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Results for “Powder Bed Additive Manufacturing”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

On the formation of swelling and related flaws in laser powder bed fusion

Process monitoring in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing can provide insights into stochastic anomalies, melt pool and plume dynamics, and part quality. Swelling, a build anomaly where overbuilt material protrudes through the powder layer after recoating, is readily detectable in post-recoat visible light images of the powder bed. Here, this work identifies several of the underlying mechanisms driving swelling formation by analyzing the influence of processing parameters, laser scan paths, and build plate locations on the presence of swelling detected in situ. Swelling near the edge of the part and swelling in the internal region of the part are shown to correlate with different process conditions. Edge and internal swelling may be driven by different phenomena, with edge swelling predominately occurring on the edge of a part facing the laser module and correlated to clusters of near-surface voids (detected with X-ray computed tomography). A larger spot size, higher laser power, and lower scan velocity also increased the presence of edge swelling. Laser spot size and scan path influenced internal swelling, which occurred preferentially with a larger spot size and in regions with large melt pools, caused by localized heat accumulation due to non-optimal processing parameters or scan path strategies. For coupons processed with a slicer-defined maximum scan vector length, swelling seldom occurred at internal vector-stripe boundaries. These results provide a mechanistic understanding of how swelling can be linked to material flaws, insight into how some instances of swelling can be avoided, and evidence supporting the use of swelling as an in situ indicator for quality assurance and part qualification.

Anomaly↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design of Silicide-Strengthened Nb–Si–Cr–(Mo) alloys for additive manufacturing

Three high–intermetallic volume Nb–Si–Cr–(Mo) alloys were designed using CALPHAD modeling with the goal of identifying high–specific strength, oxidation-resistant alloys that can be additively manufactured using powder bed fusion. The silicides Nb 5 Si 3 and Nb 9 Si 2 Cr3 were targeted as the primary strengthening phases, and the addition of Cr promoted the NbCr 2 phase. These alloys were cast and surface-processed with electron beam welding at different speeds to simulate additive manufacturing, and the phases and microstructures of both cast and welded regions were characterized. The weld processing was found to produce fine-grained microstructures in each alloy with fine-scale intermetallics uniformly distributed among a body-centered cubic Nb matrix. Microstructural refinement and hardness were found to increase with weld velocity; one alloy reached its highest hardness of approximately 16 GPa before the brittleness at higher velocities became detrimental. One alloy was found to be qualitatively the least brittle while also attaining a hardness of 13 GPa and was therefore identified as a good candidate for additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing microsegregation during rapid directional solidification through ternary microalloying

The nano-cellular dendritic microstructure formed during rapid directional solidification in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing creates unique properties such as simultaneous improvement in strength and ductility. However, process control of microsegregation features remains challenging due to low sensitivity of critical solidification mechanisms to process parameters. This study leverages microalloying to achieve large changes in dendrite composition, microstructure, and interdendritic zone width during laser powder bed fusion without modifying process parameters. CALPHAD simulations predict that the addition of Zr significantly steepens the solidus line of the dilute Cu-Cr alloy system, leading to enhanced Cr rejection into the melt and greater than 95% reduction in solubility of Cr in the solidified Cu matrix. Experimental validation using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and Kelvin probe force microscopy reveals that the ternary alloy containing 0.01 wt% Zr exhibited wider interdendritic regions compared to the binary, a significantly higher number of Cr-rich particles within interdendritic regions, near-complete ejection of oxygen impurities from the matrix, and greater nanoscale work function contrast. These features indicate more aggressive Cr segregation in the presence of Zr and a purer Cu matrix and provide a potentially robust method for engineering the nano-cellular dendritic solidification microstructure.

