Fast and reliable method for supports release in metal AM by sandblasting-driven process

The LB-PBF (laser beam powder bed fusion) process for metal alloys is largely used in industrial and academic fields for the AM (additive manufacturing) of components. However, the process is still affected by cost and time issues, which include powder and inert gas management, micromelting process, thermal post-processing, supports release and mechanical finishing. Then, the optimization of each process phase is crucial for the technology scalability. This paper focuses on the supports release and introduces the design of supports for the fast removal through sandblasting process instead of traditional manual release or release based on mechanical tooling.