Influence of process parameters on the power consumption of high-speed laser directed energy deposition

Abstract

Additive manufacturing offers many technological advantages, especially for individual parts and lightweight design. The novel process of HighSpeed Laser Directed Energy Deposition (HS DED-LB) has much faster feed rates and hence higher deposition rates than other metal-based processes including conventional Directed Energy Deposition, and thus offers great potential for the industry due to the resulting short process times. Contrary to the operational characteristics, the ecological performance of HS DED-LB regarding the selected process parameters is sparsely investigated. Within this scope of sustainability, especially approaches to model and reduce the energy demand are required. Within an HSL DED-LB machine, the laser, the powder feeder, the extractor, the trajectory system, and the subsystem with the cooling unit require energy depending on their respective selected process parameters. To investigate which process parameter influences the energy demand of the respective unit and to what extent, full factorial experiments were conducted for each unit of a HS DED-LB machine. Additionally, it was investigated how the energy demand depends on the set process parameters. The results indicate that, except for the laser spot diameter, all process parameters (laser power, trajectory speed, scan path, stirrer speed, conveyor disc speed, extraction volume per hour) have a significant influence on the energy demand.