Review of Visual Measurement Methods for Metal Vaporization Processes in Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is of great importance for the visual measurement and analysis of the metallization process, which is the process of solid, liquid, and gas phase transformations of metal powders under high-energy laser irradiation due to the low boiling point/high saturated vapor pressure. Since the evaporation of metals involves the interaction of driving forces such as vapor back pressure, surface tension, and gravity, the movement of the melt pool is not stable. At the same time, it also produces vaporization products such as vapor plumes and sprays, which cause defects such as bubbles, porosity, lack of fusion, inclusions, etc., during the manufacturing process of the parts, affecting the performance and manufacturing quality of the parts. More and more researchers are using imaging technologies, such as high-speed X-ray, high-speed visible light cameras, and high-speed schlieren imaging, to perform noncontact visual measurements and analyses of the melt pool, vapor plume, and spatter during the metal evaporation process, and the results show that the metal evaporation process can be suppressed by optimizing the process parameters and changing the processing atmosphere, thereby reducing part defects and improving part performance and built part quality. This paper reviews the research on metal evaporation mechanisms and visual measurement methods of metal evaporation, then discusses the measures of metal evaporation, and finally summarizes and prospects the future research hotspots of LPBF technology, according to the existing scholars’ research on numerical simulation analysis and visual measurement methods of the metal evaporation process.