X-Ray Analysis of Magnetically Induced Additive Manufacturing

Through advancements in technology over the last several years, additive manufacturing has become increasingly mainstream in the manufacturing process. Additive manufacturing has several traits which would theoretically make it superior to traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques. While this ability to manufacture complex parts is certainly applicable to the external structure, additive manufacturing will allow for control over the internal structure of a part as well. From this, porous components can be created which match desired mechanical properties somewhat independently of the material actually used for manufacturing. However, many of these advancements require further refinement of the additive manufacturing processes intrinsic to them. One of the techniques suggested as a method of improving additive manufacturing processes is the incorporation of magnets into the manufacturing process. These magnets are used to direct the flow of the melted metal with more precision. Experiments were conducted in order to evaluate the effects of the introduction of magnets on parts printed using Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Stainless steel 316L, a relatively cheap and easy to print steel, was printed onto a Ti64 substrate using both spot welding and line scanning. It was observed that magnets had an effect on the melt pool and the keyhole depth through an analysis of the spot welding. Additionally, the various magnets also changed the flow of particles in the melted areas generated through line scanning. While quantifying the magnetic fields' effects will require additional research and time, there is strong evidence that they could be a viable solution to increasing additive manufacturing’s precision.