Energy efficiency of Gaussian and ring profiles for LPBF of nickel alloy 718

Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential for improving the sustainability of metal processing through decreased energy and materials usage compared to casting and forging. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of high-temperature alloys such as nickel alloy 718 is one of the key modalities supporting this effort. One of the major drawbacks to LPBF is its slow build speed on the order of 5–10 cubic centimeters per hour print speed. This experimental study investigates how to increase the productivity of the LPBF process by switching from a traditional Gaussian laser shape to a ring laser shape using a nLight multi-modal laser. The objective is to increase productivity, reducing energy consumption and time, without sacrificing mechanical properties by switching to the ring laser thereby improving the sustainability of LPBF. Results include measuring the energy consumption of an Open Additive LPBF system during 718 printing and comparing the microstructure and mechanical properties of the two different lasers.