underlying scan strategy. When the alternating scan vectors align with the x- and y sample coordinate axes, the principal stress directions co-align. In the present geometry, nearly transverse isotropic stress states develop when the scan vectors are either aligned 45° between x and y or continuously rotated by 67° between each layer.
Additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing) of metals is becoming increasingly important in industrial applications. Reasons for this include the ability to realize complex component designs and the use of novel materials. This distinguishes AM from conventional manufacturing methods such as subtractive manufacturing (turning, milling, etc.). The most widely used AM process for metals is laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M, also known as selective laser melting SLM). Currently, it has the highest degree of industrialization and the largest number of machines in use. In PBF-LB/M, the feedstock is present as metal powder in an inert gas atmosphere inside a process chamber where a laser melts it locally. By repeatedly lowering the build platform, applying a new layer of powder, and then selectively melting it with the laser, a component is built up layer by layer. The local temperature distributions that occur during this process determine not only the properties of the finished component, but also the possible formation of defects such as pores and cracks. Due to the high relevance of the thermal history for precise geometries and defect formation, a temporally and spatially resolved measurement of quantitative (or real/actual) temperatures would be optimal. Quantitative values would ensure comparability and repeatability of the AM process which would also positively affect the quality and safety of the manufactured component. Furthermore, it would also contribute to the validation of simulations and to a deeper understanding of the manufacturing process itself.
At present, however, only qualitative monitoring of the thermal radiation is performed (e.g., by monitoring the melt pool using a photodiode), and safety-relevant components must be inspected ex situ afterwards which is time-consuming and costly. A reason for the lack of quantitative temperature data from the process are the challenging conditions of the PBF-LB/M process with high scanning speeds and a small laser spot diameter. Furthermore, the emissivity of the surface changes at high dynamics (temporally/spatially) as well as with temperature and wavelength. This specifically makes contactless temperature determination based on emitted infrared radiation challenging for PBF-LB/M. Although classical thermography offers very good qualitative insights, it is not sufficient for a reliable quantitative temperature determination without a complex temperature calibration including image segmentation and assignment of previously determined emissivities.
For this reason, this publication presents the hyperspectral thermography approach for the PBF-LB/M process: The emitted infrared radiation is measured simultaneously at many adjacent wavelengths. In this study, this is realized via a fast hyperspectral line camera that operates in the short-wave infrared range. The thermal radiation of a line on the target is spectrally dispersed and detected to measure the radiant exitance along that line. If the melt pool of the PBF-LB/M process moves through this line at a sufficient frame rate, a spatial reconstruction of an effective melt pool is possible.
One approach to determine the desired emissivities and the quantitative temperature from this hyperspectral data are temperature-emissivity separation (TES) methods. A major problem is that n spectral measurements are available, but n+1 parameters are required for each image pixel (n emissivity values + one temperature value). TES methods offer the possibility to approximate this mathematically underconstrained problem in a reliable and traceable way by analytically parameterizing the spectral emissivity with a few degrees of freedom. Using this approach, setup and method are applied to a research machine for PBF-LB/M, called SAMMIE (Sensor-based Additive Manufacturing Machine). First results under AM process conditions are shown which form the basis for the determination of quantitative temperatures in the PBFLB/M process. This marks an important contribution to improving the comparability and repeatability of production, validating simulations, and understanding the process itself. When fully developed and validated, the presented method can also provide reference measurements to evaluate and optimize other, more practical monitoring methods, such as melt pool monitoring or optical tomography. In the long run, this will help to increase confidence in the safety of AM products.
Defects are still common in metal components built with Additive Manufacturing (AM). Process monitoring methods for laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are used in industry, but relationships between monitoring data and defect formation are not fully understood yet. Additionally, defects and deformations may develop with a time delay to the laser energy input. Thus, currently, the component quality is only determinable after the finished process.
Here, active laser thermography, a nondestructive testing method, is adapted to PBF-LB/M, using the defocused process laser as heat source. The testing can be performed layer by layer throughout the manufacturing process. We study our proposed testing method along experiments carried out on a custom research PBF-LB/M machine using infrared (IR) cameras.
Our work enables a shift from post-process testing of components towards in-situ testing during the AM process. The actual component quality is evaluated in the process chamber and defects can be detected between layers.
Ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) requires a complex process chain with various post-processing steps that require expensive machines and special expertise. The key to further market penetration is AM that makes it possible to integrate into an already established ceramic process chain. Most successful AM technologies for ceramics are, however, based on processes that initially have been developed for polymeric materials. For ceramics AM, polymers or precursors are loaded with ceramic particles. This strategy facilitates the entry into AM, however the introduction of organic additives into the ceramic process chain represents a considerable technological challenge to ultimately obtain a ceramic component after additive shaping. In the present communication, two technologies based on ceramic suspensions will be introduced, the “layerwise slurry deposition” (LSD) and “laser induced slip casting” (LIS) technology. Both technologies take advantage of the high packing densities reached by conventional slip casting and moreover enable the processing of fines, even nanoparticles.
The determination of residual stress in additively manufactured materials is a challenge, even after decades from the establishment of the basics of residual stress analysis. This is due to the peculiar microstructure of such materials. In fact, researchers have discovered that conventional methods for the determination of RS in materials do not properly work for AM materials. In this tutorial, the basics of RS analysis will be explained, together with the basics of AM manufacturing techniques. The microstructure of the peculiar materials (AM) dealt with here will be elucidated. Successively, the necessary modifications to the conventional approaches to RS analysis will be explained and case studies will be displayed, for the attendant to touch with hands the peculiarities of the approaches. Finally, a few experimental and theoretical tips will be given on dos and don’ts for a correct determination of RS in AM materials.
The experimental determination of residual stress becomes more complicated with increasing complexity of the structures investigated. Unlike the conventional and most of the additive manufacturing (AM) fabrication techniques, laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) allows the production of complex structures without any additional manufacturing step. However, due to the extremely localized melting and solidification, internal stress-induced deformation and cracks are often observed. In the best case, significant residual stress is retained in the final structures as a footprint of the internal stress during manufacturing.