CALPHAD↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating Fast Scanning Calorimetry and Differential Scanning Calorimetry as Screening Tools for Thermoset Polymer Material Compatibility with Laser-Based Powder Bed Fusion

As additive manufacturing (AM) technology has developed and progressed, a constant topic of research in the area is expanding the library of materials to be used with these techniques. Among AM methods that utilize polymers, laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) has preferentially used thermoplastic polymers as its starting materials, but the deposition and material joining method employed in PBF-LB may also be compatible with powdered thermoset polymer precursors as feedstocks. To assess the compatibility of candidate thermosetting polymers and PBF-LB, characterization techniques and protocols that link fundamental material behavior to material behavior in the processing environment are needed. Therefore, the objectives of this work are to compare the curing behavior measured with two different calorimetry techniques that can operate in different heating rate regimes, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC), and to assess the capabilities of these techniques to act as materials screening tools for PBF-LB. A commercial polyester powder coating is used as a model material to evaluate the potential of obtaining complimentary information for material screening through a combination of calorimetry methods, and its non-isothermal curing behavior is measured at heating rates between 5 °C/min and 7500 °C/min. Curing exotherms are observed with both calorimetry techniques, and comparing the enthalpy associated with curing shows that incomplete curing occurs at higher heating rates, with relative conversion values of approximately 30%. The curing data are fit with two isoconversional models, Friedman and Starink, which show a reduced activation energy at higher heating rates as well, signifying a lower barrier to curing at the conditions used in the FSC experiments. Overall, the results of this work indicate that using these two calorimetry techniques as tiered screening tools can provide valuable information about how curing may proceed in PBF-LB and inform materials selection and design activities for additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

The effect of varying powder feedstock chemistry and printing atmosphere on the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based ODS alloys: Role on stabilization of cellular structures vs. oxide dispersion formation

Nickel-based alloys have a wide variety of structural applications due to their high corrosion resistance and mechanical strength which depend on solid solution strengthening, or the formation of oxides and/or intermetallic precipitation for their properties. In this study, the microstructure of six Ni–Cr–Y–Ti–Al powder batches designed for the production of oxide dispersion strengthened nickel were compared. These batches varied in chemistry and atomization technique used which included Gas Atomization Reactive Synthesis (GARS). The batches of powder were then consolidated via Additive Manufacturing (AM) Powder Bed Fusion using Laser Beam (PBF-LB) and characterized via transmission electron microscopy to elucidate the influence of powder feedstock (i.e. synthesis methodology and chemistry) on the PBF-LB microstructure. The study investigates (i) how the amount of yttrium and titanium additions in the powder feedstock and the addition of oxygen during the processing (through GARS) affect the microstructure of the powder itself and the AM printed microstructure, and (ii) how the control of oxygen addition in the printing atmosphere during the PBF-LB printing process itself is another important parameter for achieving the formation of the wanted oxide dispersion versus the stabilization of the cellular structure (often observed in AM processed alloys). Microstructural characterization of both powder particles and additively manufactured nickel alloys in this study provide important insights into the movement of yttrium within the material upon solidification, particularly along cell boundaries, and how yttrium behaves depending on alloy chemistry. When a threshold of yttrium content is reached within the system, yttrium consistently reacts to form an intermetallic along cell boundaries instead of forming oxide nanoparticles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Suppressing Ordering in Equiatomic Fe-Co via Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Neutron and electron diffraction was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of thermal management strategies in suppressing the formation of the equilibrium-ordered B2 (CsCl) phase in equiatomic binary Fe-Co specimens fabricated by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Specimens with a tensile dogbone geometry were fabricated using various combinations of process parameters (laser power and raster speed) and thermal management strategies (no support struts, struts only in the top gauge section, and struts throughout the gauge section). Diffraction results demonstrate that the rapid solidification during PBF-L effectively minimized B2 formation, with laser power and effective scan velocity having no significant impact on the degree of ordering. Furthermore, the inclusion of support struts in the top grip region had no perceivable impact on ordering, whereas specimens with support struts in the gauge region exhibited no detectable ordering. Results are discussed in the context of thermal finite element analysis predictions.

