Computational modelling of SLM additive manufacturing of metals

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology that can create 3D structures by depositing or melting material in a layer-by-layer manner. This paper focuses on the metal-based powder bed fusion AM approach, specifically the selective laser melting (SLM) technique. The repetitive hot and cold cycles associated with AM, causes localised compression and tension giving rise to significant residual stresses, which can lead to shape loss, structural failure, etc. Numerous parameters determine the thermal gradient; these include the thermal characteristics of the powder, the bed temperature, and the part size. This investigation describes the associated problem formulation and numerical resolution in the SLM simulation. An ANSYS-additive model is developed to determine the parameter dependence on the process. An efficient parameter calibration algorithm is proposed to generate an accurate numerical model. Three numerical studies are conducted using a vertical prism, a horizontal prism, and an L-shaped structure also compared with the experimental data. [Submitted 25 July 2020; Accepted 10 December 2020]