Reuse of Smoulder in Laser Powder-Bed Fusion of AlSi10Mg—Powder Characterization and Sample Analysis

Metal additive manufacturing technologies, such as Laser Powder-Bed Fusion, often rate as sustainable due to their high material efficiency. However, there are several drawbacks that reduce the overall sustainability and offer potential for improvement. One such drawback is waste emerging from the process. These smoulder particles form when the laser hits the powder-bed surface, are blown away from the part by the shielding gas stream and accumulate on the edge of the build chamber. Usually, smoulder does not contribute to the circular reuse of powder that was part of the powder-bed but was not integrated into a part. Instead, it marks an end-of-life state of powder. Significant amounts of smoulder accumulate depending on the irradiated area or the build volume in one job, respectively. This results in the waste of powder that was produced with low energy efficiency. This study investigates the question of whether smoulder can transform from waste to resource via common powder characterization methods and first build jobs using processed smoulder. The investigation of process-relevant powder properties like apparent density and flowability showed no significant difference between virgin powder and smoulder. Sample characterization indicated that neither porosity, surface quality nor mechanical properties deteriorate when samples contain about 50% smoulder. This allows for the reuse of smoulder in terms of powder characterization and part quality.