Laser Powder Bed Fusion - Metal

Technology Roadmap Sections and Deliverables

The clear and unique identifier for this technology roadmap is:

• 2LPBF-M - Laser Powder Bed Fusion - Metal

This indicates that we are dealing with a “level 2” roadmap at the specific implementation level, where “level 1” would have indicated the over-arching roadmap and “level 3” or “level 4” would have indicated an individual technology roadmap.

Roadmap Overview

The working principle and architecture of Laser Powder Bed Fusion - Metal is depicted in the image below.

Laser Powder Bed Fusion - Metal (LPBF-M)is an additive manufacturing technology that enables the creation of more or less complex metal components directly from a 3D model without any tools. While the number of available materials is still limited compared to other milling and injection molding processes, LPBF-M utilizes various metal and alloy materials such as stainless steel and cobalt chrome to generate substantial and durable parts, functional metal prototypes, high-temperature applications, and end-use parts. The LPBF-M technology offers comparable quality to parts made with traditional manufacturing methods. LPBF-M can be used for producing parts in highly cosmetic applications, manufacturing aids, small integrated structures, dental components, surgical implants, and aerospace parts.

The process is almost the same as other layer additive manufacturing technologies. A program utilizes 3D model data and mathematically slices it into 3D cross-sections. Each section will act as a draft that lets the LPBF-M machine know where to center the metal material precisely. The data is transferred to the LPBF-M equipment to assembly powered metal material from the powers to produce a uniform layer over the base plane. A layer then draws a 2D cross-section on the build material, fusing the material using a laser beam or an electron beam. Once a layer is complete, the base plate is lowered enough to make room for the next layer. More material is raised from the cartridge and recoated evenly on the previously sintered layer. The LPBF-M machine continues to center layer upon layer building from the bottom up as the part is built. Support structures are added to gives supplemental strength to find features and overhanging surfaces. The completed part is removed from the base play and treated with an age-hardening heat process to harden the part further.

The advantage is the excellent material efficiency of most additive manufacturing processes. While the scrap rate for many complex milled parts is over 90%, the scrap rate for LPBF-M parts is typically less than 5%.

With decreasing available raw materials and rising costs, this material efficiency will be a significant advantage in the long run. In the future, the introduction of high-speed systems with more powerful lasers and larger build chambers is expected to increase the share of LPBF-M in the production process, and a significant number of materials will become compatible with LPBF-M.

Design Structure Matrix (DSM) Allocation

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Roadmap Model using OPM

We provide an Object-Process-Diagram (OPD) of the 2LPBF-M roadmap in the figure below. This diagram captures the main object of the roadmap (Laser Powder Bed Fusion - Metal), its various instances including development projects, its decomposition into subsystems, its characterization by Figures of Merit (FOMs) as well as the main processes.

An Object-Process-Language (OPL) description of the roadmap scope is auto-generated and given below. It reflects the same content as the previous figure, but in a formal natural language.

Figures of Merit

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Positioning of Company vs. Competition

We compared and organized the FOM from related/competitive companies. Some key data/info is confidential, therefore we will keep it blank.

The following figure is the Pareto Front of Resolution vs. Build Rate for Various Additive Manufacturing Processes

The utopia point for the chart above is on the bottom right corner and at-present the Pareto front for Terrestrial SOA is closer to the utopia point than for ISM SOA. The parts which we will be manufacturing in space need to be of high quality and should have a reasonable manufacturing time. If the parts produced in space have a much lower resolution (higher micrometers) and have a low build rate (and consequently high build times and mean times to failure), then the manufactured parts may be unusable and provide minimal advantage over manufacturing on earth. The focus here is to shift the Pareto front for ISM SOA closer to the utopia point which can be achieved by maximizing resolution (lower micrometers) and build rate within reasonable limits. Working on improvements in both areas align with our strategic drivers and will help us achieve our goals within the target dates specified in the Technology Strategy Statement mentioned in the latter section.

While there are many technically feasible approaches to additive manufacturing of parts and systems, not all are adaptable to space. Present limitations for in-space manufacturing which contribute to the differences in the Pareto front for resolution and build rate include -

1. Space systems engineering is a complex discipline with very mature methods of certification which results in the deployment of extensively tested apparatus. Due to the extensiveness of testing before sending it to space, AM technologies have been progressing faster for terrestrial applications.
2. Current additive manufacturing systems deliver accurate and precise results in a 1 g, thermally controlled environment and are well understood. The same level of information is not available for ISM as there is much more testing for terrestrial AM due to less stringent certification methods.
3. Current processes such as photolithography can create electric components at scales of 35 nanometers as compared to common AM resolution (>50 microns) which would produce components 1,000 times larger than the physical size of currently available parts. This disparity in performance discourages investment by organizations to conduct research in this area.
4. Physics-based models of in-space additive manufacturing processes are needed to understand and predict material properties and help optimize material composition.
5. The thermal effects of energy source and energy density in space has not yet been extensively researched.
6. There is not enough investment in systems that produce open-system design, planning, simulation, and analysis tools for ISM.
7. Design for and construction of objects in space will likely require much less mass, due to the reduced gravity, but it is difficult to predict the overall mass reduction and corresponding impact on construction time without knowing the resolution required and the impact of other environmental effects on the process.
8. The impact of vacuum and thermal environments on the AM technology is not holistically understood due to a lack of data.

References:

https://www.nap.edu/read/18871/chapter/5#60