Melt pool dynamics in electron beam powder bed fusion: Insights from comparison with laser powder bed fusion

Electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) offers several distinctive advantages for metal additive manufacturing, including reduced thermal stresses and high flexibility in beam control. While melt pool dynamics in EB-PBF share certain characteristics with those in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), notable differences arise primarily from the high preheating temperature and high-vacuum environment inherent to the EB-PBF process. This presentation focuses on these differences and the underlying physical mechanisms. Our results show that melt pools in EB-PBF differ markedly from those in LPBF in terms of both local evaporation behavior and overall melt pool morphology. These differences affect elemental loss, defect formation, and solidification conditions, thereby influencing the composition, build quality, and microstructural characteristics of as-built materials. Based on these distinct melt pool dynamics, we further discuss how EB-PBF scanning strategies can be tailored to control composition, grain morphology, and defect formation.

Dr. Chaochao Wu is an Associate Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation at Fuzhou University, where he serves as Head of the Department of Materials Processing. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Tsinghua University and his bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology in China. He also conducted visiting research at RWTH Aachen University and the Fraunhofer ILT in Germany. His research focuses on modeling, simulation, and computational methods for advanced manufacturing, with particular interests in metal additive manufacturing and high-energy-density welding processes.