Assessing the Powder Bed Fusion–Laser Beam Potential of Glass-Forming Alloys Using Single and Multitrack Laser Glazing Experiments

Outstanding challenges must be addressed to mature additive manufacturing (AM) technologies for glass-forming alloys (GFA) including increasing as-built densities, limiting cracks and pores, controlling crystallinity within fusion and heat-affected zones (HAZ), and increasing the size of process parameter windows that result in quality materials. The thermal cycles that are unique and specific to AM limit the applicability of research from casting literature under some circumstances. In this work, single-track and multitrack laser glazing experiments performed on four unique suction cast glass-forming compositions provide a means for screening the suitability and relative process window sizes for powder bed fusion–laser beam (PBF–LB) AM of four GFAs in the absence of available powders. The crystallinity of the fusion zone and the HAZ as well as the presence of cracks are observed as process parameters are varied for each alloy. Both conventionally good and conventionally bad glass formers show great potential for PBF–LB processability. Glass-forming ability in and of itself is not a good predictor of PBF–LB printability.