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Surface texture measurement for additive manufacturing

Triantaphyllou, Andrew; Leach, Richard; Giusca, Claudiu L; Macaulay, Gavin D; Roerig, Felix; Hoebel, Matthias; Tomita, Ben; Milne, Katherine A

Authors

Andrew Triantaphyllou

Claudiu L Giusca

Gavin D Macaulay

Felix Roerig

Matthias Hoebel

Ben Tomita

Katherine A Milne



Abstract

The surface texture of additively manufactured metallic surfaces made by powder bed methods is affected by a number of factors, including the powder's particle size distribution, the effect of the heat source, the thickness of the printed layers, the angle of the surface relative to the horizontal build bed and the effect of any post processing/finishing. The aim of the research reported here is to understand the way these surfaces should be measured in order to characterise them. In published research to date, the surface texture is generally reported as an Ra value, measured across the lay. The appropriateness of this method for such surfaces is investigated here. A preliminary investigation was carried out on two additive manufacturing processes—selective laser melting (SLM) and electron beam melting (EBM)—focusing on the effect of build angle and post processing. The surfaces were measured using both tactile and optical methods and a range of profile and areal parameters were reported. Test coupons were manufactured at four angles relative to the horizontal plane of the powder bed using both SLM and EBM. The effect of lay—caused by the layered nature of the manufacturing process—was investigated, as was the required sample area for optical measurements. The surfaces were also measured before and after grit blasting.

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 26, 2015
Publication Date May 5, 2015
Deposit Date Sep 20, 2018
Print ISSN 0957-0233
Publisher IOP Publishing
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 3
Article Number 024002
DOI https://doi.org/10.1088/2051-672X/3/2/024002
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1103433
Publisher URL https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2051-672X/3/2/024002/meta