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Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Manufacturing Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 10836

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Dr. Shaun McFadden

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School of Computing, Engineering, & Intelligent Systems, Ulster University, Derry/Londonderry BT48 7JL, Northern Ireland, UK
Interests: solidification science of alloys; metallurgy; additive manufacturing of metals and alloys; computational methods in materials science and engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing processes in metals predominately use powder feedstocks as their starting material. Examples of processes include powder-bed fusion and directed energy deposition technologies. There are particular research outcomes that depend on the form and function of the feedstock materials—most of which relate directly to the materials science of the starting material itself. This Special Issue aims to broadly cover relevant aspects of materials research into metal powder feedstock materials for additive manufacturing. We invite contributions on research designed to improve understanding or expand the use of feedstock materials (production, geometry, defects, composition, metallurgy, microstructure, etc.) for additive manufacture. Research may include experimental efforts, modelling considerations, or both, providing a connection is made to materials science and engineering research.

Dr. Shaun McFadden
Guest Editor

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Keywords

additive manufacture
powder-bed fusion
directed energy deposition
powder
metallurgy
microstructure
alloying
defects
modelling

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Research

19 pages, 16539 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Use of Metal Sinter Powder in Laser Powder Bed Fusion Processing (PBF-LB/M)

by Jan-Simeon Ludger Bernsmann, Simon Hillebrandt, Max Rommerskirchen, Sebastian Bold and Johannes Henrich Schleifenbaum

Materials 2023, 16(16), 5697; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16165697 - 19 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1213

Abstract

Metal Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M Powder Bed Fusion, Laser-Based/Metal) offers decisive advantages over conventional manufacturing processes. Complex geometries can be produced that cannot, or only to a limited extent, be manufactured with conventional manufacturing processes. One of the main disadvantages of the process are high investment and operating costs. In order to make the PBF-LB/M process accessible to new research areas, the costs need to be reduced. Therefore, this work investigates whether laser beam sources and motion systems in currently established PBF-LB/M systems can be replaced by more cost-effective components. To reduce the operating costs for PBF-LB/M, the studies are carried out based on previous work with water-atomized, process-foreign sinter powder instead of gas-atomized, spherical PBF-LB/M powders. A cost-efficient, low-alloyed powder is selected (Höganäs HP1) and processed on two different PBF-LB/M machines with a restricted process window using process parameter values that current low-cost machines can achieve. The results show that a multimode fiber laser leads to a more stable process and wider melt pools compared to a single mode fiber laser. In addition, a lower sensitivity of the process with respect to modified process parameters is observed for the multimode laser, resulting in a wider range of stable process windows. A Cartesian motion system (gantry) is suitable for use in PBF-LB/M despite lower scan speeds compared to galvanometer scanners. Beam guidance in the XY-plane offers new possibilities for machine and process design that are not possible with usual scanner systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing)

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12 pages, 9258 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solidification Behavior of Fe-6.5Si Alloy Powder for AM-SLM Processing, as Assessed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

by Darja Steiner Petrovič, Črtomir Donik, Irena Paulin, Matjaž Godec, Maja Vončina and Martin Petrun

Materials 2023, 16(12), 4229; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16124229 - 7 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Lab-scale investigations on the processing of small powder volumes are of special importance for applications in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. Due to the technological importance of high-silicon electrical steel, and the increasing need for optimal near-net-shape AM processing, the aim of this study was to investigate the thermal behavior of a high-alloy Fe-Si powder for AM. An Fe-6.5wt%Si spherical powder was characterized using chemical, metallographic, and thermal analyses. Before thermal processing, the surface oxidation of the as-received powder particles was observed by metallography and confirmed by microanalysis (FE-SEM/EDS). The melting, as well as the solidification behavior of the powder, was evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Due to the remelting of the powder, a significant loss of silicon occurred. The morphology and microstructure analyses of the solidified Fe-6.5wt%Si revealed the formation of needle-shaped eutectics in a ferrite matrix. The presence of a high-temperature phase of silica was confirmed by the Scheil–Gulliver solidification model for the ternary model Fe-6.5wt%Si-1.0wt%O alloy. In contrast, for the binary model Fe-6.5wt%Si alloy, thermodynamic calculations predict the solidification exclusively with the precipitation of b.c.c. ferrite. The presence of high-temperature eutectics of silica in the microstructure is a significant weakness for the efficiency of the magnetization processes of soft magnetic materials from the Fe-Si alloy system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing)

