Powder Bed Fusion Metrology for Additive Manufacturing Design Guidance

Design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) guidelines are important for helping designers avoid iterations and fully leverage the design freedoms afforded by additive manufacturing (AM). Guidelines can be generated via metrology studies that use test parts to characterize statistically the geometric capabilities of specific AM processes. Towards that end, a test part is designed for polymer selective laser sintering (SLS) that incorporates an array of geometric features in an extremely compact volume, such that it can be easily inserted into existing builds. The part is then built in multiple materials, build orientations, and locations within the build chamber in a factorial-style study to assess the variation attributed to each processing parameter. Both part resolution and accuracy are investigated. Upon measurement of the test parts, tolerances and design allowables are established and compiled into a set of design guidelines for SLS. The guidelines are then made publicly accessible through an online web tool to be used by designers creating parts for polymer SLS.