Effect of Process Parameters on Melt Pool Geometry in Laser Powder Bed Fusion of Metals: A Numerical Investigation

Numerical simulation of melt pool behavior during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is essential to provide more effective control of the process and choose an optimal set of input parameters for defect-free fabrication. In this work, we use the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to investigate the impact of laser power and scan speed on the melt pool geometry in LPBF. The developments here follow the state-of-the-art numerical algorithms for implementing the most relevant physical phenomena in the melt pool region, such as recoil pressure and Marangoni surface tension forces. 3D simulation results for a single-track LPBF process are reported, analyzing the sensitivity of the melt pool geometry to laser power and scan speed.ISSN:2212-827