SLM full name: selective laser melting. It was first proposed by the German froounholfer Research Institute in 1995. It is a rapid prototyping technology of metal powder, which can directly form metal parts with nearly complete density. SLM technology overcomes the problem of complex manufacturing process of metal parts by selective laser sintering (SLS) technology.
Metal printing can be applied to automotive, aerospace, energy, industry and medical fields. No matter which industry can not bear the damage caused by the quality problem of parts. The key technologies involved in the quality of 3D printed parts are technology and materials. The breakthrough of metal powder atomization technology will promote the development of SLM technology, and the improvement of powder material quality will directly promote the application of metal printing parts. At present, the commonly used powder size range of SLM is 15-53 μm. The powder is required to have good sphericity, fluidity and low oxygen content. However, due to the difficulty of atomization process, the powder quality has a lot of problems.
The continuous maturity of metal 3D printing technology has a profound impact on automobile manufacturing. Unlike traditional manufacturing processes such as milling, spraying, stamping and casting, 3D printing can produce products of any shape, including innovative lightweight components with cavity or honeycomb structure, which has attracted great interest in the automotive and aviation fields.
SLM selective laser melting molding technology features:
1. Strong comprehensive function, which can reduce assembly time, improve material utilization rate and save direct cost;
2. Shorten product launch time - the production process is more flexible and applicable to products with shorter product life cycle;
3. There are almost no restrictions on the shape of the product, and parts with complex structures such as cavities and three-dimensional grids can be manufactured;
4. Products or parts can be printed out quickly to reduce inventory and activate capital;
5. No expensive production equipment is required; The product quality is better, and the mechanical load performance can be comparable to the traditional production technology (such as forging).
