Customized exposure strategies for manufacturing hybrid parts by combining laser beam melting and sheet metal forming

Abstract

Subjects of this work are the mechanical, geometrical, and microstructural properties of hybrid parts from Ti6Al4V sheet metal bending and laser beam melting (LBM) in dependence of the extended LBM process parameters. In this context, the effects of different laser exposure strategies for the interface area to increase the reproducibility of the joint strength are investigated. Also, the effect of varying scan patterns and two different laser beam sources (Gaussian beam profile, spot size: 120 μm, maximum laser power: 400 W and irregular beam profile, spot size: 680 μm, maximum laser power: 1000 W) on the LBM process and the resulting distortion of the parts are examined. Furthermore, three heat-treatment temperatures at 450, 850, and 1050 °C were applied to the hybrid samples, resulting in variable microstructures and different mechanical properties for the sheet metal body and the LBM structure.