| Abstract Scope |
In laser powder bed fusion (LB-PBF) additive manufacturing, parts are manufactured in a layer-by-layer pattern. In each layer, the laser scans the cross-section according to the hatch track size, which can be sufficiently long to cover up the whole cross-section or be partitioned into multiple segments. In the case of partitioning, the thermal history experienced by the part can be considerably different. Accordingly, defect distribution, as well as mechanical properties, might be affected. In this study, two sets of specimens were fabricated using LB-PBF from Ti-6Al-4V; in one set, the tracks were partitioned in 5-mm sections, while in the other set, they were separated at 100 mm resulting in no segments in the cross-sections. It was found that altering the stripe width can considerably affect the defect content as well as laser penetration depth. However, tensile strength was found not to be much sensitive to changing the stripe width. |