Processing parameter correlations in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing for Fe–Si soft magnetic materials through design of experiments

Owing to its processing freedom, additive manufacturing has emerged as a promising material processing method for Fe–Si alloys. In this process, the melt pool fused by selective laser undergoes rapid cooling, which results in non-equilibrium solidifications. Therefore, it is essential to systematically investigate the relationship between process parameters, microstructure and magnetic properties of the Fe–Si alloys manufactured by the L-PBF process. However, the conventional experimental approaches require time-consuming and costly procedures and a great deal of trial and error. In this regard, an efficient and cost-effective tool is needed to investigate the effect of process parameters on the microstructure and magnetic properties under a wide range of process conditions. In this study, the processing parameter correlations were conducted based on the statistical methods using the design of experiments. Through this method, the effect of process parameters on various properties, including relative density, coercivity and saturation magnetisation, was systematically investigated.