Improving Process Stability of Laser Beam Melting Systems

Laser Beam Melting (LBM) represents a promising Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology that allows the layerbased production of complex metallic components with very good mechanical properties suitable for industrial applications. In view of the increasing application of LBM in the field of the so-called Rapid Manufacturing many users of this technology demand suitable solutions for quality management and process monitoring. Another important aspect is the control of process stability which could be endangered by collisions between super-elevated part regions and the recoating mechanism. For that reason this paper presents two different approaches. The first system consists of a high resolution imaging setup. The second system uses an acceleration sensor to measure vibrations during the powder deposition. Furthermore this approach can be used to train the image analysis detection threshold. Experimental builds are performed to assess both systems’ potential to increase build stability. Finally, possible strategies to improve process stability are discussed.