Tuning the Hardness of Produced Parts by Adjusting the Cooling Rate during Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion of AlSi10Mg by Adapting the Process Parameters

Abstract

The mechanical properties of parts produced by laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) are mainly determined by the grain structure in the material, which is governed by the cooling rate during solidification. This cooling rate strongly depends on the scan velocity and the absorbed laser power. Experiments with varying process parameters were performed to develop and validate an analytical model that predicts the hardness of printed AlSi10Mg parts. It was found that it is possible to tune the hardness of additively manufactured parts of AlSi10Mg in a range between 60 ± 9 HV0.5 and 100 ± 10 HV0.5 by adjusting the cooling rate during solidification with adapted process parameters.