Here we report solutions to the most prevalent challenges when dealing with the diffraction-based determination of residual stress in AM structures, in particular the choice of the correct diffraction elastic constants. We show that for Nickel-based alloys, the diffraction elastic constants of AM material significantly deviate from their conventional counterparts. Furthermore, measurement strategies to overcome the hurdles appearing when applying diffraction-based techniques to complex-shaped lattice structures are presented: a) proper sample alignment within the beam, b) the proper determination of the residual stress field in a representative part of the structure (i.e., with an engineering meaning). Beyond the principal stress magnitude, the principal direcions of residual stress are discussed for different geometries and scan strategies, as they are relevent for failure criteria.
We show that the RS in the lattice struts can be considered to be uniaxial and to follow the orientation of the strut, while the RS in the lattice knots is more hydrostatic. Additionally, we show that strain measurements in at least seven independent directions are necessary for the correct estimation of the principal stress directions. The measurement directions should be chosen according to the sample geometry and to an informed choice on the possible strain field (i.e., reflecting the scan strategy).
We finally show that if the most prominent direction is not measured, the error in the calculated stress magnitude increases in such a manner that no reliable assessment of RS state can be made.
The general term additive manufacturing (AM) encompasses processes that enable the production of parts in a single manufacturing step. Among these, laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) is one of the most commonly used to produce metal components. In essence, a laser locally melts powder particles in a powder bed layer-by-layer to incrementally build a part. As a result, this process offers immense manufacturing flexibility and superior geometric design capabilities compared to conventional processes. However, these advantages come at a cost: the localized processing inevitably induces large thermal gradients, resulting in the formation of large thermal stress during manufacturing. In the best case, residual stress remains in the final parts produced as a footprint of this thermal stress. Since residual stress is well known to exacerbate the structural integrity of components, their assessment is important in two respects. First, to optimize process parameter to minimize residual stress magnitudes. Second, to study their effect on the structural integrity of components (e.g., validation of numerical models). Therefore, a reliable experimental assessment of residual stress is an important factor for the successful application of PBF-LB. In this context, diffraction-based techniques allow the non-destructive characterization of the residual stress. In essence, lattice strain is calculated from interplanar distances by application of Braggs law. From the known lattice strain, macroscopic stress can be determined using Hooke’s law. To allow the accurate assessment of the residual stress distribution by such methods, a couple of challenges in regard of the characteristic PBF-LB microstructures need to be overcome.
This presentation highlights some of the challenges regarding the accurate assessment of residual stress in PBF-LB on the example of the Nickel-based alloy Inconel 718. The most significant influencing factors are the use of the correct diffraction elastic constants, the choice of the stress-free reference, and the consideration of the crystallographic texture. Further, it is shown that laboratory X-ray diffraction methods characterizing residual stress at the surface are biased by the inherent surface roughness. Overall, the impact of the characteristic microstructure is most significant for the selection of the correct diffraction elastic constants. In view of the localized melting and solidification, no significant gradients of the stress-free reference are observed, even though the cell-like solidification sub-structure is known to be heterogeneous on the micro-scale.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer-wise additive manufacturing process that provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of a diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative lattice plane suitable for residual stress analysis. In this contribution, the selection of a suitable lattice plane family for residual stress analysis is explored. Furthermore, the determination of an appropriate set of diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure is addressed.
In-situ loading experiments have been performed at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source with the main scope to study the deformation behaviour of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718. Cylindrical tensile bars have been subjected to an increasing mechanical load. At pre-defined steps, neutron diffraction data has been collected. After reaching the yield limit, unloads have been performed to study the accumulation of intergranular strain among various lattice plane families.
As industries move for ever faster development and adoption cycles of emerging new technologies in the field of welding, the meticulous and longer-winded approach of the scientific research process can feel harder to integrate. To help bridge this gap and increase the speed, quality, and adoption rate of publicly funded research, the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) continues to work towards enabling scientists with direct access to necessary software tools and - in the future – highest quality welding research reference data to further foster collaborations.
On the experimental side, the arc welding group at BAM division 9.3 “welding technologies” is continuing to expand and upgrade its capacities of robotic welding systems with integrated state of the art sensor technologies and software solutions. This allows all experiments to be recorded and measured in micro-millimeter accuracy and at sub-millisecond precision, including welding process data, complete spatial geometry and temperature measurements, process video recordings and more. The custom software-based solutions and interfaces allow scaling of the welding systems from large thick plate offshore applications to small additive repair weldments in wind turbine blades to multi-hour continuous weldments in additive manufacturing applications. In addition to the data gathered during the welding process itself, the relevant testing results and materials properties produced at BAM or externally can be integrated seamlessly. This allows detailed traceability of all results back to the actual welding process.
Regardless of the scope and application, complete datasets can be made accessible for research or industry partners in the highest resolution based on the open source WelDX (welding data exchange) file format.
Figure 1. Welding experiment representation including dynamic process data, cross-section imaging and hardness measurements from a single weldx file.
The talk will give an overview of the experimental facilities and workflows as well as current software developments with a focus on research data quality assurance, traceability, and accessibility.
Based on the integration into latest research trends and activities of the “welding technologies” division, the path to publishing reference datasets for arc welding process for various applications and materials is outlined and discussed.
