Investigation and development of large-scale equipment and high performance materials for powder bed laser fusion additive manufacturing

Abstract

The current available selective laser sintering (SLS) and selective laser melting (SLM) systems have relatively small effective building volumes, which do not offer capability to integrally manufacture a large dimension component. Therefore, our research team in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, has broken through some key techniques such as the large powder bed preheating system and multi-laser scanning technique, and then successfully developed a series of large-scale SLS systems with effective building volumes up to 1400×1400×500 mm³, and an SLM system with an effective building volume of 500×250×400 mm³. These large-scale SLS/SLM systems will not only offer new capability to make large complex prototypes and products, but also provide higher volume production capability to make numerous small parts rapidly and cost-effectively. In addition, several high performance materials have been developed for the large-scale SLS/SLM systems.

Keywords:

• additive manufacturing
• selective laser sintering
• selective laser melting
• equipment
• materials

Acknowledgments

Some measurements were conducted in the Analysis and Testing Centre of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Technology Support Program [grant number 2012BAF08B03]; the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 51375188]; [grant number 51375189]; the independent R&D subjects of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology [grant number 0225110098].

Additional information

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by the National Key Technology Support Program [grant number 2012BAF08B03]; the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 51375188]; [grant number 51375189]; the independent R&D subjects of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology [grant number 0225110098].