レーザ溶融積層造形に適した金属粉末の試験法

抄録

A testing method for judging the suitability of powder metals in layer manufacturing of 3D products by the selective laser melting method is proposed. In the test, the laser beam to be used in the 3D fabrication is scanned only once on a powder bed, and the longitudinal and cross-sectional shapes of the solidified part are examined. In the present study, pulsed YAG laser with an average power of 50W is used. When the solidified part is not continuous due to balling (pure Al, Al alloy and 18-8 stainless steel), 3D fabrication is not possible. Among the powders which solidify continuously, those with round (Ni based alloy, CuP and Sn) and crescent (Ti, Fe based powder) cross-sectional shapes result in high product densities (greater than 90% of relative density). When the cross-section is in a V shape (Pure Cu and Fe), 3D parts with relatively low densities are obtained. Some attempts are made to improve the formability of Al and Cu.