3D-printer for selective laser melting (SLM) with micro-focus and integratable plasma source

数字化正在推动新流程、新产品和新商业模式的出现。熟悉的概念正在被取代。从这个意义上说，生成制造工艺或增材制造（AM）是“颠覆性的”。它们使形式的自由度和可定制性以及增材制造产品的原创性达到新的程度。其中最重要的工艺之一是“选择性激光熔化”（SLM），它用于从金属粉末中生成工业相关部件。HAWK已经在为这一过程研究改进的原料材料，这些材料通过等离子体处理获得了特定的性能。一方面，涂层用于改善颗粒尺寸在1µm左右的粉末的流动性能，以减少结块的形成，从而减小可实现的结构尺寸，并产生更光滑的表面。另一方面，不沉积的等离子体处理也可以修饰颗粒表面，例如通过去除表面氧化物。此外，氧化物陶瓷在通常的激光波长约为1µm的近红外波段通常不吸收，可以通过等离子体处理使其在该光谱范围内具有吸收性，从而可用于该工艺。这两种方法目前都有其局限性：标准的SLM打印机不是为处理上述超细粉末而设计的。因此，需要特定的µ-SLM设备来利用减小的颗粒尺寸。此外，没有涂层的等离子体表面处理的效果往往是短暂的。因此，处理和印刷之间的时间必须尽可能短；理想情况下，这种处理甚至可以就地进行。所要求的设备满足了最高分辨率，短传输时间和使用原位等离子体源的可能性的要求，因此对研究重点“激光和等离子体技术”的各个研究领域以及整个学院“工程与健康”的科学进步做出了重大贡献。

Digitalization is currently driving the emergence of new processes and new products, and new business models. The familiar concepts are being displaced. In this sense, generative manufacturing processes or additive manufacturing (AM) are "disruptive". They enable new degrees in freedom of form and for customizability as well as originality of AM products. One of the most important processes here is "Selective Laser Melting" (SLM), which is used to generate industrially relevant components from metal powders. HAWK is already re-searching improved feedstock materials for this process, which gain their specific properties through plasma treatment. On the one hand, coatings are used to improve the flow proper-ties of powders with particle sizes around 1 µm, to reduce the formation of agglomerates, and thus to reduce the achievable structure size as well as to produce smoother surfaces. On the other hand, plasma treatment without deposition can modify the particle surface as well, for example by removing surface oxides. In addition, oxide ceramics, which often are non-absorbing in the near infrared at the usual laser wavelength of about 1 µm, can be reduced by plasma treatment so that they become absorbent in this spectral range and thus accessible to the process.Both approaches currently have their limits: Standard SLM printers are not designed to handle the aforementioned ultrafine powders. Therefore, specific µ-SLM equipment is re-quired to take advantage of the reduced particle sizes. Furthermore, the effects of the plasma surface treatments without coating are often short-lived. Therefore, the time be-tween treatment and printing has to be kept as short as possible; ideally, this treatment even happens in-situ.The requested device fulfills the requirements for highest resolution, short transfer times and the possibility to use in-situ plasma sources, and thus contributes significantly to the scientific progess in the individual research fields of the research focus "Laser and Plasma Technology" as well as the entire faculty "Engineering and Health".