Abstract
Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) is a relatively new additive manufacturing technology for metallic materials. Specific to this technology is the sintering of the metal powder prior to the melting process. The sintering process has disadvantages for post-processing. The post-processing of parts produced by SEBM typically involves the removal of semi-sintered powder through the use of a powder blasting system. Furthermore, the sintering of large areas before melting decreases productivity. Current investigations are aimed at improving the sintering process in order to achieve better productivity, geometric accuracy, and resolution. In this study, the focus lies on the modification of the sintering process. In order to investigate and improve the sintering process, highly porous titanium test specimens with various scan speeds were built. The aim of this study was to decrease build time with comparable mechanical properties of the components and to remove the residual powder more easily after a build. By only sintering the area in which the melt pool for the components is created, an average productivity improvement of approx. 20% was achieved. Tensile tests were carried out, and the measured mechanical properties show comparatively or slightly improved values compared with the reference.
Highlights
Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) shows a high capability for the fabrication of complex net-shaped titanium parts for technical and medical applications
The modification of the sintering process during electron beam melting led to a significant improvement in productivity
A decrease in scan speed during the sintering process revealed an exponential increase in compressive strength of the sinter cake specimens, which can be used to accelerate the sintering and melting process
Summary
Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) shows a high capability for the fabrication of complex net-shaped titanium parts for technical and medical applications. It is highly suitable for the manufacturing of implants since SEBM is able to fabricate designed and controlled porosity and tailored surface quality for the purpose of better bone growth. In regard to mechanical properties, studies have shown that titanium parts made via SEBM are on the same level as its conventional alternatives [1,2,3,4,5]. The SEBM technology, as many other additive manufacturing technologies, uses powder as the raw material to build three-dimensional structures [6]. The powder recovery system (PRS) from the company Arcam AB, Sweden, is a sandblast technology that uses powder from the build job for powder removal, simultaneously recycling and refurbishing it. Since powder removal is a vital part of the post process, it has already been investigated in previous studies [7,8]
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