Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals

A special issue of Metals (ISSN 2075-4701). This special issue belongs to the section "Additive Manufacturing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 4037

Special Issue Editors

Department of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Sciences Shanghai, Shanghai 206120, China
Interests: laser welding; ultrafast laser manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: additive manufacturing; biomimetic 3D printed structures
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is based on a repeating layer manufacturing process that uses a heat source to melt and solidify material in a powder bed according to slices of a corresponding three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D-CAD) model. The stepwise production causes a reduction of the complex three-dimensional (3D) geometries into simpler two-dimensional (2D) manufacturing steps. Thus, AM offers great potential in design and production due to its high freedom of geometry and flexibility. In addition, laser welding (LW) of metals is becoming an important technology due to its ultimate properties, such as the focusing of high-power laser beams to a small area and the almost zero mass of welding tools, which results in fast and flexible movement of the laser beam along the welding path. Hence, it is also a very important technology for the assembly of components.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. The Issue shall cover recent progress in the basic and applicative research and development of the AM and LW of metals. The topics of interest include but are not limited to additive manufacturing metals and alloys as well as laser welding of similar and dissimilar metal alloys, modeling and simulation of influences of working parameters to mechanical properties and microstructures, process monitoring, and the real-time control of AM and LW processes. Notably, the related AM energy sources are mainly limited to arc, laser, and electron beams. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Jin Yang
Dr. Hongze Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • additive manufacturing
  • laser welding
  • mechanical properties
  • microstructures
  • modeling and simulation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 8203 KiB  
Article
Effect of Al-Si Coating on the Interfacial Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance of Dissimilar Laser Al Alloy/22MnB5 Steel Joints
by Lingqing Wu, Joao Pedro Oliveira, Jin Yang, Ming Xiao, Min Zheng, Wenhu Xu, Yixuan Zhao, Feifan Wang and Hua Zhang
Metals 2024, 14(3), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14030328 - 13 Mar 2024
Viewed by 694
Abstract
This investigation employed different laser powers to conduct the laser welding–brazing process of 5052 aluminum alloy to both Al-Si coated and uncoated 22MnB5 steel. The flux-cored Zn-Al22 filler metal was employed during the procedure. The influence of Al-Si coatings on the microstructure and [...] Read more.
This investigation employed different laser powers to conduct the laser welding–brazing process of 5052 aluminum alloy to both Al-Si coated and uncoated 22MnB5 steel. The flux-cored Zn-Al22 filler metal was employed during the procedure. The influence of Al-Si coatings on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of Al/Steel welded joints was investigated using microstructural characterization and electrochemical tests. It was noted that the interfacial microstructure of the laser Al/steel joints was significantly altered by the Al-Si coating. Moreover, the Al-Si coating suppressed the formation and growth of the interfacial reaction layer. Electrochemical corrosion tests showed that the impact of Al-Si coating on the corrosion resistance of laser joints depended on the laser powers and thickness of the interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) layer. The research suggests that galvanic corrosion occurs due to the differences in corrosion potential between fusion zone (FZ), steel, and Fe-Al-Zn IMCs, which accelerate the corrosion of the joint. The IMC layer acts as a cathode to accelerate the corrosion of the FZ and as an anode to protect the steel from corrosion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals)
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18 pages, 12412 KiB  
Article
Effect of Laser Scanning Speed and Fine Shot Peening on Pore Characteristics, Hardness, and Residual Stress of Ti-6Al-4V Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion
by Kanawat Ratanapongpien, Anak Khantachawana and Katsuyoshi Kondoh
Metals 2024, 14(2), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14020250 - 19 Feb 2024
Viewed by 960
Abstract
There is a concern regarding sub-surface pores within laser powder bed fusion of Ti-6Al-4V, which can initiate cracks and reduce mechanical properties, especially after machining for surface finishing. This study investigated the effect of laser scanning speed and fine shot peening on the [...] Read more.
There is a concern regarding sub-surface pores within laser powder bed fusion of Ti-6Al-4V, which can initiate cracks and reduce mechanical properties, especially after machining for surface finishing. This study investigated the effect of laser scanning speed and fine shot peening on the pore characteristics, hardness, and residual stress of Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by laser powder bed fusion using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray micro-computed tomography, Vickers hardness, and X-ray diffraction. As the laser scanning speed increased, the number of pores and pore size increased, which reduced the hardness of Ti-6Al-4V. Most pores were less than 20 µm in size and randomly distributed. The fine shot peening generated plastic deformation and compressive residual stress on the surface, leading to higher hardness, with similar surface properties at all scanning speeds. The depth of compressive residual stress by fine shot peening varied corresponding to the scanning speeds. Increasing the scanning speed accelerated the rate of conversion between the compressive and tensile residual stresses, and decreased the depth of the maximum hardness by the fine shot peening from initial tensile residual stress within Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by laser powder bed fusion, thus reducing the enhancement achieved by the fine shot peening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals)
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13 pages, 4334 KiB  
Article
Oxygen Uptake of Ti6Al4V during Direct Metal Deposition Process
by Dominik Keller, Axel Monney, Florian Wirth and Konrad Wegener
Metals 2024, 14(1), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14010119 - 19 Jan 2024
Viewed by 801
Abstract
The efficient fabrication of titanium components using laser direct metal deposition (DMD) is gaining significant importance in the aerospace and medical sectors. The DMD process must be appropriately designed to address the issue of oxidation, as titanium exhibits a high affinity for oxygen. [...] Read more.
The efficient fabrication of titanium components using laser direct metal deposition (DMD) is gaining significant importance in the aerospace and medical sectors. The DMD process must be appropriately designed to address the issue of oxidation, as titanium exhibits a high affinity for oxygen. The carrier gas flow and shield gas flow, which have been considered secondary factors so far, are shown to exert a substantial influence on the gas dynamics of the DMD process. By varying these parameters, it is possible to identify the influence of the gas volume flows on the oxidation behavior exhibited during the DMD process. To quantify the oxygen uptake in titanium structures during buildup, hot carrier gas extraction is employed. Experiments are conducted using both a three-jet and a coaxial nozzle to assess the influence of nozzle geometry. Additionally, the experiments are conducted within a shielding gas chamber to demonstrate the benefits of such a chamber in mitigating oxidation. Finally, the study reveals that by appropriately combining the parameters of carrier gas volume flow, shield gas volume, and travel speed, it is possible to fabricate titanium components, which fulfill the requirements regarding oxygen content of aerospace and medical applications even without the utilization of a shielding gas chamber. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals)
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13 pages, 6170 KiB  
Article
Improving the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Laser-Welded Al–Si-Coated 22MnB5/Galvanized Steel Joints Added by Nickel
by Youping Zhang, Youqiong Qin, Feng Zhao and Min Liang
Metals 2023, 13(9), 1600; https://doi.org/10.3390/met13091600 - 15 Sep 2023
Viewed by 695
Abstract
To weaken the harm of Al–Si coating and increase the strength of welded joints, variable thicknesses of Ni foil (Ni, an austenitic formation element) were added to the lap laser welding Al–Si-coated 22MnB5 hot stamping steel/galvanized steel joints. The joints’ weld appearance, microstructure, [...] Read more.
To weaken the harm of Al–Si coating and increase the strength of welded joints, variable thicknesses of Ni foil (Ni, an austenitic formation element) were added to the lap laser welding Al–Si-coated 22MnB5 hot stamping steel/galvanized steel joints. The joints’ weld appearance, microstructure, and mechanical properties were explored. The weld altered from an X shape to a Y shape with an increased thickness of Ni foil. During welding, Al–Si coating was melted and diluted into the welding pool, forming δ-ferrite (a rich-Al phase with low toughness and strength) in the fusion zone (FZ) and fusion boundary (FB). This phase deteriorated the strength of the joints. After adding Ni, the amount and size of the δ-ferrite phase decreased. With a significant thickness of Ni foil, δ-ferrite disappeared. However, a new phase (fresh martensite (FM), which formed at low temperature and contained rich Ni) probably formed, except PM (previous martensite (PM), which formed at high temperature and contained little Ni or no Ni). The heat-affected zone (HAZ) on the side of 22MnB5 comprised a coarse martensite zone, refined martensite zone, martensite + ferrite zone, and tempered martensite zone from the FZ to the basic material. HAZ on the side of galvanized steel mainly contained ferrite and pearlite. After adding the Ni foil, the strength of the joint was greater than that without Ni. The maximum strength of the joint can be up to 679 MPa because of the disappearance of δ-ferrite. Meanwhile, the toughness of the joint increased. The fracture mode was from three mixed fractures (cleavage, quasi-cleavage, and dimple) to one fracture (dimple). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals)
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Review

