This webinar will explain the role of the materials engineer throughout the entire additive manufacturing process. Every aspect of the additive process can impact the end-state material properties. This presentation will focus on metal powder characteristics, machine hardware and process settings, part geometry, thermal processing, and surface treatments, and the effects of each on material properties. Powder characteristics such as particle size and shape will affect how the powder is distributed in the print bed. Machine parameter settings such as beam power and shape, layer thickness, and gas flow all have different impacts on the resulting bulk material and surface quality. Part features and surface conditions can impact localized material behavior, while thermal processing affects the bulk microstructure and can be tailored to achieve certain material properties.

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