ERI: Study of Powder Spreading Behavior for Additive Manufacturing Applications in a Novel Test Bed Environment

ERI：新型试验台环境中增材制造应用的粉末铺展行为研究

• 批准号: 2347633
• 负责人: Jaime Berez
• 金额: $ 20万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2347633&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ERI; Study; Powder; Spreading; Behavior

High quality metal powder suitable for additive manufacturing is a key factor for producing defect-free parts for mission critical applications. Existing powder characterization methods are reported to have limited applications in additive manufacturing. This is because they do not directly address powder spreadability, a critical but not well understood metric. This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project aims to fill this research gap by designing a testbed to better define and measure powder spreadability. Novel measurement methods, which determine the three-dimensional topography of spread powder layers, will be developed and advanced data processing solutions will be used to distill these complex measurements into easily interpreted summary metrics that directly imply powder quality and suitability for the additive manufacturing process. If successful, the researched testbed and metrics can facilitate the monitoring of the powder spreadability for virgin powder supplies as well as re-used and recycled powder. The expected outcomes will have a significant impact on the quality testing methods used in the standard communities and manufacturing industry. Spreadability is a poorly understood characteristic of powder which may lead to heterogeneity in the powder bed and thus lack of fusion in manufactured components. This correlation has been difficult to establish without a rigorous study of spreadability and supporting methodology for measuring the property of spreadability. The objective of work associated with this project is to interrogate the physics of powder spreading to define the main process variables and their influences on spreading behavior. Spreadability will be quantified via summary metrics derived from the physical topography of the formed powder bed via adapted surface texture analysis methods. A novel experimental test bed employing fringe projection profilometry to measure powder bed topography will be utilized. This will overcome existing limitations of powder characterization methods that were developed for powder metallurgy, not additive manufacturing. A screening experimental design will be applied to identify critical process variables and determine the most effective measures of spreadability. Research results will support the future development of standardized quality testing procedures for metal powder feedstocks that will promote overall process control and the wider adoption of laser powder bed fusion. The outcomes will impact other powder spreading processes, such as binder jet and selective laser sintering.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

适用于增材制造的高品质金属粉末是生产无缺陷零件的关键因素，适用于使命关键应用。据报道，现有的粉末表征方法在增材制造中的应用有限。这是因为它们不直接解决粉末铺展性，这是一个关键但尚未充分理解的指标。该工程研究启动（ERI）项目旨在通过设计一个试验台来更好地定义和测量粉末铺展性，从而填补这一研究空白。将开发新的测量方法，确定铺展粉末层的三维形貌，并将使用先进的数据处理解决方案将这些复杂的测量结果提取为易于解释的汇总指标，直接反映粉末质量和增材制造工艺的适用性。如果成功，研究的测试平台和指标可以促进对原始粉末供应以及再使用和回收粉末的粉末铺展性的监测。预期结果将对标准社区和制造业使用的质量测试方法产生重大影响。易熔性是粉末的一个知之甚少的特性，这可能导致粉末床的不均匀性，从而导致制造的部件缺乏熔合。如果没有对铺展性的严格研究和用于测量铺展性性质的支持方法，这种相关性很难建立。与此项目相关的工作目标是询问粉末铺展的物理学，以确定主要的工艺变量及其对铺展行为的影响。通过适用的表面纹理分析方法，通过从所形成的粉末床的物理形貌导出的汇总度量来量化可粉碎性。一个新的实验测试平台，采用条纹投影轮廓术测量粉末床的地形将被利用。这将克服现有的粉末表征方法的局限性，这些方法是为粉末冶金而不是增材制造开发的。将采用筛选实验设计来确定关键工艺变量，并确定最有效的铺展性措施。研究结果将支持金属粉末原料标准化质量检测程序的未来发展，这将促进整体过程控制和激光粉末床融合的更广泛采用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。