Optimisation of Surface Quality, Process Conditions, and Characterisation of Additive Manufactured Components

Additive manufacturing (AM) is widely known as a method ofmanufacturing components and parts from powder or wire elements emanating fromlayer by layer processing. Surface quality is a critical characteristic of any productmanufactured additively. Hence, this study presents a process of selective laser meltingused to manufacture 10 mm thin-walled metal tubes in cubes from Ti6Al4V powders.The laser used was an IPG YLS 500 Ytterbium fibre laser operating at 1076 nmwavelength with a 50 µm fibre delivery system using different laser contour scanningparameters. The scanner used was an Intelliweld 30 FC V system. A custom-builtselective laser-melting platform enclosed within an inert glovebox enclosure was usedfor the part building. A complementary surface engineering strategy was employedusing the statistical model approach of response surface methodology (RSM) to analysethe surface finish quality of SLM fabricated Ti6Al4V alloy. The selected variablesoptimised were the power density and consolidation rates, with their interactive effecton the experimental responses (surface roughness and top edge quality). The resultsobtained indicated that higher consolidation rates and mid-range power densities hadbetter surface finishes due to a more stable melt pool. The findings of this work willadd to the understanding of the process design and optimisation of componentsmanufactured additively in order to promote the integrity of the developed product.