New support structures for reduced overheating on downfacing regions of direct metal printed parts

In Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), the downfacing surfaces usually have increased surface roughness and reduced dimensional accuracy due to local overheating and warpage. To partially overcome this a new supporting structure is developed in this study, namely the contactless support. This is a thin blade parallel to the critical area which transfer the heat away from the melt pool via conduction through the powder bed instead of direct contact. The support is tested in different geometries and printing conditions to define the optimal distance from the part and its effectiveness is evaluated by measuring the surface roughness of the samples. Numerical modelling of heat transfer phenomenon is also employed to determine the thermal history of the printing process and understand which parameters define the optimal distance for the thermal supports. Finally topology optimization is used to create a support structure which minimize the wasted material while keeping the heat flow optimal.