Laser Material Processing↗
DOE OSTI2025

2025 Peregrine in-situ monitoring and training dataset for laser powder bed fusion and binder jet printers

Peregrine, a software tool developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), was used to collect and analyze in-situ monitoring (ISM) data from a Concept Laser M2 (Colibrium Additive) laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) printer and an ExOne Innovent (Desktop Metal) binder jet printer. Data for four builds (print jobs) were saved to HDF5 (high performance data) files for release. Additionally, process anomalies were annotated by the authors across 37 image stacks (i.e., print layers) and are also provided as HDF5 files.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Texture development in magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloys processed by laser powder bed fusion

Iron-gallium (Fe-Ga, Galfenol) alloys are promising magnetostrictive materials for actuators, sensors, and energy harvesting, but their performance is highly sensitive to microstructure and texture. Additive manufacturing by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offers a pathway to engineer texture and integrate functional materials into complex geometries. Here, we fabricate Fe-Ga alloys (Fe 82.2 Ga 17.8 ) by LPBF of gas-atomized powders and systematically optimize laser power and scan speed to maximize density and control texture. Nearly full-density parts (up to 99.6 %) are achieved within a narrow processing window. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) reveals a strong <100> fiber texture aligned with the build direction and columnar grains up to 1 mm long. Magnetostriction measurements show saturation magnetostriction of 190 ppm in the build direction. Correlating texture data with macroscopic magnetostriction, we estimate intrinsic magnetostriction constants (λ 100 = 228 ppm, λ 111 = 12 ppm), closely matching single crystal-derived values. These results demonstrate the critical interplay between processing, texture, and functional performance in additively manufactured Fe-Ga alloys and establish LPBF as a viable route for high-performance magnetostrictive materials.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Understanding Geometry and Microstructure Interactions In LPBF By Linking Lab Scale Studies To Real Part Case Examples

The mechanical properties derived from simple tensile tests are uniquely important in the design and qualification of load bearing metallic components. The tensile properties in standards for wrought metallic materials are generally accessible for design and simulation engineers, but this is not the case for additively manufactured metals. This work investigates the influence of tensile specimen geometry on the mechanical properties of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V, particularly in relation to properties measured from specimens excised from an exemplar part. A comprehensive analysis was conducted across various specimen geometries, considering factors such as thermal history, cross-sectional area, shape, and surface roughness. Key findings reveal that sample size, particularly cross-sectional area, significantly affects reported tensile properties, with ASTM E8 flat and round specimens exhibiting differences in elastic modulus (13%), yield strength (17%), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) (14%), and elongation to failure (11%). Additionally, surface roughness was found to have a limited impact on ASTM round geometries, but it becomes critical in thin-walled and small high-throughput samples. The ASTM flat samples closely matched the properties of samples excised from the exemplar part, underscoring the necessity of testing witness samples that accurately represent end-use conditions. Furthermore, mechanical properties of samples built within the stitch zone of the exemplar part demonstrated reduced ductility, highlighting the importance of laser alignment and qualification in multi-laser additive manufacturing processes. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for careful consideration of specimen geometry and testing conditions to ensure accurate reporting of mechanical properties in LPBF Ti-6Al-4V.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Post-build stress-relief optimization for laser powder bed fusion 316H stainless steel

