In-situ characterization and quantification of melt pool variation under constant input energy density in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process

Size and shape of a melt pool play a critical role in determining the microstructure in additively manufactured metals. However, it is very challenging to directly characterize the size and shape of the melt pool beneath the surface of the melt pool during the additive manufacturing process. Here, we report the direct observation and quantification of melt pool variation during the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing process under constant input energy density by in-situ high-speed high-energy x-ray imaging. We show that the melt pool can undergo different melting regimes and both the melt pool dimension and melt pool volume can have orders-of-magnitude change under a constant input energy density. Our analysis shows that the significant melt pool variation cannot be solely explained by the energy dissipation rate. We found that energy absorption changes significantly under a constant input energy density, which is another important cause of melt pool variation. Our further analysis reveals that the significant change in energy absorption originates from the separate roles of laser power and scan speed in depression zone development. The results reported here are important for understanding the laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process and guiding the development of better metrics for processing parameter design.