Impact of a typical scanner delay processing parameter on local microstructure in metallic laser-based powder bed fusion

Abstract

In laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M), variations in laser scanner movements, particularly lesser-studied parameters like scanner delays that control laser directional changes, can influence the microstructure in a part during fabrication as each of typically millions of individual laser vectors impact part thermal history and resulting microstructure. While the impact of commonly researched parameters such as laser power, scan speed, hatch spacing, and layer thickness on part microstructure have been well studied, considerably less attention has been given to scanner delays such as the polygon delay. This study uses electron backscatter diffraction to investigate the microstructural variations caused by polygon delay values ranging from 0 to 450 microseconds, beginning with individual scan tracks. The study then extends single tracks to a simple three-dimensional part to examine if microstructure differences due to polygon delays may be influenced by localized heating and cooling caused by nearby hatch vectors and successive layers. The results reveal that varying polygon delay clearly affects grain morphology during individual scan tracks, although these effects are less clear during a three-dimensional build. Future PBF-LB/M studies should focus more on understanding time-resolved laser beam processing effects to better reduce inconsistencies and improve part quality.