ISBN 9783843935203

978-3-8439-3520-3, Reihe Ingenieurwissenschaften

Miranda Fateri
Selective Laser Melting of Glass Powders

171 Seiten, Dissertation Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (2017), Softcover, A5

Zusammenfassung / Abstract

Glass material is extensively utilized in various industrial fields; however, conventional glass production processes are not optimum for freeform fabrication applications. Nevertheless, existing fabrication methods and corresponding constraints may be augmented by Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. With respect to this, this study investigates the feasibility of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of soda-lime and borosilicate glass powder followed by fabrication of test geometries for industrial applications ranging from micrometer to decimeter in size. Initially, SLM process parameter and scan strategy investigations and optimization for different powder particles sizes of soda-lime glass are carried out. SLM fabricated parts are analyzed regarding their bulk density and surface roughness. Furthermore, systematic SLM process parameter optimization both analytically and experimentally, powder rheology, and analysis of the sintering behavior of the borosilicate glass under various atmospheric conditions with the aim of evaluating the density and surface roughness of the SLM processed parts are among the main objectives of this study.

Moreover, using Hot Stage Microscopy (HSM) viscosity points of different powder particles sizes and distributions are studied and applied for developing an analytical model which is validated by the systematic process parameter SLM study as well as on-site thermal process monitoring. Finally powder bed’s bulk density is optimized by polydisperse powder mixture preparation while keeping the powders’ lamination quality in the desirable flow regime. For demonstration purposes, complex glass geometries have been manufactured, promoting the possibilities of manufacturing custom, complex components via the SLM process.