For a deep process understanding of the laser powder bed fusion process (PBF-LB/M), recording of the occurring surface temperatures is of utmost interest and would help to pave the way for reliable process monitoring and quality assurance. A notable number of approaches for in-process monitoring of the PBF-LB/M process focus on the monitoring of thermal process signatures. However, due to the elaborate calibration effort and the lack of knowledge about the occurring spectral directional emissivity, only a few approaches attempt to measure real temperatures. In this study, to gain initial insights into occurring in the PBF-LB/M process, measurements on PBF-LB/M specimens and metal powder specimens were performed for higher temperatures up to T = 1290 °C by means of the emissivity measurement apparatus (EMMA) of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAE, Wuerzburg, Germany). Also, measurements at ambient temperatures were performed with a suitable measurement setup. Two different materials—stainless steel 316L and aluminum AlSi10Mg—were examined. The investigated wavelength λ ranges from the visible range (λ-VIS = 0.40–0.75 µm) up to the infrared, λ = 20 µm. The influence of the following factors were investigated: azimuth angle φ, specimen temperature TS, surface texture as for PBF-LB/M surfaces with different scan angles α, and powder surfaces with different layer thicknesses t.
Motivated by the aim of developing an additive manufacturing (AM) technology easily integrated in the process chains of the ceramic industry, the LSD-print technology was conceived as a slurry-based variation of binder jetting (BJ).
BJ and other powder bed technologies (such as powder bed fusion) are amongst the most successful AM techniques, especially for metals and polymers, thanks to their high productivity and scalability. The possibility to use commercially available feedstocks (in the form of powders or granules) makes BJ also attractive for ceramic materials. The application of these techniques to most advanced ceramics has however been difficult so far, because of the limitations in depositing homogeneous layers with fine, typically poorly flowable powders.
In this context, the "layerwise slurry deposition" (LSD) was proposed at TU Clausthal (Germany) as a slurry-based deposition of ceramic layers by means of a doctor blade. Combined with layer-by-layer laser sintering of the material, the LSD process was originally demonstrated for the rapid prototyping of silicate ceramics. Due to the difficulties in controlling the microstructure and the defect formation in laser-sintered technical ceramics, the LSD process was later combined with inkjet printing in the LSD-print technology, which has been further developed at BAM (Germany) in the past decade.
The LSD-print technology combines the high speed of inkjet printing, typical of BJ, with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to those achieved by traditional processing. Due to the mechanical stability of the powder bed, the process can also be carried out with continuous layer deposition on a rotating platform, which further increases its productivity.
This presentation will delve into 10 years of research on the LSD-print of a wide variety of technical ceramics including alumina, silicon carbides and dental ceramics. The discussion highlights how a seemingly small process and feedstock modification (from powders to slurries) has great influence on the challenges and potential of this process, which are being addressed on its path to industrialization.
Powder bed technologies are amongst the most successful Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. The application of these techniques to most ceramics has been difficult so far, because of the challenges related to the deposition of homogeneous powder layers when using fine powders.
In this context, the "layerwise slurry deposition" (LSD) has been developed as a layer deposition method enabling the use of powder bed AM technologies also for advanced ceramic materials. The layerwise slurry deposition consists of the layer-by-layer deposition of a ceramic slurry by means of a doctor blade, in which the slurry is deposited and dried to achieve a highly packed powder. Not only very fine, submicron powders can be processed with low organics, but also the dense powder bed provides excellent support to the parts built. The LSD technology can be combined with binder jetting to develop the so-called “LSD-print” process. LSD-print combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to traditional processing.
The latest development of this technology shows that it is possible to print ceramic parts in a continuous process by depositing a layer onto a rotating platform, growing a powder bed following a spiral motion. The unique mechanical stability of the layers in LSD-print allows to grow a powder bed several centimeters thick without any lateral support. The continuous layer deposition allows to achieve a productivity more than 10X higher compared to the linear deposition, approaching a build volume of 1 liter/hour.
The Laser-Induced Slip Casting is an additive manufacturing technology specifically developed for ceramic materials using water-based ceramic slurries. The process takes place layer-by-layer in a similar fashion as top-down vat photopolymerization, selectively consolidating each layer by means of a laser energy source positioned on the top. Contrary to vat photopolymerization, in which the consolidation is achieved by selectively cross-linking a ceramic-filled resin, LIS uses water-based slurries with a low amount of organic additives (typically < 5 wt%) as feedstocks.
In LIS, a green body is formed by local evaporation of water which causes the suspension to collapse forming a cast, following a mechanism similar to slip casting. Only a small content of organic additives is needed to effectively disperse the ceramic particles and to increase the green strength.
The technology is very versatile and can be applied to all ceramic systems that can be dispersed in water. One of the main advantages is that even dark materials such as silicon carbide can be processed without issues related to light scattering and absorption.
The presentation will discuss strengths and limitations of LIS compared to other AM technologies and will highlight the latest results for alumina and for silicon carbide ceramics.
The presentation will start with an overview of ceramic additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and will discuss the potential of AM in the field of bioceramics.
The presentation will then focus on two possible use cases of binder jetting technologies.
In the first example, standard powder-based binder jetting is used to manufacture a porous implant design for large scale bone defects. The related challenges in the process chain will be discussed, from powder synthesis to sintering and characterization of the printed part.
In the second example, the LSD-print slurry-based binder jetting technology is presented as a possibility to adapt powder-bed AM to produce dense ceramic parts. The use case will focus on an application in the field of dental ceramics, specifically for the manufacturing of patient individualized single tooth restorations (veneers, crowns) with a high throughput process chain.
Additive manufacturing of metals – and in particular building with laser-based powder bed fusion – is highly flexible and allows high-resolution features and feedstock savings. Meanwhile, though space stations in low Earth orbit are established, a set of visits to the Moon have been performed, and humankind can send out rovers to explore Venus and Mars, none of these milestone missions is equipped with technology to manufacture functional metallic parts or tools in space. In order to advance space exploration to long-term missions beyond low Earth orbit, it will be crucial to develop and employ technology for in-space manufacturing (ISM) and in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU). To use the advantages of laser-based powder bed fusion in these endeavours, the challenge of powder handling in microgravity must be met. Here we present a device capable of building parts using metallic powders in microgravity. This was proven on several sounding rocket flights, on which occasions Zr-based metallic glass parts produced by additive manufacturing in space were built. The findings of this work demonstrate that building parts using powder feedstock, which is more compact to transport into space than wire, is possible in microgravity environments. This thus significantly advances ISRU and ISM and paves the way for future tests in prolonged microgravity settings.
