Characterization of porosity in lack of fusion pores in selective laser melting using the wavefunction

Abstract Selective laser melting (SLM) is used extensively in the manufacture of components for both production and domestic applications. However, the lack of fusion pores is one of the most common defects in the SLM process, affecting the performance and life of the part and hindering the development of the SLM process. Meanwhile, the defects are particularly sensitive to changes in SLM process parameters. The micro-selective laser melting (μ SLM) model was established by molecular dynamics simulation, and the lack of fusion pores in the melt pool was analyzed by a multifunctional wavefunction analyzer to understand the difference of the porosities under different processes. The results show that both laser power and scanning speed can prolong the existence time of the melt pool by changing the input energy density. The melted powder has more time to fill the lack of fusion pores, thus reducing the porosity. The larger scanning spacing hinders the combination of adjacent melt pools, leading to an increase in porosity. Reducing scanning spacing will lead to sintering or remelting, thus improving the bonding quality of adjacent melt pools and effectively reducing porosity.