Study on manufacturing of W-Cu alloy thin wall parts by selective laser melting

Abstract

In order to achieve rapid manufacturing of tungsten-copper alloy part, copper alloy parts (CuW, CuSn, CuP, with mass ratio of 1:2:2) were manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM), and the influence of different energy input was investigated. The methodology of separating part model was adopted to overcome the manufacturing defects that was caused by the scanning strategy. The results shown that the thicknesses of the thin walls gained by SLM vary from 123 to 276 μm with the laser power varying from 100 to 120 W and the scanning speed of 200 to 700 mm/s. The compartment walls obtained through separating part model were of uniform thicknesses and nonclogging pores. It provides a feasible method for manufacturing precise parts containing tungsten and mass manufacturing of precise microcomponents by the SLM process.