In this presentation, the results of the determination of the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are presented. The analysis is based on high-energy synchrotron diffraction experiments performed at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron. It is shown that the characteristic microstructure of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 impacts the elastic anisotropy and therefore the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants. Finally, the consequences on the diffraction-based residual stress determination of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are discussed.
Manipulating ceramic powder compacts and ceramic suspensions (slurries) within their volume with light requires a minimum transparency of the materials. Compared to polymers and metals, ceramic materials are unique as they offer a wide electronic band gap and thus a wide optical window of transparency. The optical window typically ranges from below 0.3 µm up to 5µm wavelength. Hence, to penetrate with laser light into the volume of a ceramic powder compound its light scattering properties need to be investigated and tailored. In the present study we introduce the physical background and material development strategies to apply two-photon-polymerization (2PP) for the additive manufacture of filigree structures within the volume of ceramic slurries.
Manipulating ceramic powder compacts and ceramic suspensions (slurries) within their volume with light requires a minimum transparency of the materials. Compared to polymers and metals, ceramic materials are unique as they offer a wide electronic band gap and thus a wide optical window of transparency. The optical window typically ranges from below 0.3 µm up to 5µm wavelength. Hence, to penetrate with laser light into the volume of a ceramic powder compound its light scattering properties need to be investigated and tailored. In the present study we introduce the physical background and material development strategies to apply two-photon-polymerization (2PP) for the additive manufacture of filigree structures within the volume of ceramic slurries.
Manipulating ceramic powder compacts and ceramic suspensions (slurries) within their volume with light requires a minimum transparency of the materials. Compared to polymers and metals, ceramic materials are unique as they offer a wide electronic band gap and thus a wide optical window of transparency. The optical window typically ranges from below 0.3 µm up to 5µm wavelength. Hence, to penetrate with light into the volume of a ceramic powder compound, its light scattering properties need to be investigated and tailored. In the present study we introduce the physical background and material development strategies to apply two-photon-polymerization (2PP), and other volumetric methods for the additive manufacture of filigree structures within the volume of ceramic slurries.
In order to be able to manipulate ceramic powder compacts and ceramic suspensions (slurries) within their volume with light, a minimum transparency of the materials is required. Compared to polymers and metals, ceramic materials are characterized by the fact that they have a wide electronic band gap and therefore a wide optical window of transparency. The optical window generally ranges from less than 0.3 µm to 5 µm wavelength. In order to focus light into the volume of a ceramic powder compact, its light scattering properties must therefore be tailored. In this study, we present the physical background and material development strategies for the application of two-photon polymerization (2PP) and selective volumetric sintering for the additive manufacturing of structures in the volume of ceramic slips and green compacts.
The Binder Jetting BJ process is one of the most versatile additive manufacturing technologies in use. In this process a binder is locally jetted into a powder bed for the consolidation of a 3D structure, layer by layer. Basically, all materials which can be provided as a flowable powder and, thus, spreadable to a thin layer, can be processed. Metals, ceramics and polymers are processable, but also materials from nature, such as sand, wood sawdust and insect frass. Moreover, the BJ technology is adapted to large building volumes of some cubic meters easily. Besides these striking advantages, the manufacture of ceramic parts by BJ is still challenging, as the packing density of the powder bed is generally too low and the particle size of a flowable powder too large for a successful densification of printed parts in a subsequent sintering step to an advanced ceramic product. After an introduction of binder jetting in general and highlighting some examples, strategies for obtaining dense ceramic parts by BJ will be introduced.
Regarding feedstocks for the additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramics, two features are most critical in classical powder based AM processes: a high particle packing density (typically >50% TD) must be achieved with very fine particles (typically submicron) in order to ensure sufficient sintering activity. Three innovative approaches will be introduced to overcome this problem:
1. Layer wise slurry deposition: The use of water based ceramic slurries as feedstock for the additive manufacture of ceramics has many advantages which are not fully exploit yet. In the layerwise slurry deposition (LSD) process a slurry with no or low organic content is repetitively spread as thin layers on each other by means of a doctor blade. During the deposition, the ceramic particles settle on the previously deposited and dried material to form thin layers with a high packing density (55-60%). The LSD therefore shares aspects both of tape casting and slip casting. The LSD differentiates from the classical powder-based AM layer deposition, which typically achieves with a flowable coarse grained powder a low packing density (35-50%) only, consequently hindering the ability of sintering ceramic parts to full density. The LSD is coupled with the principles of selective laser sintering (SLS) or binder jetting, to generate novel processes which take advantage of the possibility of achieving a highly dense powder-bed.
2. Laser induced slip casting: Contrary to the LSD process, which requires drying of each individual layer, the direct interaction of ceramic slurries with intense laser radiation, for the laser induced slip casting (LIS), is a promising approach for the additive manufacture of voluminous parts.
3. Gas flow assisted powder deposition: By the application of a vacuum pump a gas flow is realized throughout the powder bed. This gas flow stabilizes the powder bed and results into an enhanced flowability and packing density of the powder during layer deposition.
The presentation will provide a detailed discussion of potentialities and issues connected to the mentioned technologies and will describe the most recent developments in their application to technical ceramics.
Currently, mandatory requirements and recommendations for the detection of irregularities in laser beam welded joints are based on classic micrographs as set out in the standard ISO 13919-1:2019. Compared to classic micrographs, computed tomography enables a non-destructive, three-dimensional and material-independent mode of operation, which delivers much more profound results. Even in building material testing, methods with limited informative value can be checked and supplemented by CT examinations.
