Laser beam melting of aluminum alloys with hull-core build strategy by using an initial meso-scale simulation

Laser beam melting (LBM) of aluminum alloys is gaining a wide popularity in different industrial applications as an alternative technology for the production of individual and complex parts. A long build time and the high amount of experimental work for optimizing or finding new process parameters are two of the current challenges for reaching an industrial maturity. This paper proposes an efficient way to determine new process parameters for aluminum alloy aluminum-silicon10-magnesium with highest build-up rates by using a 3D finite element model on the mesoscopic level. High laser power in combination with the hull-core build strategy was used to increase the build-up rate without impairing the part accuracy. The influences of high laser power, laser diameter and scan speed on the melt pool were studied by using a thermal simulation of single laser tracks. Based on the simulation results the process window could be derived and was tested on a laser beam melting (LBM) system. The achieved reduction of the build time of up to 31 % without loss in part accuracy proved the novel approach for the prediction of the required process window as an efficient method to reduce costly and time-consuming experimental work.