Legion of Plume

Plume Elimination System for Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing

Problem statement

As engineers look to increase productivity in laser powder bed fusion, they have increased the number of lasers used to fuse the part layer surface, which in turn releases a larger plume as multiple lasers fuse metals concurrently. This plume can interact with the laser to cause imperfections, particularly voids, in these precision parts which cannot afford to stray from design specifications due to their application in fields that require incredibly low tolerances. Existing plume elimination systems have been greatly tested as metal additive manufacturing becomes more prevalent in industry. The systems still have room to be optimized as defects still occur as engineers struggle with spatter and the plume lingered in the fusion chamber. We aim to create a solution to eliminate the plume and spatter created as the metal is vaporized, in order to increase part quality and throughput of parts. Metal additive manufacturing is a growing industry, its applications in the medical, aerospace, and electronics industry can propel our world into a new age of material manufacturing. Plume elimination technology is the key to creating these precision parts absent of defects.