On the suitability of induction heating system for metal additive manufacturing

Abstract

Induction heating is a non-contact-based energy source that has the potential to quickly melt the metal and become the alternate energy source that can be used for additive manufacturing. At present, induction heating is widely used in various industrial applications such as melting, preheating, heat treatment, welding, and brazing. The potential of this source has not been explored in the additive manufacturing domain. However, the use of induction heating in additive manufacturing could lead to low-cost part fabrication as compared to other energy sources such as laser or electron beam. Therefore, this study explores the feasibility of this energy source in additive manufacturing for fabricating parts of metallic materials. An experimental system has been developed by modifying an existing delta three-dimensional printer. An induction heater coil has been incorporated to extruder head for semi-solid processing of the metal alloy. In order to test the viability of the developed system, aluminium material in the filament form has been processed. Obtained results have shown that the induction heating–based energy source is capable of processing metallic materials having a melting point up to 1000° C. The continuous extrusion of the material has been achieved by controlling the extruder temperature using a proportional integral derivative–based controller and k-type thermocouple. The study also discusses various issues and challenges that occurred during the melting of metal with induction heating. The outcomes of this study may be a breakthrough in the area of metal-based additive manufacturing. © IMechE 2020.