Direct energy deposition additive manufacturing technologies utilizing an electric arc offer a great potential in generating large volume metal components. However, the selection of process parameters that yield the desired near net shape design as well as the requested mechanical component behavior is not a trivial task due to the complex relationship. Exemplarily for additive manufacturing of high-strength precipitation hardening AlMgSi-aluminum alloy this paper shows the application of a newly developed matching solid welding wire doped with TiB as grain refiner. The correlation between process parameters and component quality is examined analyzing the size and distribution of pores as well as the grain morphology. Furthermore, the influences of different post-weld heat treatments are evaluated to meet the reference mechanical properties of the corresponding wrought material. Finally, the digital integration of the entire additive manufacturing chain enables an overall traceability of the relevant process steps which is the basis for a reliable subsequent quality assessment.
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes enable the efficient production of advanced constructions. New developments in topology optimization are leading to weight-optimized designs of increasing complexity. Direct energy deposition processes (DED) such as wire and arc-based additive manufacturing are an important method of additive manufacturing. The wire filler metals enable a wide range of materials, while the arc process provides a high deposition rate compared to laser and powder-based processes. Combined with the use of high-strength steels, the thickness of walls or components can be significantly reduced in the context of lightweight construction, which results in significant savings in energy, costs, time and resources. Suitable high-strength steel filler metals are commercially available for DED-arc AM processes. However, guidelines and quantitative knowledge about welding stresses and cold cracking issues during component production and service are lacking. This limits the industrial application considerably. In a joint project of BAM and Chemnitz University of Technology, the main influences and complex interactions of material, production process, design and processing steps on the residual stress level are investigated. The aim is to develop processing recommendations and a cold cracking test for economical processing and stress-related design of high-strength steels with DED-arc. This study focuses on residual stress analysis by neutron diffraction (ND) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) on defined test specimens. The ND analysis were performed at the Paul Scherrer Institute- Villigen, Switzerland (PSI) and the XRD analysis at BAM. The study shows a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the residual stress magnitudes and distribution between the component bulk (ND) and surface (XRD) analyses. The ND analysis reveals that in DED-arc AM walls the residual stresses dominate in the direction of welding and are negligibly small in each case transverse to the direction of welding. The topology of the analyzed residual stresses shows almost identical residual stress maps compared to XRD. In addition, the residual stresses are significantly influenced by the solid phase transformation of the material due to low cooling times and less post heat treatment cycles of following AM layers in the area of the top layer.
Structural alloys are largely employed in key industrial sectors and their demand is predicted to rise rapidly for the next decades. Most of these materials require a large amount of energy for extraction and manufacturing, which causes the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Therefore, strategies for improving the sustainability of structural metallic alloys are urgently needed.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M), aims to be a sustainable manufacturing process, as it allows the build-up of complex geometry in near net-shape from 3D models, while minimizing material waste and the energy required for the process and post-process treatments.
Nevertheless, the application of additively manufactured parts in structural safety-relevant applications is still hindered by the poor fatigue performance. The cause of this has been mainly attributed to the presence of manufacturing defects and surface roughness. Therefore, a huge effort has been made to optimize the process parameters and to introduce post-process treatments to minimize the defect content. However, material flaws cannot be fully eliminated, but these can be considered in a damage tolerance framework for the prediction of the fatigue performance of additively manufactured metallic materials, which is essential for part design and qualification.
This work aims at presenting different modelling strategies for the prediction of the fatigue limit of AM metals. Simple empirical models and more complex models based on fatigue short crack propagation are proposed. The investigated material is an AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by PBF-LB/M and subjected to two different low-temperature heat-treatments (265°C for 1 h and 300°C for 2h). The results show that the models can provide good approximation of the fatigue limits and help in the interpretation of the scatter of fatigue data.
State-of-the-art laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) machines allow pre-heating of the substrate plate to reduce stress and improve part quality. However, two major issues have been shown in the past: First, with increasing build height the apparent pre-heat temperature at the surface can deviate drastically from the nominal pre-heat temperature in the substrate plate. Second, even within a single layer the local surface pre-heat temperature can show large gradients due to thermal bottlenecks in the part geometry underneath the top surface. Both lead to unwanted changes in microstructure or defects in the final parts. In this study, a first attempt is taken to show the feasibility of pre-heating the top surface with the onboard laser beam to overcome the mentioned issues. A single layer of a group of three parts built from IN718 to a height of 33.5 mm is pre-heated in a commercially available PBF-LB/M machine to an average steady state surface temperature of 200 °C using the onboard laser beam. The parts are continuously heated, omitting powder deposition and melting step. Temperatures are measured by thermocouples underneath the surface. The experiments are supported by a thermal finite element (FE) model that predicts the temperature field in the parts. When heating the parts uniformly with the laser beam, differences in surface temperatures as large as 170 K are observed. To overcome this inhomogeneity, the heat flux supplied by the laser beam is modulated. An optimized, spatial heat flow distribution is provided by the thermal FE model and translated into a scan pattern that reproduces the optimized heat distribution on the PBF-LB/M machine by locally modulating hatch distance and scan velocity. This successfully reduces the differences in surface temperature to 20 K. Thermographic imaging shows that a homogeneous surface temperature can be achieved despite the localized heat input by the beam. The potential for industrial application of the optimized laser-heating technique is discussed.
Rapidly advancing technologies and progressive digitisation are posing challenges to the established quality infrastructure (QI). In response, the key stakeholders of the German QI established the initiative QI-Digital aimed at developing new solutions for modern quality assurance. One of the central use cases herein is quality assurance for additive manufacturing, in which a fully interlinked additive manufacturing process chain is established. The intention is to collect and process data from each production step, allowing for a comprehensive digital view of the physical material flow. Within this process chain, prototypes of digital QI tools like machine readable standards and digital quality certificates are being demonstrated, tested, and evolved. This is complemented by research on the process level, comprising the evaluation and refinement of methods for in-situ and ex-situ quality assurance, as well as algorithms for registration, reduction, and analysis of process data. This paper presents the status, goals, and vision for the QI-Digital use case additive manufacturing.
