Dimensional Analysis of the Effect of SLM Parameters on Surface Roughness and Material Density

Abstract Additive Manufacturing (AM) based on Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is relatively widely used to manufacture complex shape parts made from metallic alloys, ceramic and polymers. One of the main problems is to guarantee surface quality of the manufactured product. This study investigated the effects of various SLS/SLM parameters such as the laser power, scanning speed, hatching, powder layer thickness and volumetric energy density on the surface roughness, porosity and material density of samples made from the CoCr powder. A mathematical model for the average surface roughness Ra based on the machining parameters and important thermo physical properties was established using the dimensional analysis. The results of this study show the significance of the correlation between the material density of the built part and its surface roughness.