Effects of powders and process parameters on density and hardness of A357 aluminum alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Additive manufacturing processes based on the local fusion of a powder bed, such as selective laser melting (SLM), are a valid alternative to conventional technologies and a growing number of industrial sectors are currently relying on these processes for the production of different components. Howe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of advanced manufacturing technology Vol. 106; no. 1-2; pp. 371 - 383
Main Authors Tonelli, Lavinia, Liverani, Erica, Valli, Giuseppe, Fortunato, Alessandro, Ceschini, Lorella
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Springer London 2020
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Aluminum alloys
Aluminum base alloys
CAE) and Design
Chemical composition
Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD
Density
Engineering
Hardness
Industrial and Production Engineering
Laser beam melting
Lasers
Mechanical Engineering
Media Management
Morphology
Organic chemistry
Original Article
Powder beds
Pretreatment
Process parameters
Rapid prototyping
Shape effects
Powder feedstock
Additive manufacturing
Selective laser melting
Pre-treatment
Aluminum alloy
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Summary:Additive manufacturing processes based on the local fusion of a powder bed, such as selective laser melting (SLM), are a valid alternative to conventional technologies and a growing number of industrial sectors are currently relying on these processes for the production of different components. However, there are still some limits in using SLM and they are often related to the feedstock material. For this reason, in the present work, the effects of powder properties and pre-treatments, as well as process parameters, on the fabrication of aluminum alloy A357 samples were investigated. Two different batches of powder were considered in order to evaluate the effects of particles shape and size in the as-received condition and after two different pre-treatments: 60 °C for 3 h and 200 °C for 1 h. Selective laser-melted samples were produced in the conditions described above and were then characterized in terms of density, phase and chemical composition, defects, and hardness. The results showed a correlation between powder conditions in terms of morphology and pre-treatment on the properties of SLM A357 aluminum alloy components.
ISSN:0268-3768
1433-3015
DOI:10.1007/s00170-019-04641-x