Analysis and Method to Increase the Productivity of Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion of Metals

Additive manufacturing offers promising solutions to challenges in modern industries. Powder bed fusion with a laser beam for metals (PBF-LB/M) has reached high maturity, enabling decentralized, on-demand production of high-performance components that helps mitigate supply chain disruptions.

A key advantage of PBF-LB/M is its exceptional design freedom, enabling the tool-less fabrication of complex geometries--such as topology-optimized lightweight designs or patient-specific medical implants--that cannot be realized with conventional methods. This reduces manufacturing steps and material waste, making it widely used in aerospace and medical technology.

Despite these advantages, PBF-LB/M faces significant challenges in quality, time efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Long process times lead to high production costs, limiting competitiveness at high volumes. Increasing productivity without compromising quality is essential for broader industrialization.

This work optimizes the theoretical build rate for AlSi10Mg using a ring-shaped laser intensity distribution combined with high laser power. The optimized process achieved a 233% increase in build rate--from 10.8 mm3/s to 36 mm3/s--compared to a Gaussian reference process at 370 W. Economic analysis on an EOS M290 with 60 µm layer thickness revealed a maximum reduction of 70% in process time and cost, with realistic savings of 50-65% under optimal conditions.