Rapidly advancing technologies and progressive digitisation are posing challenges to the established quality infrastructure (QI). In response, the key stakeholders of the German QI established the initiative QI-Digital aimed at developing new solutions for modern quality assurance. One of the central use cases herein is quality assurance for additive manufacturing, in which a fully interlinked additive manufacturing process chain is established. The intention is to collect and process data from each production step, allowing for a comprehensive digital view of the physical material flow. Within this process chain, prototypes of digital QI tools like machine readable standards and digital quality certificates are being demonstrated, tested, and evolved. This is complemented by research on the process level, comprising the evaluation and refinement of methods for in-situ and ex-situ quality assurance, as well as algorithms for registration, reduction, and analysis of process data. This paper presents the status, goals, and vision for the QI-Digital use case additive manufacturing.
Additive Manufacturing for dental restorations by layerwise slurry deposition (LSD-print) technology
(2023)
The growing market of custom-made dental restorations offers a major potential for an application of ceramic additive manufacturing (AM).
The possibility to individualize patient specific design and to establish new efficient workflows, from model generation to manufacturing, can be fully exploited by AM technologies. However, for mass customization to be truly envisioned, ceramic AM needs to achieve a level of maturity, aesthetic quality, and productivity comparable to established manufacturing processes.
In this presentation, the potential of the “layerwise slurry deposition” LSD-print technology for dental applications will be explored. It has been shown in the past years that the LSD-print can be applied to advanced ceramic materials such as alumina and silicon-infiltrated silicon carbide. For these materials, the LSD-print technology combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics.
The current development deals with the challenges of applying this technology to a feldspar dental material, comparing the quality of AM restorations with the equivalent material for an established CAD/CAM workflow.
Preliminary results not only indicate that the AM material produced by LSD-print can be competitive in terms of mechanical properties, but also that aesthetically satisfactory restorations can be manufactured for veneers, inlays and onlays as well as single unit fixed dental prostheses (FDPs).
The presentation focuses on the material and technological challenges alongside the process chain, from the printing process, to debinding, firing and finishing the restorations.
The presentation gives an overview of two slurry-based additive manufacturing (AM) technologies specifically developed for advanced ceramic materials.
The “Layerwise Slurry Deposition” (LSD-print) is a modification of Binder Jetting making use of a ceramic slurry instead of a dry powder as a feedstock. In this process, a slurry is deposited layer-by-layer by means of a doctor blade and dried to achieve a highly packed powder layer, which is then printed by jetting a binder. The LSD-print technology combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to those achieved by traditional processing.
The Laser Induced Slip casting (LIS) technology follows a novel working principle by locally drying and selectively consolidating layer-by-layer a ceramic green body in a vat of slurry, using a laser as energy source. LIS combines elements of Vat Photopolymerization with the use of water-based feedstocks containing a minimal amount of organic additives. The resulting technology can be directly integrated into a traditional ceramic process chain by manufacturing green bodies that are sintered without the need of a dedicated debinding.
Both technologies offer high flexibility in the ceramic feedstock used, especially concerning material and particle size. Advantages and disadvantages are briefly described to outline the specific features of LSD-print and LIS depending on the targeted application.
For the wide acceptance of the use of additive manufacturing (AM), it is required to provide reliable testing methods to ensure the safety of the additively manufactured parts. A possible solution could be the deployment of in-situ monitoring during the build process. However, for laser powder bed fusion using metal powders (PBF-LB/M) only a few in-situ monitoring techniques are commercially available (optical tomography, melt pool monitoring), which have not been researched to an extent that allows to guarantee the adherence to strict quality and safety standards.
In this contribution, we present results of a study of PBF-LB/M printed parts made of the nickel-based superalloy Haynes 282. The formation of defects was provoked by local variations of the process parameters and monitored by thermography, optical tomography and melt pool monitoring. Afterwards, the defects were characterized by computed tomography (CT) to identify the detection limits of the used in-situ techniques.
Recently, efforts towards the development of patient-specific 3D printed scaffolds for bone tissue engineering from bioactive ceramics have continuously intensified. For reconstruction of segmental defects after subtotal mandibulectomy a suitable tissue engineered bioceramic bone graft needs to be endowed with homogenously distributed osteoblasts in order to mimic the advantageous features of vascularized autologous fibula grafts, which represent the standard of care, contain osteogenic cells and are transplanted with the respective blood vessel. Consequently, inducing vascularization early on is pivotal for bone tissue engineering. The current study explored an advanced bone tissue engineering approach combining an advanced 3D printing technique for bioactive resorbable ceramic scaffolds with a perfusion cell culture technique for pre-colonization with mesenchymal stem cells, and with an intrinsic angiogenesis technique for regenerating critical size, segmental discontinuity defects in vivo applying a rat model. To this end, the effect of differing Si-CAOP (silica containing calcium alkali orthophosphate) scaffold microarchitecture arising from 3D powder bed printing (RP) or the Schwarzwalder Somers (SSM) replica fabrication technique on vascularization and bone regeneration was analyzed in vivo. In 80 rats 6-mm segmental discontinuity defects were created in the left femur.
Stereolithography processes such as lithography-based ceramic manufacturing (LCM) are technologies that can produce centimeter-sized structures in a reasonable time frame. However, for some parts specifications, they lack resolution. Two-photon-polymerization (2PP) ensures the highest geometric accuracy in additive manufacturing so far. Nevertheless, building up parts in sizes as large as a few millimeters or even centimeters is a time-consuming process, which makes the production of 2PP printed parts very costly. Regarding feedstock specification, the requirements for 2PP are different to those for LCM, and generally, feedstocks are designed to meet requirements for only one of these manufacturing technologies. In an attempt to fabricate highly precise ceramic components of a rather large size, it is necessary to develop a feedstock that suits both light-based technologies, taking advantage of LCM’s higher productivity and 2PP’s accuracy. Hybridization should bring the desired precision to the region of interest on reasonably large parts without escalating printing time and costs. In this study, specimens gained from a transparent feedstock with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particles of 5 nm at 70 wt% were presented. The resin was originally designed to suit 2PP, while being also printable with LCM. This work demonstrates how hybrid parts can be sintered into full YSZ ceramics.
