Through-process modelling for optimized electron beam additive manufacturing

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Additive manufacturing (AM) has grown over the past five years from a niche discipline to one that is being embraced by multinational companies like GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce for the manufacture of critical structural components such as those used in the manufacture of jet engines. These new AM technologies offer manufacturers reduced development times, mass customization and the ability to fabricate parts that were not previously possible. While development of new AM technologies accelerates, key issues continue to limit its wider adoption in the manufacturing community, particularly for structural metallic parts where demanding property requirements must be achieved. A particular challenge for AM is process control. Owing to the large number process variables available to the designer/engineer, empirical trial-and-error approaches to process design are risky and impractical. In order to ensure both shape and property requirements are reliably met in AM fabrication, physically based predictive models must be employed in the production chain. In this proposal we aim to advance the state-of-the-art for metallic AM production through the development of a validated, fully coupled through-process model that links machine control to material microstructure and properties. This work will be performed in collaboration with a local Canadian company, PAVAC Industries Inc., that is an international leader in electron beam processing. The work proposed here will both support new fundamental understanding of AM fabrication as well with the development of a new AM technology based on PAVAC's existing expertise.