Nuclear energy remains a critical component of a diversified and efficient energy portfolio, offering reliable, high-capacity, and low-carbon power. However, in the U.S., aging infrastructure and the slow qualification and deployment of advanced materials and manufacturing techniques hinder progress in next-generation reactor technologies. This study explores the application of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing for stainless steel 316H, with a focus on optimizing post-build heat treatments to enhance material properties for high-temperature nuclear applications. The research targets the optimization of stress-relief temperatures to alleviate postbuild residual stresses, ensuring improvements in the microstructural corelated properties. A series of microstructural and mechanical evaluations were performed on LPBF-printed SS-316H samples which were subjected to annealing at temperatures varying between 650 °C and 850 °C. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed that increasing the heattreatment temperature accelerated dislocation recovery. Vickers microhardness measurements showed an initial reduction in values, followed by stabilization over extended durations at all the temperatures. While higher temperatures facilitated faster recovery, they also promoted carbide precipitation along grain and solidification cell boundaries, narrowing the safe processing window. In contrast, heat treatment at 650°C preserved the cellular substructure and enabled controlled carbide precipitation over time. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of time–temperature optimization and suggest that 650°C for up to 2 h provides the most favorable balance between recovery and carbide control for a stress-relief treatment.

316 stainless steel↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemical and Chemical-Mechanical Polishing of Surface Roughness on L-PBF/GRCop-42 Cu-Cr-Nb Additive Manufactured 10-GHz RF Structures

Laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) allows additive manufacture (AM) of lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) radio-frequency (RF) launchers from Glenn Research Copper, a Cr 2 Nb precipitation-hardened alloy (GRCop-42) in configurations unachievable with conventional machining. Rough surfaces in AM components increase RF losses and lead to arcing in high-power vacuum RF applications. Chemical polishing, chemical-mechanical polishing, or a combination of both were utilized to planarize the internal surfaces of RF structures, resulting in surface roughness as low as R a = 0.2 µm. Refinement in polishing techniques now enables GRCop-42 alloys (4 at. % Cr, 2 at. % Nb) to achieve similar surface roughness to GRCop-84 (8 at. % Cr, 4 at. % Nb) and equivalent cavity losses to extruded oxygen-free copper waveguides at 10 GHz.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fatigue life prediction of powder bed fused–laser beam AlSi10Mg: Incorporating critical defects via crystal plasticity modelling

The current study provides a microstructurally-based computational framework to predict the fatigue life of additive manufactured (AM), i.e., powder bed fused–laser beam (PBF-LB), AlSi10Mg specimens using the crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM). The fractography analysis, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), uniaxial and cyclic responses, and fatigue life of specimens were used to inform the computational framework. CPFE simulation was used to compute fatigue indicator parameters (FIPs) as fatigue driving forces. A new fatigue criterion is introduced based on FIPs, which was calibrated using experimental fatigue data. The proposed fatigue measure was evaluated versus the specimens with critical defects of various sizes and locations subjected to different stress amplitudes. The results show that the developed framework can capture the fatigue life of samples with different critical defect locations and sizes along with different stress amplitudes for both high-cycle fatigue (HCF) and very high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) regimes.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

Rapid Solidification Effects in Additively Manufactured Si and SiGe Compositions

SiGe alloys have a proven track record as robust high-temperature thermoelectric materials, powering NASA missions like SNAP-10A, LES-9, and Voyager 1 and 2. Enhancing thermoelectric efficiency hinges on minimizing thermal conductivity while preserving electrical conductivity. Rapid solidification via LPBF can generate microstructural features such as subgrain cellular boundaries and twinning, which may help reduce thermal conductivity while preserving semiconducting behavior. Here, this study investigates the potential of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing to fabricate nanostructured Si and SiGe thermoelectric materials. High cooling rates (10 5 to 10 7 K/s) rates inherent to the LPBF process are conducive to forming such nanostructures. Moreover, this fabrication technique could also be suitable for fabricating complex geometries needed to achieve improved device level performance. Process mapping of commercial Si powder with irregular morphology was first performed to understand the LPBF processing behavior of this semiconductor material. Subsequent studies included in-house synthesized B-doped (p-type) Si7 8 Ge 22 spherical powder that was produced via ultrasonic atomization. Scan strategies involved multiple laser exposures to mitigate solidification cracking: a high density of >98% was achieved, but solidification cracking could not be fully eliminated. Subsequently, a high electrical resistivity (i.e., low conductivity) was observed, but the measured Seebeck coefficient, ∼230 μV/K @ 500 °C, proved that good semiconductor material was being fabricated. A subgrain cellular structure (5–10 μm) was observed as defined by Ge segregation to the intercellular boundaries. The remelting strategies helped lower the cooling rates in processing SiGe, but this still resulted in high residual stresses, which induced a remarkably high density of twins (78–95%) to accommodate the deformation. This unique grain structure offers an avenue for phonon scattering and potential improvements in thermoelectric performance.

