Abstract

Due to various causes, a process interruption during Powder bed fusion of metal with laser beam (PBF-LB/M) may occur. This can be caused deliberately, e.g. as part of the integration of sensors or hybrid manufacturing. However, unplanned interruptions are also possible, for example, due to a power outage. In particular for long term interruptions, the producer is often faced with the question if the production process can be continued in such a case or whether the interruption leads to a significant quality drop what means that the production needs to be canceled. Depending on the extent of the print job and the location of the interruption, this can mean a major economic damage for the producer.

Previous studies have found only minor quality losses. However, these have often dealt with the effect of relatively short interruptions of about one hour. However, significantly longer interruption times are also realistic if they occur overnight or at weekends.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of such a long-term interruption with following continuation of the manufacturing process on the resulting component quality. For this purpose, the effects of different interruption durations on the tensile and fatigue properties of the test specimens made of AlSi10Mg were investigated.