A study on process parameter optimization of additive manufacturing of IN718 considering geometry accuracy and mechanical properties

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has various advantages, such as infinite design freedom, the reduction of material consumption, and process simplification. It is currently being applied to various fields (including the medical, automobile, and aerospace industries), and extensive research is being conducted in this area. To manufacture a specific part, it is necessary to determine optimized process parameters similar to the existing fabrication method, which requires significant time and effort. In this study, the design of experiments was established for optimizing the additive manufacturing process of Nickel base superalloy IN718, which is widely used in the direct metal laser sintering process. Cubic specimens were manufactured, the dimensions and hardness (as the performance functions) were measured, and finally, the process was optimized through ANOVA and regression model analysis. The analyses show that different optimum process parameters were derived depending on the combination of two performance functions.