Analysis of element loss, densification, and defects in laser-based powder-bed fusion of magnesium alloy WE43

It is well known that laser-based powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing of magnesium (Mg) and its alloys is associated with high Mg loss due to vaporization (MgLoss) and high incidence of many types of defects in the manufactured parts/samples. Despite this, MgLoss, densification, and defect characteristics have not been holistically considered in the determination of the optimal values of L-PBF processing parameters for Mg and its alloys. This study presents a combined modeling and experimental approach applied for a widely used Mg alloy (WE43) to address this shortcoming in the literature. First, an experimentally calibrated model is proposed to determine MgLoss as a function of the L-PBF processing parameters. The model couples the temperature profile using a double ellipsoidal heat source with a Langmuir vaporization model and is calibrated using the width of the single-track L-PBF process and the measured Mgloss using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Second, the densification of the samples is determined using a modification of the Archimedes method that considers the amount of MgLoss in the calculation of the relative density. Third, a comprehensive and quantitative study is conducted on the relationships between the characteristics of porosity defects and the L-PBF processing parameters. Finally, the optimized L-PBF processing parameters are determined by considering the MgLoss, densification, and the characteristics of defects. The present study yields 0.23 wt.% MgLoss compared to 2 wt.% MgLoss that was reported in the previous studies. Furthermore, more than 99.5% densification is achieved while only ∼2% and ∼0.5% of the total defects are characterized as keyhole and lack of fusion defects, respectively.