Trapped powder removal from sheet-based porous structures based on triply periodic minimal surfaces fabricated by electron beam powder bed fusion

• Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion-manufactured (E-PBF) porous components with narrow pores or channels and rough walls or struts can be filled with trapped powder after the manufacturing process. Adequate powder removal procedures are required, especially for high-density porous structures. In the present research, sheet-based porous structures with different thicknesses based on triply periodic minimal surfaces fabricated by E-PBF were subjected to different post-processing methods, including a traditional powder recovery system for E-PBF, chemical etching and ultrasound vibration-assisted powder removal. Wall thickness, internal defects, microstructure and morphology features, powder distribution inside the specimens, mechanical properties and deformation modes were investigated. A powder recovery system could not remove all residual powder from dense structures. In turn, chemical etching was effective for surface morphology changes and subsurface layers elimination but not for powder removal, as it affected the wall thickness, considerably influencing the mechanical properties of the whole structure. The ultrasound vibration method was quite effective for the removal of residual powder from sheet-based TMPS structures and without a severe degradation of mechanical properties. Ultrasound vibration also caused grain refinement. 

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Additive manufacturing

Electron beam powder bed fusion

Residual powder removal

Ti6Al4V alloy

TPMS structures

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)