Proc. SPIE 8239, High Power Laser Materials Processing: Lasers, Beam Delivery, Diagnostics, and Applications, 823914 (February 9, 2012); doi:10.1117/12.907292 From Conference Volume 8239 High Power Laser Materials Processing: Lasers, Beam Delivery, Diagnostics, and Applications Eckhard Beyer; Timothy Morris San Francisco, California, USA | January 21, 2012 Parameters in Selective Laser Melting for processing metallic powders Tomasz Kurzynowski* a , Edward Chlebus a , Bogumiła Kuźnicka a , Jacek Reiner a a Wroclaw University of Technology, Centre for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, ul. Łukasiewicza 5, 50-371 Wrocław, Poland ABSTRACT The paper presents results of studies on Selective Laser Melting. SLM is an additive manufacturing technology which may be used to process almost all metallic materials in the form of powder. Types of energy emission sources, mainly fiber lasers and/or Nd:YAG laser with similar characteristics and the wavelength of 1,06 – 1,08 microns, are provided primarily for processing metallic powder materials with high absorption of laser radiation. The paper presents results of selected variable parameters (laser power, scanning time, scanning strategy) and fixed parameters such as the protective atmosphere (argon, nitrogen, helium), temperature, type and shape of the powder material. The thematic scope is very broad, so the work was focused on optimizing the process of selective laser micrometallurgy for producing fully dense parts. The density is closely linked with other two conditions: discontinuity of the microstructure (microcracks) and stability (repeatability) of the process. Materials used for the research were stainless steel 316L (AISI), tool steel H13 (AISI), and titanium alloy Ti6Al7Nb (ISO 5832-11). Studies were performed with a scanning electron microscope, a light microscopes, a confocal microscope and a µCT scanner. Keywords: selective laser melting, rapid prototyping, metal powders, laser processing 1. INTRODUCTION The big advantage of using additive manufacturing techniques is the ability to build accurate, finished parts based on geometric CAD models or models from Reverse Engineering, a method of geometry reconstruction. Rapid Prototyping Techniques (Layer Based Manufacturing Methods - LBMMs) allows for obtaining parts with internal spatial structures and functional surfaces [1][10]. One of additive manufacturing method and also one of the most common is SLM, which uses a focused laser beam to melt powdered material into a solid object. A schematic diagram of an SLM device is shown in Fig.1.