Technical Paper
Combination of Modeling and Thermal Sensing to Understand Additive Manufacturing Processes
Metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a rapid prototyping or additive manufacturing (AM) technique that makes use of a high-power laser to fuse metallic powders into a desired geometry. The inconsistencies in the AM process lead to a need for a large amount of experimental trial and error to qualify a part. This makes an already expensive process even more costly and can be prohibitive to the widespread adoption of additive manufacturing. To expedite the design, development and qualification process of an AM part, manufacturers can turn to simulation and process monitoring.
In this application brief, we compare thermal history capabilities from Ansys additive manufacturing simulation solutions with thermal imaging results from Sigma Labs using the NIST Additive Manufacturing Test Artifact as a basis.