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17 pages, 6484 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Phase-Field Simulation of Microstructure Formation in Gas-Atomized Al–Cu–Li–Mg Powders

by May Pwint Phyu, Frank Adjei-Kyeremeh, Piyada Suwanpinij, Iris Raffeis, Markus Apel and Andreas Bührig-Polaczek

Materials 2023, 16(4), 1677; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16041677 - 17 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1549

Abstract

Al–Cu–Li (2xxx series) powders for additive manufacturing processes are often produced by gas atomization, a rapid solidification process. The microstructural evolution of gas-atomized powder particles during solidification was investigated by phase-field simulations using the software tool MICRESS. The following topics were investigated: (1) the microsegregation of copper and lithium in the particle, and the impact of lithium addition on the formation of secondary phases in Al-2.63Cu and Al-2.63Cu-1.56Li systems, (2) the effect of magnesium on the nucleation and final mass fraction of T₁ (Al₂CuLi) growing from the melt, and (3) the effect of increased magnesium content on the T₁ and Sʹ (AlCu₂Mg) phase fractions. It is observed that the addition of lithium into the Al–Cu system leads to a decrease in the solid solubility of copper in the primary matrix; consequently, more copper atoms segregate in the interdendritic regions resulting in a greater mass fraction of secondary precipitates. Our result agrees with findings on the beneficial impact of magnesium on the nucleation and precipitation kinetics of T₁ precipitates in the conventional casting process with further thermomechanical heat treatments. Moreover, it is observed that the increase in magnesium from 0.28 wt.% to 0.35 wt.% does not significantly affect the nucleation and the amount of the T₁ phase, whereas a decrease in T₁ phase fraction and a delay of T₁ formation are encountered when magnesium content is further raised to 0.49 wt.%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing)

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12 pages, 3067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Powder Reuse in Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion of Ti6Al4V—Changes in Mechanical Properties during a Powder Top-Up Regime

by Ryan Harkin, Hao Wu, Sagar Nikam, Shuo Yin, Rocco Lupoi, Wilson McKay, Patrick Walls, Justin Quinn and Shaun McFadden

Materials 2022, 15(6), 2238; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15062238 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2195

Abstract

The properties of Extra Low Interstitials (ELI) Ti6Al4V components fabricated via the laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process are prone to variation, particularly throughout a powder reuse regime. Interstitial pick-up of interstitial elements within the build chamber during processing can occur, most notably, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen, which can impair the mechanical properties of the built component. This study analyses ELI Ti6Al4V components manufactured by the L-PBF process when subjected to a nine-stage powder reuse sequence. Mechanical properties are reported via hardness measurement and tensile testing. Results showed that from 0.099 wt.% to 0.126 wt.% oxygen content, the mean hardness and tensile strength increased from 367.8 HV to 381.9 HV and from 947.6 Mpa to 1030.7 Mpa, respectively, whereas the ductility (area reduction) reduced from around 10% to 3%. Statistical analysis based on the empirical model from Tabor was performed to determine the strength–hardness relationship. Results revealed a significant direct relationship between tensile strength and Vickers hardness with a proportionality constant of 2.61 (R-square of 0.996 and p-value of 6.57 × 10⁻⁶). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing)

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20 pages, 4085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Powder Reuse Cycles in Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion—Variation of Powder Characteristics

by Gitanjali Shanbhag and Mihaela Vlasea

Materials 2021, 14(16), 4602; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14164602 - 16 Aug 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2755

Abstract

A path to lowering the economic barrier associated with the high cost of metal additively manufactured components is to reduce the waste via powder reuse (powder cycled back into the process) and recycling (powder chemically, physically, or thermally processed to recover the original properties) strategies. In electron beam powder bed fusion, there is a possibility of reusing 95–98% of the powder that is not melted. However, there is a lack of systematic studies focusing on quantifying the variation of powder properties induced by number of reuse cycles. This work compares the influence of multiple reuse cycles, as well as powder blends created from reused powder, on various powder characteristics such as the morphology, size distribution, flow properties, packing properties, and chemical composition (oxygen and nitrogen content). It was found that there is an increase in measured response in powder size distribution, tapped density, Hausner ratio, Carr index, basic flow energy, specific energy, dynamic angle of repose, oxygen, and nitrogen content, while the bulk density remained largely unchanged. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Materials Research Considerations for Metal Powder Additive Manufacturing Processing)

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