Reduced Residual Stresses through Support Structure Optimization in Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Description
The objective of this proposed project is to develop a TMPS-based optimization tool formaterial-efficient support structures that minimize critical residual stresses incomponents printed by LPBF. Within this scope, the following intermediate goals arepursued:
- to investigate the effect of support structures on the residual stress statein LPBF components to provide a validation database for TMPS models,
- to develop ahigh-fidelity and a simplified TMPS model together with a dedicated calibration andvalidation scheme including support structure homogenization based on in-situexperiments and simulated data
- to model the effect of the support structure ontheir homogenized thermo-mechanical properties using a response surface approach,and
- to develop and validate a parametric optimization tool for support structuresbased on TMPS and response surface models.
This research project addresses a prominent industrial problem that currently inhibitsthe adoption of LPBF. The in-depth investigation of support structure effects onresidual stresses advances the state of science, while the TMPS models and theoptimization tool developed in this project provide important guidance not only for aneffective support structure design but to analyze residual stresses and distortions indetail. Reliability and cost-effectiveness of the LPBF process are improved supporting amore wide-spread adoption of the technology.
Key Data
Projectlead
Project team
Project status
ongoing, started 03/2023
Funding partner
Practice-to-Science / Projekt Nr. 206334
Project budget
600'000 CHF