Process characterization and analysis of ceramic powder bed fusion

Powder bed fusion (PBF) of ceramics is often limited because of the low absorptance of ceramic powders and lack of process understanding. These challenges have been addressed through a co-development of customized ceramic powders and laser process capabilities. The starting powder is made of a mix of pure alumina powder and alumina granules, to which a metal oxide dopant is added to increase absorptance. The performance of different granules and process parameters depends on a large number of influencing factors. In this study, two methods for characterizing and analyzing the PBF process are presented and used to assess which dopant is the most suitable for the process. The first method allows one to analyze the absorptance of the laser during the melting of a single track using an integrating sphere. The second one relies on in-situ video imaging using a high-speed camera and an external laser illumination. The absorption behavior of the laser power during the melting of both single tracks and full layers is proven to be a non-linear and extremely dynamic process. While for a single track, the manganese oxide doped powder delivers higher and more stable absorptance. When a full layer is analyzed, iron oxide-doped powder is leading to higher absorptance and a larger melt pool. Both dopants allow the generation of a stable melt-pool, which would be impossible with granules made of pure alumina. In addition, the present study sheds light on several phenomena related to powder and melt-pool dynamics, such as the change of melt-pool shape and dimension over time and powder denudation effects.