Mechanisms and characteristics of spatter generation in SLM processing and its effect on the properties

Abstract Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a powder bed based technology to fabricate metal parts through laser melting, it provides excellent mechanical properties and freedom. The authors study the influence of laser energy on spattering, the investigation analyzed the formation principle, appearance and compositions of spattering. Results indicate that as the laser energy input increases from 0.32 × 10 5  W/cm 3 to 1.30 × 10 5  W/cm 3 , the intensity and the quantity of spattering increases, the metal liquid jetted out even reach to the height of 11 cm. Major sources of spattering included three types, which were mainly caused by recoil pressure, Marangoni effect and heat effect in molten pool, these three different sources of spattering leading to three types of spattering morphology correspondingly. The solidified spattering particles have an average size of approximately 162 μm, much larger than the original powder size of 32 μm, and these spatter particles present various appearances. The compositions of spattering powers are almost the same as the original powders, but the contents of O, Si and C increase dramatically. The spattering particles are embedded into the surface and interior of the SLM-fabricated parts. These results are helpful in controlling the intensity of spattering, improving stability and repeatability of the SLM fabrication process.