Influence of a vibrating build platform on the density and hardness of parts made by laser powder bed fusion of metals

Abstract

The importance of powder-bed fusion of metals using a laser beam (PBF-LB/M) in industry and research is still gaining. Current developments are aimed at various aspects to increase the performance of the PBF-LB/M process and the manufactured parts. For example, systems with multiple lasers are being developed, and new alloys, new exposure strategies as well as the influence of the process parameters on the part properties are being investigated. This work analyses the influence of a vibrating build platform on the density and hardness of parts manufactured by PBF-LB/M. It is shown that a vibrating build platform influences the part density, especially for process parameters, which typically lead to lower relative part densities. For all investigated samples, the hardness increased with the use of a vibrating build platform.