ABSTRACT

This chapter provides an overview of progresses in developing physics-based models for the metal powder bed fusion (PBF). The production of metal parts via laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing is growing exponentially. The powder particles are overlaid on a uniform background mesh, replacing the background void material with metal for finite elements (FEs) within the preprocessing program's defined spherical shapes. The powder model tracks the energy content of the metal throughout the FE mesh. Evaporation of metal, particularly under the intense laser spot, is an important part of the dynamics and energy balance of the selective laser melting process. The powder model does not contain any consideration for the formation of metal grains and for grain growth as the melt pool solidifies. Evaporation of the metal can occur under the laser spot, the boiling temperature and heat of vaporization must be known for the material.