Ending project

End of the SEPP Project: Improved Simulations for 3D Printing

Laser-based additive manufacturing technologies such as the PBF-LB/M process, which uses a laser to process powder-based materials, offer almost unlimited geometric design freedom for the production of functional metallic components.

Despite this potential, these technologies are only partially utilised due to certain process-related limitations. These limitations affect the physical processes both locally in the process zone and globally throughout the component, resulting in problems such as residual stresses and part deformation.

To address these shortcomings, the SEPP (Simulation-Based Process Analysis of the Powder Bed Fusion of Metals with a Laser Beam, PBF-LB/M) project has focused on optimising the simulation of the PBF-LB/M process over the last few years.

The aim of the SEPP project was to make 3D printing of metal parts more efficient and accurate through intelligent simulation techniques. Instead of relying on complex and computationally intensive models that are difficult to apply to large parts, the project sought to develop simplified simulations that are still accurate enough to predict defects such as deformation

The project further developed the PBF-LB/M process model, which was successfully validated by experimental measurements. The accuracy of melt pool dimension calculations was significantly improved. A new method now allows temperature field calculations to be completed in less than an hour. The project was particularly successful in simulating the nickel-based alloy Inconel 718, allowing accurate predictions of melt pool geometry and temperature distribution.

These results form the basis for the development of strategies to minimise residual stresses and distortion. In addition, numerical model reduction techniques have been successfully implemented, allowing rapid calculation of temperature and strain distributions on a macro scale, further improving the efficiency of the simulation processes. Experimental distortion measurements were also carried out, confirming the simulation results and providing valuable data for further model optimisation.

The results of the SEPP project not only improve manufacturing quality, but also open up new possibilities for the industrial application of these technologies. They provide a basis for better exploiting the potential of PBF-LB/M.

This project was funded by DGF – Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Consortium:

Chair Digital Additive Production DAP
NLD – Lehr- und Forschungsgebiet für Nichtlineare Dynamik der Laser-Fertigungsverfahren