Abstract
The present work presents an investigation of transverse laser modes in Selective Laser Melting (SLM). It includes detailed descriptions of process physics and various simulation tools that were developed at 3DSIM for SLM simulation. The SLM process depends on a focused laser directed towards a powder bed to selectively melt and solidify layers of powder to create a complex three dimensional geometry. The thermo-mechanical interaction of laser, powder bed and partially solidified part involves various nonlinear phenomena leading to final part microstructure, mechanical properties and geometrical accuracy. One important aspect of these interactions is the laser beam profile. Traditionally, Gaussian laser profiles with 00 transverse modes are used for SLM, since these are the only modes readily available for commercial purposes. The present work utilizes the SLM simulation tools at 3DSIM to study the potential for the use of transverse mode lasers for SLM. The interaction of transverse laser modes with characteristic thermal Eigenmodes of a typical powder bed has been modeled to further understand the effects of higher order laser modes on SLM performance.
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