Inconel 718 (IN718) is a traditional age-hardenable nickel-based alloy that has been increasingly processed by additive manufacturing (AM) in recent years. In the as-solidified condition, IN718 exhibits chemical segregation and the undesired Laves phase, requiring a solution annealing (SA) prior to aging. The material produced by AM does not respond to the established thermal routines in the same way as conventionally produced IN718, and there is still no consensus on which routine yields optimal results. This work aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the heat treatment (HT) response by continuously monitoring the microstructural evolution during SA via time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction, complemented by ex-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The samples were produced by laser powder bed fusion to a geometry of 10x20x90 mm³, from which Ø1x5 mm³ cylindric specimens were extracted. Two different scanning strategies – incremental 67° rotations, Rot, and alternating 0°/67° tracks, Alt – were used, leading to two different as-built conditions. 1-hour SAs were carried out in the beamline ID22 of the ESRF at 50 KeV. Two SA temperatures, SA1 = 1020 °C, and SA2 = 1080 °C were tested for each scanning strategy. Data were processed using the software PDIndexer. In the as-built state, all samples showed typical subgrain columnar cell structures with predominant Nb/Mo segregation and Laves phase at the cell walls, as seen by SEM. The Alt scan induced higher intensity on the Laves peaks than the Rot scan, suggesting a greater content of Laves. Chemical homogenization in the SA was largely achieved during the heating ramp (Fig. 1). SA2 eliminated the Laves peaks just before reaching 1080 °C, and mitigated differences between Rot and Alt samples. On the other hand, SA1 induced the precipitation of the generally detrimental δ phase, also observed by SEM. Furthermore, the Rot scan showed higher δ peak intensities than the Alt scan, indicating a higher content of δ in the latter. No signs of recrystallization were observed in any of the investigated SAs.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Defects are still common in metal components built with Additive Manufacturing (AM). Process monitoring methods for laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are used in industry, but relationships between monitoring data and defect formation are not fully understood yet. Additionally, defects and deformations may develop with a time delay to the laser energy input. Thus, currently, the component quality is only determinable after the finished process.
Here, active laser thermography, a non-destructive testing method, is adapted to PBF-LB/M, using the defocused process laser as heat source. The testing can be performed layer by layer throughout the manufacturing process. The results of the defect detection using infrared cameras are presented for a custom research PBF-LB/M machine. Our work enables a shift from post-process testing of components towards in-situ testing during the AM process. The actual component quality is evaluated in the process chamber and defects can be detected between layers.
For the wide acceptance of the use of additive manufacturing (AM), it is required to provide reliable testing methods to ensure the safety of the additively manufactured parts. A possible solution could be the deployment of in-situ monitoring during the build process. However, for laser powder bed fusion using metal powders (PBF-LB/M ) only a few in-situ monitoring techniques are commercially available (optical tomography, melt pool monitoring) but not researched to an extent that allows to guarantee the adherence to strict quality and safety standards.
In this contribution, we present results of a study of PBF-LB/M printed parts made of the nickel-based superalloy Haynes 282. The formation of defects was provoked by local variations of the process parameters and monitored by thermography, optical tomography and melt pool monitoring. Afterwards, the defects were characterized by computed tomography (CT) to identify the detection limits of the used in-situ techniques.
Great complexity characterizes Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metallic components via laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M). Due to this, defects in the printed components (like cracks and pores) are still common. Monitoring methods are commercially used, but the relationship between process data and defect formation is not well understood yet. Furthermore, defects and deformations might develop with a temporal delay to the laser energy input. The component’s actual quality is consequently only determinable after the finished process.
To overcome this drawback, thermographic in-situ testing is introduced. The defocused process laser is utilized for nondestructive testing performed layer by layer throughout the build process. The results of the defect detection via infrared cameras are shown for a research PBF-LB/M machine.
This creates the basis for a shift from in-situ monitoring towards in-situ testing during the AM process. Defects are detected immediately inside the process chamber, and the actual component quality is determined.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Influence of the WAAM process on residual stresses in high-strength steels (IIW-Doc. II-A-408-2022)
(2022)
High-strength fine-grain structeural steels have great potential for weight optimization of many modern engineering structures. Efficient manufacturing can be achieved here above all by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). First commercial high-strength welding consumables for WAAM are already available. However, due to a lack of knowledge and guidelines for the industry regarding welding residual stresses and component safety in manufacturing and operation, their application is still severely limited. Residual stresses play a crucial role here, as the sensitive microstructure of high-strength steels carries a high risk of cold cracking. For this reason, process- and material-related influences, as well as the design aspects on residual stress formation and the risk of cold cracking, are being investigated in a recent project (FOSTA-P1380/IGF21162BG). This high strength of the WAAM welding consumables is adjusted via a martensitic phase transformation. The volume expansion associated with martensite formation has a significant influence on residual stress evolution. However, this has not yet been investigated in relation to the processing of high-strength steels by WAAM. The aim of this work is to establish a WAAM cold crack test and easy-to-apply processing recommendations that will allow economical, expedient, and crack-resistant fabrication of high-strength steels, especially for SME. This paper focuses on the analysis of the effects of welding heat control and design of WAAM components on cooling conditions, microstructure, mechanical-technological properties and residual stresses. For this purpose, geometrically defined specimens (hollow cuboids) are welded fully automatically with a special, high-strength WAAM solid wire (yield strength >790 MPa). The heat control and specimen dimensions are varied within a statistical experimental design. The weld heat control is adjusted in such a way that the t8/5 cooling times are ensured within the recommended processing range (approx. 5–20 s). For this purpose, additional thermo-physical forming simulations using a dilatometer allowed the complex heat cycles to be reproduced and the resulting ultimate tensile strength of the weld metal to be determined. The WAAM welding of complex geometries with varying welding heat control and geometric factors or wall thicknesses not only has an effect on the cooling conditions, cooling times and microstructure, but also has a significant influence on the structural restraint conditions during welding. Hence, the welding experiments show significant effects of specimen scaling and heat input on the welding residual stresses, which may be detrimental regarding component properties and crack-critical tensile residual stresses. These complex interactions are analyzed within this investigation.
Since metal additive manufacturing (AM) becomes more and more established in industry, also the cost pressure for AM components increases. One big cost factor is the quality control of the manufactured components. Reliable in-process monitoring systems are a promising route to lower scrap rates and enhance trust in the component and process quality.
The focus of this contribution is the presentation and comparison of two optical tomography based multi measurand in-situ monitoring approaches for the L-PBF process: the bicolor- and the RGB-optical tomography. The classical optical tomography (OT) is one of the most common commercial in-situ monitoring techniques in industrial L-PBF machines. In the OT spatial resolved layer-images of the L-PBF process are taken from an off-axis position in one near infrared wavelength window. In addition to the explanatory powers classical OT, both here presented approaches enable the determination of the maximum surface temperature. In contrast to thermography that may also yield maximum temperature information, the needed equipment is significantly cheaper and offers a higher spatial resolution. Both approaches are implemented at a new in-house developed L-PBF system (Sensor-based additive manufacturing machine - SAMMIE). SAMMIE is specifically designed for the development and characterization of in-situ monitoring systems and is introduced as well.
Powder bed technologies are amongst the most successful Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. Powder bed fusion and binder jetting especially are leading AM technologies for metals and polymers, thanks to their high productivity and scalability. The application of these techniques to most ceramics has been difficult so far, because of the challenges related to the deposition of homogeneous powder layers when using fine powders. In this context, the “layerwise slurry deposition” (LSD) has been developed as a layer deposition method which enables the use of powder bed AM technologies also for advanced ceramic materials. The layerwise slurry deposition consists of the layer-by-layer deposition of a ceramic slurry by means of a doctor blade, in which the slurry is deposited and dried to achieve a highly packed powder layer. This offers high flexibility in the ceramic feedstock used, especially concerning material and particle size. The LSD technology can be combined with binder jetting to develop the so-called “LSDprint” process for the additive manufacturing of ceramics. The LSDprint technology combines the high-speed printing of binder jetting with the possibility of producing a variety of high-quality ceramics with properties comparable to those achieved by traditional processing. In this presentation, the LSD process will be introduced and several examples of application ranging from silicate to high-performance ceramics will be shown. Recent developments towards the scale-up and industrialization of this process will be discussed, alongside future perspectives for the multi-material additive manufacturing.
The formation of defects such as keyhole pores is a major challenge for the production of metal parts by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The LPBF process is characterized by a large number of influencing factors which can be hard to quantify. Machine Learning (ML) is a prominent tool to predict the outcome of complex processes on the basis of different sensor data. In this study, a ML model for defect prediction is created using thermographic image features as input data. As a reference, the porosity information calculated from an x-ray Micro Computed Tomography (µCT) scan of the produced specimen is used. Physical knowledge about the keyhole pore formation is incorporated into the model to increase the prediction accuracy. From the prediction result, the quality of the input data is evaluated and future demands on in-situ monitoring of LPBF processes are formulated.
The interest to additively manufacture Nickel-based superalloys has substantially grown within the past decade both academically and industrially. More specifically, additive manufacturing processes such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offer the ability to produce dense parts within a single manufacturing step. In fact, the exceptional freedom in design associated with the layer-based nature of the processes is of particular interest for the complex shapes typically required in turbine applications. In certain cases, the overall part performance can be achieved by tailoring the microstructure and the crystallographic texture to the specific application. However, these advantages must be paid at a price: the large local temperature gradients associated with the rapid melting and solidification produce parts that inherently contain large residual stress in the as-manufactured state. In addition, the presence of pores in the final part may further affect the in-service part failure. As among Nickel-based alloys Inconel 718 exhibits excellent weldability, this alloy has been widely studied in open research in the domain of LPBF. However, significant microsegregation of the heavier alloying elements such as Niobium and Molybdenum accompanied by dislocation entanglements may preclude the application of conventional heat treatment schedules. Therefore, different post processing heat treatments are required for laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 as compared to conventional variants of the same alloy.
In this study, we investigated two different heat treatment routes for LPBF Inconel 718. In a first routine, the samples were stress relieved and subsequently subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) followed by a solution heat treatment and a two-step age (referred to as FHT). In a second routine, the samples were subjected to a single-step direct age post stress relieving heat treatment (referred to DA). We investigated the consequences of such heat treatment schedules on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical behavior. We show that by applying a DA heat treatment the typical columnar microstructure possessing a crystallographic texture is retained, while an equiaxed untextured microstructure prevails in case of an FHT heat treatment. We further evaluate how these heat treatments affect the mechanical behaviour on the macroscopic and microscopic scale.
Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have risen to prominence in many industrial sectors. This rapid success of AM is due to the freeform design, which offers enormous possibilities to the engineer, and to the reduction of waste material, which has both environmental and economic advantages. Even safety-critical parts are now being produced using AM. This enthusiastic penetration of AM in our daily life is not yet paralleled by a thorough characterization and understanding of the microstructure of materials and of the internal stresses of parts. The same holds for the understanding of the formation of defects during manufacturing. While simulation efforts are sprouting and some experimental techniques for on-line monitoring are available, still little is known about the propagation of defects throughout the life of a component (from powder to operando/service conditions). This Issue was aimed at collecting contributions about the advanced characterization of AM materials and components (especially at large-scale experimental facilities such as Synchrotron and Neutron sources), as well as efforts to liaise on-line process monitoring to the final product, and even to the component during operation. The goal was to give an overview of advances in the understanding of the impacts of microstructure and defects on component performance and life at several length scales of both defects and parts.