A method for the comprehensive monitoring of gas environments during selective laser melting
摘要
Modern additive manufacturing technologies, specifically selective laser melting, provide a means to create products with complex geometries and target physical and mechanical properties. The quality of the final product is determined by the composition of the gas environment in the working chamber of a selective laser melting system. The most critical factor is the oxidation of molten metal, which results in shape defects and a mechanical deterioration of the finished product. Existing standard monitoring systems with remote sensors do not provide exhaustive information about the gas environment in the working chamber, for example, about local fluctuations in the gas environment composition directly in the melt bath and the formation of gaseous oxidants (nitrogen oxides NOx and water vapor). The authors proposed and experimentally validated a method for the comprehensive monitoring of a gas environment, which relies on detecting the total concentration of molecular oxygen and NOx, as well as of moisture indicators H2 and NH3. The architecture of an information and measurement system for the comprehensive monitoring of a gas environment was developed. The system can be integrated into existing industrial equipment, with no changes to its design. Conducted using an EOS M 280 (Electro Optical Systems, Germany) and Farsoon FS 121M (Farsoon, China) systems, the experimental studies confirmed the formation of NOx during melting and showed that the proposed method can provide more accurate information about the gas environment composition compared to the use of standard systems. The developed information and measurement system is designed for multi-level control of the gas environment composition through automated control of gas supply based on real-time multiparameter analysis. The system provides more complete information about the chemical composition of the environment in the working chamber of a selective laser melting system and enables an appropriate response to oxidation risks, minimizing defects and improving product quality.