Corporation de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal

Published purpose

Powder spreading in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is crucial for part quality and process productivity but is plagued by issues associated with the very specific flow of fine metal powders, and the lack of understanding of the interactions that dictate powder dynamic behavior. To address these challenges, the research team aims to develop a numerical model using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the powder spreading process in LPBF. This model will help assess the impact of powder properties on bed quality and assist in designing more efficient recoaters and developing new metal powder feedstocks. The Project's objectives include improving instrumentation for assessing metal powder bed surface quality, developing a protocol for extracting powder behavior model parameters, refining and validating a numerical model for additive manufacturing (AM) powder spreading, and extending the digital twin model to include deformable and flexible recoater designs. This comprehensive approach can enhance powder spreadability, thereby contributing to advance LPBF technology in the additive manufacturing AM field.