Flexible manufacturing of metallic products by selective laser melting of powder

In order to produce metallic parts directly from powder material using CAD data, the selective laser melting (SLM) process has been developed. From a series of material tests, nickel-based alloy, Fe alloy and pure titanium powders are found to be feasible for fabrication of metallic models by SLM. Finite element simulation shows stress distribution within the solid single layer formed on the powder bed during forming and some methods for avoiding defects in the products are suggested. The die for metal forming from the nickel-based alloy and the pure titanium models of bone and dental crown are demonstrated. The density of the model made by SLM is higher than 90% of the solid model. The mechanical properties of the formed model can be improved to those of the solid by post-processing. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.