Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer and Temperature Distribution in Direct Metal Laser Sintering Method

In this research, the thermal analysis of additive fabrication by DMLS method has been investigated. In the DMLS method, the metal powder is melted by a laser heat source and finally a solid three-dimensional piece is formed. This analysis was performed by finite element method in Abaqus software. Laser heat distribution is considered Gaussian. The mechanical and thermal properties of the powder are considered as a function of melting temperature. Finally, the results obtained by the finite element method are compared with previous researches. The effects of laser speed and power on temperature distribution have also been investigated.