Powder bed fusion process: A brief review

Abstract

Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) process. It is the layer by layer addition process. In the future, it is going to be manufactured all types of products used in automotive, aerospace, energy sectors and home appliances. These products can be produced using various AM methods. Few of them are Laminated Object Manufacturing, Powder Bed Fusion and Direct Energy Deposition, Stereolithography (SLA), and Solid Ground Curing (SGC).The present brief review is concentrated on working of PBF process only. It includes Direct Metal Laser Deposition (DMLS), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Electron Beam Melting (EBM) and Selective Heat Sintering (SHS). In these processes powder lay on the powder bed and it is also known as built platform. Laser used as heat energy source for SLS, SLM and DMLS processes. But EBM uses electron beam as source of energy. The SHS process uses heated thermal head for sintering plastic powders. SLS, DMLS and SHS are powder sintering processes. But SLM and EBM are powder melting processes.This review paper is also covered historical development and usage of technologies, CNC verses Additive Manufacturing/Rapid Prototyping, AM process chain, Classification of AM processes; advantages, disadvantages and applications of PBF process.