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31 pages, 14888 KiB  
Review
Review on the Tensile Properties and Strengthening Mechanisms of Additive Manufactured CoCrFeNi-Based High-Entropy Alloys
by Zhining Wu, Shanshan Wang, Yunfeng Jia, Weijian Zhang, Ruiguang Chen, Boxuan Cao, Suzhu Yu and Jun Wei
Metals 2024, 14(4), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/met14040437 - 09 Apr 2024
Viewed by 465
Abstract
The advent of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) provides new possibilities for the metallurgical community. CoCrFeNi-based alloys have been widely recognized to demonstrate superior mechanical properties, amongst the high-entropy alloy systems; in particular, they possess an outstanding tensile ductility and work-hardening capacity. Additive manufacturing (AM) [...] Read more.
The advent of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) provides new possibilities for the metallurgical community. CoCrFeNi-based alloys have been widely recognized to demonstrate superior mechanical properties, amongst the high-entropy alloy systems; in particular, they possess an outstanding tensile ductility and work-hardening capacity. Additive manufacturing (AM) uses a layer-by-layer material deposition approach to build parts directly from computer-aided design models, which are capable of producing near-net-shape HEAs with superior mechanical properties, surpassing traditional manufacturing methods that require a time-consuming post-treatment process, such as cutting, milling, and molding. Moreover, the rapid solidification inherent in AM processes induces the formation of high-density dislocations, which are capable of enhancing the mechanical properties of HEAs. This review comprehensively investigates and summarizes the diverse strengthening mechanisms within CoCrFeNi-based alloys produced using AM technologies, with a specific focus on their influence on tensile properties. A correlation is established between the AM processing parameters and the resultant phases and microstructures, as well as the mechanical properties of CoCrFeNi-based HEAs, which provide guidelines to achieve a superior strength–ductility synergy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Additive Manufacturing Process and Laser Welding of Metals)
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