Mohd Sanusi Abdul Aziz

Thermal Conductivity of Metal Powder and Consolidated Material Fabricated via Selective Laser Melting

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a direct fabrication of part through layer by layer powder deposition and successive laser beam irradiation based on Computer Aided Design (CAD) data. One of the important properties in SLM is thermal conductivity of metal powder. This is because the ability of metal powder to conduct heat will affect the consolidation process during SLM. In this paper, thermal conductivity of metal powders with different particle diameters and their mixture was analysed. Other than that, thermal conductivity of consolidated materials fabricated via SLM process was also studied. In order to measure the thermal conductivity of metal powder, a theoretically verified method which was previously developed by the authors was used. Determination of thermal conductivity of consolidated material was analysed using laser flash technique. It was found that the thermal conductivity of powder metal was influenced by bulk density and particle diameter of metal powder. In this study also, metal powders of different particle diameters were mixed with various volume ratios, and its effect was discussed. Thermal conductivity of the consolidated materials was also examined, and its relation to porosity was elaborated.

Study on Reduction of Residual Stress Induced during Rapid Tooling Process: Influence of Heating Conditions on Residual Stress

This paper deals with the reduction of residual stress induced during the selective laser melting with a mixture of ferrous based metal powder. To evaluate the residual stresses induced during layered manufacturing processes, a strain gauge is attached on the bottom face of the base plate. The residual stress within the consolidated structure is calculated from the amount of strain change measured by the strain gauge when the consolidated structure is cut with an end mill. The influences of base plate thickness and consolidated structure height on the residual stresses are investigated. In addition, the effect of pre-heating and post heating by a laser beam irradiation are evaluated. The results showed that the deformation of the base plate increased with the increase of the consolidated layer and the decrease of base plate thickness, and the deformation was flattened when the consolidated structure was completely removed with the end mill. The deformation was related to the induced residual stresses. The residual stress distribution within the consolidated structure in the z direction was extremely large at the top layer of the structure and the boundary between the base plate and consolidated structure. The residual stress at the first layer of the structure decreased when the base plate was heated before consolidating the deposited powder. The residual stresses decreased when each of the consolidated layers was repeatedly heated by the laser beam irradiation.

Study on thermal and strain behaviour in selective laser sintering process

This paper investigates thermal and strain behaviour in the selective laser sintering process with a mixture of SCM, Cu and Ni metal powder. In-process monitoring of strain change and temperature at the base plate is proposed in order to investigate thermal and strain behaviour induced by selective laser sintering. A strain gauge was attached to the bottom surface of the base plate while a thermocouple was inserted at a distance of 2 mm from the top surface of the base plate. Changes in the strain and the base plate temperature were observed using an oscilloscope during the laser sintering process. The results showed that the development of strain within the sintered structure was affected by the processing temperature. Besides that, after the laser sintering process was completed, the strain value increased gradually and became constant as it reached room temperature. This strain value was found to correspond with the test models deformation. In addition, the effects of laser scanning direction and laser energy density during the process were observed. Measurement of the test models deformation was also carried out to discover its relationships to strain change and processing temperature. The results showed that the sintered structure produced by laser scanning of a sector along the width induced less residual strain, which resulted in less deformation. In contrast, both residual strain and deformation were found to be higher when the laser scanning was carried out along the length. Furthermore, when a low laser energy density was used, less deformation of the sintered structure could also be obtained.

Comparative study of tool wear in milling titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) using PVD and CVD coated cutting tool

Purpose The purpose of this study was to compare machining performance between chemical vapor deposition (CVD)- and physical vapor deposition (PVD)-coated cutting tools to obtain the optimal cutting parameters based on different types of tools for machining titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). Design/methodology/approach The design of the experiment was constructed using the response surface methodology (RSM) with the Box–Behnken method. Two types of round-shaped tungsten carbide inserts were used in this experiment, namely, PVD TiAlN/AlCrN insert tool and CVD TiCN/Al2O3 insert tool. The titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) material was used throughout this experiment. The tool wear and microstructure analysis were measured using a tool maker microscope, an optical microscope and a scanning electron machine. Findings The PVD TiAlN/AlCrN insert tool produces the lowest tool wear that significantly prolongs the cutting tool life compared to the CVD TiCN/Al2O3 insert tool. In addition, depth of cut was the main factor affecting the tool life, followed by cutting speed and feed rate. Originality/value This study was conducted to compare machining performance between CVD- and PVD-coated cutting tools to obtain the optimal cutting parameters based on different types of tools for machining titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). In addition, the information presented in this paper helps reduce the manufacturing cost and setup time for machining titanium alloy. Finally, tool wear comparison between PVD- and CVD-coated titanium alloys was also presented for future improvement for tool manufacturing application.

Electroless Ni-Co-Cu-P Alloy Deposition in Alkaline Hypophosphite Based Bath

The use of electroless deposition method to deposit nickel alloy attracts attention due to its uniformity, corrosion resistance in neutral media and low friction. Quaternary nickel alloy deposit can be achieved by adding metal ion additive into the plating bath. Furthermore, the use of alkaline bath can accelerate the deposition rate, and provide sufficient thickness for corrosion protection. In this study, an electroless quaternary nickel alloy is deposited on iron coupons by adding cobalt and copper ions in hypophosphite based Ni-P alkaline bath. The nickel alloy deposit surface morphology is studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Corrosion behavior of the nickel alloy is investigated using polarization curve measurement in 3.5wt% NaCl aqueous solution. From the results, the elecroless Ni-Co-Cu-P alloy coating produced at higher plating bah pH is harder than the lower bath pH. Higher Co, Cu and P content in the Ni alloy exhibit broader passive area in the polarization curve measurement results.