Preliminary investigation on cellular support structures using SLM process

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique in which 3D metallic parts are manufactured in a layer-by-layer fashion, typically in small series. To build complex geometries with overhanging and undercut surfaces, SLM has to solidify expensive materials into sacrificial support structures in order to control curling and shrinkage of the part. The majority of previous studies on support structures concentrate on non-metallic processes. This study aims to explore the potential of using cellular structures to support metallic parts manufactured by SLM. A key advantage offered by the cellular structures is their low volume fraction which provides opportunities to greatly reduce the volume of support materials and build time as well as allow for easy removal of raw powders which are trapped inside these sacrificial supports. The preliminary experimental results reveal that these cellular support structures have the potential to be used for supporting metallic parts and prevent part deformation.