Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex, net-shape geometries. Additionally, in AM of metal and ceramics, which has received less attention, the microstructure and texture of the product can be arbitrarily controlled by selecting appropriate process parameters, thereby enabling unprecedented superior properties. This paper discusses recent progress pertaining to texture evolution mechanisms and control methods, with an emphasis on selective laser melting. One of the unique characteristics of AM is that the texture can be varied as a function of position within the product by controlling the scan strategy. The transient behavior of the texture and the factor used to control it via the scan strategy are discussed. In addition, the texture evolution behavior of face- and body-centered cubic as well as noncubic materials is discussed. The importance of the crystallographic “multiplicity” of the preferential crystal growth direction is described to understand the evolution behavior of the texture in such materials.

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Control of Anisotropic Crystallographic Texture in Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of Metals and Ceramics—A Review

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of pure tungsten for the fabrication of near-fully dense components is challenging owing to the intrinsic properties of tungsten. In this study, routine, gas-atomized, and plasma-processed tungsten powder samples were characterized for their powder shape, size distribution, tapped density, and flowability, and then used to fabricate parts using identical LPBF process parameters to evaluate the influence of the powder characteristics on the metal densification and microstructure. The plasma-processed W powder showed a relative density of 98.7%, the highest value yet to be reported, at a baseplate temperature of 80 °C owing to the higher tapped density and improved flowability of the powder, which result in high-quality powder bed formation. In addition, numerical simulations were conducted to estimate the effect of the powder quality on laser energy absorption and, thus, melt pool formation. The results reveal that enhanced powder characteristics result in an increased density and prevent lack of fusion while tuning the grain boundary characteristics and strengthening the crystallographic texture, which resulted in decreased cracking owing to less crack-sensitive grain boundaries and increased hardness of the as-built W components.

Influence of powder characteristics on densification via crystallographic texture formation: Pure tungsten prepared by laser powder bed fusion

Densification and Microstructure Formation Mechanisms of 80W-14Ni-6Fe Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Densification and microstructure formation mechanisms of 80 W-14Ni-6Fe fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is recognized as one of the most common additive manufacturing technologies because of its attractive capability of fabricating complex geometries using many possible materials. However, the quality and reliability of parts produced by this technology are observed to be crucial aspects. In addition, the challenges of PBF-produced parts are hot issues among stakeholders because parts are still insufficient to meet the strict requirements of high-tech industries. This paper discusses the present state of the art in PBF and technological challenges, with a focus on selective laser melting (SLM). The review work focuses mainly on articles that emphasize the status and challenges of PBF metal-based AM, and the study is primarily limited to open-access sources, with special attention given to the process parameters and flaws as a determining factor for printed part quality and reliability. Moreover, the common defects due to an unstrained process parameter of SLM and those needed to monitor and sustain the quality and reliability of components are encompassed. From this review work, it has been observed that there are several factors, such as laser parameters, powder characteristics, material properties of powder and the printing chamber environments, that affect the SLM printing process and the mechanical properties of printed parts. It is also concluded that the SLM process is not only expensive and slow compared with conventional manufacturing processes, but it also suffers from key drawbacks, such as its reliability and quality in terms of dimensional accuracy, mechanical strength and surface roughness.

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Jongyeong Oh

Papers

Single crystalline-like crystallographic texture formation of pure tungsten through laser powder bed fusion