Process mapping for qualification across multiple direct metal additive manufacturing processes

This paper gives an overview of work by the authors developing process mapping methods for additive manufacturing (AM), capturing the dependence of melt pool geometry and microstructure on primary processing variables under steady-state and transient conditions. This work is being applied to the task of process qualification and is being applied across multiple AM processes including electron beam wire feed, electron beam powder bed, laser powder bed, and laser powder stream processes. Process mapping methods are now allowing all of these processes acting in very different regions of processing space to be characterized and analyzed in a unified way. A few insights from this approach are summarized.