Additive manufacturing
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Flip to reveal answersHow does powder bed fusion work?
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All 4 Flashcards — Additive manufacturing
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Question
How does powder bed fusion work?
Answer
A thin layer of powder is spread across a bed and a laser or electron beam fuses the cross-section. The bed drops, another layer is spread, and unfused powder supports the part.
Question
Why does SLS need no support structures?
Answer
The surrounding unfused powder holds the part up, so overhangs and internal cavities need nothing printed beneath them. The loose powder is recovered and reused.
Question
Why is additive used for low-volume production?
Answer
No tooling, so the first part costs what the thousandth costs. Below a few thousand parts it beats moulding, and it removes the lead time and minimum order too.
Question
What are the limits of additive production?
Answer
Build volume caps part size, cycle times are hours, metal powders are costly and need careful handling, and safety-critical parts need qualification of powder, parameters and post-processing.
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Full study notes for Additive manufacturing
Topic 4.1 hub
Manufacturing techniques
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Design Technology exam skills
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