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Designing of additive auxiliary support structure in the selective laser melting considering the milling of thin-walled parts

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Abstract

The support structure acts as an auxiliary structure for selective laser melting (SLM) part forming. The structural characteristics affect the residual stress distribution of the molded part, necessitating an investigation into its influence on SLM AlSi10Mg alloy. This paper proposes a support structure suitable for processing thin-walled parts based on a combination of numerical simulation and conventional experiments. The experiments are generally consistent with the numerical results, and the study shows that the simulation results can be reliably used to calculate residual stress and strain. The study initiates by comparing the effects of four types of bracing structures on residual stress in various regions of thin-walled parts. A hybrid support structure is obtained by selecting the support structure in different regions. The study thoroughly investigates how the hybrid support structure, with varied support tooth parameters, affects residual stress in different regions of thin-walled parts. Optimal parameters for the hybrid support structure are identified, enhancing its effectiveness in mitigating residual stress. Finally, the milling experiments of the optimal hybrid support structure are carried out, and it is found that the milling force is reduced by about 19% and the flatness is reduced by about 16% compared with other hybrid support structures.

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Data availability

The data and materials that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

This project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52175427) and Shanghai Science and Technology Commission (Grant No. 23190712100).

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Author notes

  1. Zhang Chenglin and Yao Mengcan contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Zhang Chenglin & Liang Haiyi

  2. Anhui Tuobao Additive Manufacturing Technology Company Limited, Wuhu, 241000, Anhui, China

    Zhang Chenglin

  3. School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Yao Mengcan, Wang Yan & Jiang Xiaohui

Authors
  1. Zhang Chenglin
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  2. Yao Mengcan
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  3. Liang Haiyi
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  4. Wang Yan
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  5. Jiang Xiaohui
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Contributions

Zhang Chenglin: data curation, validation, writing—original draft preparation; Yao Mengcan: data curation, validation, writing—original draft preparation; Liang Haiyi: experimental assist, investigation; Wang Yan: visualization. Jiang Xiaohui: conceptualization, methodology, supervision

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Liang Haiyi or Jiang Xiaohui.

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Chenglin, Z., Mengcan, Y., Haiyi, L. et al. Designing of additive auxiliary support structure in the selective laser melting considering the milling of thin-walled parts. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 130, 871–886 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12749-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12749-4

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