Smoothing additive manufactured parts using ns-pulsed laser radiation

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

It is well known that the surface topography of a part can affect its mechanical performance, which is typical in additive manufacturing. In this context, we report about the surface modification of additive manufactured components made of Titanium 64 (Ti64) and Scalmalloy(R), using a pulsed laser, with the aim of reducing their surface roughness. In our experiments, a nanosecond-pulsed infrared laser source with variable pulse durations between 8 and 200 ns was applied. The impact of varying a large number of parameters on the surface quality of the smoothed areas was investigated. The results demonstrated a reduction of surface roughness Sa by more than 80% for Titanium 64 and by 65% for Scalmalloy(R) samples. This allows to extend the applicability of additive manufactured components beyond the current state of the art and break new ground for the application in various industrial applications such as in aerospace.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)297-306
Number of pages10
JournalProgress in Additive Manufacturing
Volume6
Issue number2
Early online dateFeb 2021
Publication statusPublished - May 2021
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85100839129

Keywords

Keywords

  • Additive manufacturing components, Direct laser smoothing, Nanosecond-pulsed laser source, Scalmalloy(&#174), Surface modification, Ti64