Post-process machining of additive manufactured stainless steel

Published

April 29, 2015

Author(s)

Brandon M. Lane, Shawn P. Moylan, Eric P. Whitenton

Abstract

Due to the poorer surface finish and geometric accuracy of additive manufactured (AM) parts compared to machined parts, it is inevitable that parts fabricated through AM processes will require post-process machining. This problem was identified early by machine manufacturers which make hybrid additive-subtractive systems. Apart from these complex systems, many AM part requirements will require drilling, tapping, and surface finishing to meet their specified geometries, allowing the required functionality or fit in an assembly. There is already substantial amount of research attempting to analyze, measure, model, and predict material microstructure and mechanical properties of AM materials [1]. However, the rapid growth of the AM industry and incorporation into the manufacturing landscape ensures the use of post-process or hybrid machining will outpace fundamental research and broad scientific understanding. However, some basic experiments can shed light on the potential challenges and pitfalls of post-process or in-process hybrid machining of AM materials. Machine shop personnel at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have anecdotally reported more difficulty in milling, drilling, and tapping AM materials compared to their cast or wrought equivalent. This initiated an exploratory study into the machining characteristics of AM materials.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of the 2015 ASPE Spring Topical Meeting: Achieving Precision Tolerances in Additive
Manufacturing

Conference Dates

April 27-29, 2015

Conference Location

Raleigh, NC

Conference Title

2015 ASPE Spring Topical Meeting: Achieving Precision Tolerances in Additive Manufacturing

Pub Type

Conferences

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Local Download

Keywords

poser bed fusion, orthogonal cutting, high speed imaging, residual stress, surface finish, additive manufacturing

Citation

Lane, B. , Moylan, S. and Whitenton, E. (2015), Post-process machining of additive manufactured stainless steel, Proceedings of the 2015 ASPE Spring Topical Meeting: Achieving Precision Tolerances in Additive Manufacturing, Raleigh, NC, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=918449 (Accessed April 19, 2024)