LPBF
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a metal additive manufacturing process in which a laser selectively fuses regions of a bed of metallic powder to build parts layer by layer from a supplied 3D model. The build occurs inside a sealed chamber filled with an inert gas, typically argon, to minimize oxidation and contamination. After each layer is fused, a new layer of powder is spread across the bed, and the process repeats until the part is complete.
A typical LPBF workflow uses a fine, spherical metal powder and thin layer thicknesses, often in the
Materials used in LPBF include stainless steels, titanium and aluminum alloys, nickel-based superalloys, cobalt-chromium alloys, and
Advantages of LPBF include the ability to produce complex geometries and near-net-shape metal parts with good