Direct Selective Laser Sintering/Melting of High Density Alumina Powder Layers at Elevated Temperatures

Direct selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective laser melting (SLM) are additive manufacturing techniques that can be used to produce three-dimensional ceramic parts directly, without the need for a sacrificial binder. In this paper, a low laser energy density is applied to SLS/SLM high density powder layers of sub-micrometer alumina at elevated temperatures (up to 800̊C). In order to achieve this, a furnace was designed and built into a commercial SLS machine. This furnace was able to produce a homogeneously heated cylindrical zone with a height of 60 mm and a diameter of 32 mm. After optimizing the layer deposition and laser scanning parameters, two ceramic parts with a density up to 85% and grain sizes as low as 5 μm were successfully produced.