Work

A spiral laser scanning routine for powder bed fusion inspired by natural predator-prey behaviour

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Additive manufacturing by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) requires process parameters that consider both local and global thermal gradients to address material and component quality issues caused by non-uniform heating and cooling. Here, we develop an analogy between natural predator-prey behaviour and heat flow in LPBF, and consequently derive a spiral pattern that is translated into a discrete vector pattern compatible with LPBF. A power optimisation routine is applied to the spiral pattern to maintain constant melt pool depth, and the simulated thermal histories are compared to well-established zig-zag and helix scan patterns. From these results, we propose that the spiral pattern reduces the spatial variation of temperature, while a larger area remains above a specified threshold temperature at the end of the scan. Consequently, the spiral pattern may be promising for printing crack-prone materials, and for parameter optimisation of LPBF overall, and should be experimentally validated in future work.

Source: Virtual and Physical Prototyping

DOI: 10.1080/17452759.2022.2031232

Authors: Suh In Kim, A. John Hart

Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Additive Manufacturing Materials and Processes

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,070

Funders: MIT Portugal, Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy