Porosity Prediction for LPBF Metal Additive Manufacturing—A Simulation Approach

Porosity in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is a critical concern in 3D Printing (also called additive manufacturing (AM)) as it significantly impacts the overall mechanical properties, density, and overall veracity of the manufactured parts. The major reasons for arising the porosity in LPBF are the lack of fusion and gas entrapment which resulting in voids inside manufactured parts. Several researchers have explored the various experimental and simulation methods that are employed to analyse porosity distribution, morphology, and effects on mechanical properties (tensile strength, and hardness) on the deposited component. Nevertheless, understanding the porosity formation mechanisms and optimizing process parameters are essential for achieving high-density, high-quality parts with predictable mechanical performance. The current study predicts the porosity percentage (%) and the solid ratio of an additively manufactured 316L component (10 mm cube) under numerous process parameters such as Laser power, Scan speed and hatch spacing using ANSYS Additive software. In addition to the above simulation, a third order regression equation was fitted to predict the porosity percentage of the AM component. The current study also provides a clear understanding of the effect of various process parameters (individually and the combined) effect on the porosity of an AM component.