Sustainment Strategies via L-PBF and Non-traditional Subtractive Processes

Conference Abstract: Many defense sustainment components are difficult to source, long lead time castings, leading to high costs and readiness challenges. Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to address these replacement component needs, but challenges relative to surface roughness/texture, material properties, and overall post-processing requirements are slowing the implementation of AM for these applications. Many of these legacy cast components are geometrically complex and ill-suited for machining operations. Thus, an alternative method of addressing the surface and near surface defects commonly present in laser powder bed fusion components is needed. In partnership with the Air Force Life Cycle Management division, a combinatory PBF-L, heat treatment, and surface finishing strategy was investigated under Air Force SBIR Grant FA864921P0854. A print angle-based material offset strategy was pursued to enable the production of multiple surface roughness targets on components with varying print parameter and heat treatment approaches. Support structure removal as a part of the surface finishing process(es) was investigated. Lastly, material properties relative to the various print parameter, heat treatment, and surface finishing strategies were tested. Results will be reported and viable sustainment/legacy component manufacturing strategies using PBF-L will be discussed.