Effect of bronze infiltration into laser sintered metallic parts

The present paper attempts to investigate the effect of infiltration of bronze particles on laser-sintered products made from two different iron-based powders. Two different selective laser sintering machines, one equipped with CO2 laser and the other with fiber laser have been used to sinter the powders. The sintered products before and after infiltration have been characterized by their measured density, hardness and in some cases by bending strength and surface roughness. The results obtained have been compared and SEM micrographs are used to get an insight into the effect of infiltration on sintering. It has been found that the infiltration is significant in case of porous sintered product than the melted laser-sintered product. It is concluded that the production process could be made more energy-efficient by an appropriate a priori planning of laser sintering and infiltration.