Mould manufacturing by hybrid laser powder bed fusion of M789 steel on a functional base

This research focuses on reducing the manufacturing cost of metal components through “hybrid additive manufacturing”, i.e. laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) carried out on a pre-machined functional base. By incorporating part of the final component's geometry (such as cooling channels) in the base, the cost for large and bulky products can be minimized. The study identifies two crucial quality requirements for such a hybrid process: (1) reaching sufficient quality of the interface zone between the conventionally manufactured base and the LPBF part and (2) achieving accurate alignment between the base and the top LPBF section. A sensitivity study was performed using LPBF of M789 novel steel on a machined M303 steel base, demonstrating high-quality microstructural integrity even for a large misalignment in the building direction (Z). The alignment in the horizontal plane (XY) was carried out using calibration and process monitoring tools provided by 3D Systems, keeping the deviations <95 µm for real production simulated environments. Finally, the alignment procedure was successfully applied to a mould demonstrator, confirming an average channel misalignment of 49 µm.

ISBN:978-1-9989991-4-9

Publication year:2023

Accessibility:Closed