Surface modification of additively manufactured parts by forming

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) has many advantages compared to conventional processes. Of particular interest is the tool-less manufacturing of components, which allows one component to differ from the next completely and has the possibility of producing complex geometries. At the same time, however, AM has deficits such as long production times, low production tolerances and low surface qualities compared to conventional processes. Therefore, a finishing process using machining is often necessary, which extends the manufacturing time and produces waste. Thus, the avoidance of machining rework is of high interest, especially with expensive materials such as stainless steel or titanium. One approach to avoid machining processes is to use forming technology. By applying a forming operation, surfaces can be smoothened and geometrical aspects can be defined more sharply. Especially for functional surfaces, this procedure is favorable because of the work hardening, which in turn increases the strength of the material. Using the example of laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) followed by a cup backward extrusion process, two materials, which are frequently used in AM are investigated. On the one hand, the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, as a material with low machinability and low formability at room temperature, and the stainless steel 316 L. Compared to Ti-6Al-4V, 316 L has a higher formability. Cylinders are built using PBF-LB and then formed to smoothen the surface and achieve a higher geometrical accuracy concerning edges. Formed, additively made parts have a more defined geometry, namely sharp edges and a surface roughness reduced by up to 90 %.