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On the development of direct metal laser sintering for rapid tooling

Simchi, A ; Sharif University of Technology | 2003

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  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1016/S0924-0136(03)00283-8
  3. Publisher: 2003
  4. Abstract:
  5. An iron based powder blend has been developed for rapid tooling using a direct laser sintering process. The powder consists of a mixture of different elements including Fe, C, Cu, Mo and Ni. High sintering activities were obtained by tailoring the powder characteristics and optimizing the chemical constituents. The manufacturing of complex-shaped parts is possible at rates of 6.75 cm3/h according to CAD data. The residual porosity is less than 5 vol.%. The bending strength is around 900 MPa and the artifact hardness is 490 HV30. To further improve the service life of tools, the processed parts are sintered again in a vacuum furnace at 1260 °C for 30 min. This enables to manufacture precision parts with the density around 7.7 g/cm3 (sintering shrinkage is nearly zero). The dimensional accuracy of the sintered parts is improved by using a beam compensation technique that is integrated in the computer program of the laser sintering system. In this article the sintering behavior, mechanical properties, and microstructural features of the multi-component iron based powder are given and implications of the material for industrial applications are presented. A case study was performed to present the applicability of the material for rapid tooling. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
  6. Keywords:
  7. Direct metal laser sintering ; Mechanical properties ; Microstructure ; Rapid prototyping ; Rapid tooling ; Steel powder
  8. Source: Journal of Materials Processing Technology ; Volume 141, Issue 3 , 2003 , Pages 319-328 ; 09240136 (ISSN)
  9. URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924013603002838