figure of merit↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tensile Performance Sensitivity to Variations of Standard 17-4 PH Heat Treatments on LPBF-Produced Material

Standard heat treatments for metals of a particular composition are typically designed with the assumption of a conventional starting microstructure, such as that produced by casting or wrought processing. When applied to metals fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) metal additive manufacturing (AM), these heat treatments can produce inconsistent performance due to the unique as-built microstructures. This study investigates how modifications to standard heat treatments for 17-4 PH steel influence the microstructure and mechanical properties of LPBF-fabricated material. Specimens were produced and subjected to varying solutionizing and homogenizing treatments followed by standard aging treatments. Microstructures were characterized using optical microscopy, Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and mechanical properties were evaluated through uniaxial tensile testing. Based on these results, recommendations are provided for achieving improved wrought-like performance in LPBF 17-4 PH steel.

17-4 PH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Compatibility of molten plutonium with wrought and additively manufactured metal crucibles

Understanding plutonium’s interaction with metals is crucial for optimizing pyrochemical operations, nuclear fuel containment, and various actinide processing techniques. Traditionally, tantalum crucibles are employed for plutonium processing due to their high durability, excellent temperature stability, and low solubility in plutonium. However, tantalum faces challenges such as plutonium wetting and diffusion, making surface coatings particularly important for crucibles in pyrochemical applications to enhance corrosion resistance against plutonium. Tantalum is also expensive and difficult to machine, prompting the need for advanced manufacturing techniques to address these challenges. Here, in this work, we investigate the interaction of Pu with tantalum and titanium crucibles fabricated using both traditional machining methods and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing (AM). LPBF-AM is an advanced technique that allows for the creation of complex geometries from traditionally difficult-to-machine metals by using a high-powered laser to build parts. Previous studies of conventional manufactured tantalum have utilized oxidation and carburization of the surface to mitigate plutonium wetting; however, no studies of surface modified LPBF-AM material have been undertaken. These studies are crucial, given the typical differences in the grain structure between conventional and LPBF-AM materials. All crucibles underwent differential scanning calorimetry to confirm the melting of plutonium. Subsequently, the crucibles were sectioned and mounted in epoxy for microstructural analysis using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. This investigation, comparing the performance of wrought vs AM metal crucibles, provides a basis for future tooling applications in actinide processing techniques and can address the challenges associated with traditional machining, particularly in pyrochemical applications.

Actinides↗
DOE OSTI2025

Chemistry effects on ODS steel consolidated via laser powder bed fusion from GARS powder

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) steels are promising candidate alloys for structural and cladding applications in extreme environments. They contain a high density of nanoscale oxides for high temperature mechanical strength and radiation resistance. In this work, gas atomization reaction synthesis (GARS) was used to produce powders that were used for additive manufacturing (AM) Laser Powder Bed Fusion consolidation of ODS steels, in order to skip the traditional mechanical alloying of blended yttria and alloy powders. Powder containing iron, chromium, and tungsten with varying amounts of yttrium, titanium, oxygen and zirconium were used to produce ODS steel samples. AM consolidated specimens and powder samples were characterized with transmission electron microscopy. TEM imaging, diffraction patterns, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used to identify phases present before and after consolidation across chemistries. The effect of the controlled oxygen input (from GARS) and the oxide-forming additions (Y, Ti, Zr) on precipitate size distribution and composition is substantiated and discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