Quality part production via multi-laser additive manufacturing

Multi-Laser Powder Bed Fusion (ML-PBF), a metals additive manufacturing (AM) method, provides an opportunity to produce more parts in less time. However, the effects of using multiple, moving energy sources on sintered part integrity, as well as the transferability between process parameters developed for L-PBF and ML-PBF, remains unknown. Via validated simulations, this study provides insight into how various single- and multi-laser PBF scan strategies can impact powder/part heat affected zones (HAZs), melt pool temperatures and local temperature gradient magnitudes, which affect microstructural properties, defect statistics, and mechanical behavior of fabricated parts.