Examination of the LPBF process by means of thermal imaging for the development of a geometric-specific process control

The development of process parameters for the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process is typically carried out by the manufacturing and metallurgical analysis of geometrically primitive test specimens (e.g. cubes). The process parameters identified in this way are used for the manufacturing of parts which are characterized by a high geometric complexity and a combination of solid and filigree component areas. Due to the discrepancy between the parameter development on primitive specimens and applications with complex parts, a geometric-specific process control is to be developed. In the context of this work different sample geometries are manufactured from Ti6Al4V by LPBF and the process is monitored by thermal imaging. The influence between component geometry and process parameters on the thermal behavior is shown.