레이저 파우더 베드 퓨전, 최신 돌파구로 더욱 매력적으로 변하다

어떤 기술이 3D 프린팅을 지배할 것인가?

As 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is increasingly becoming a key component of advanced manufacturing, it is important to further optimize the process. This is because 3D printing parts and components are usually used in very demanding applications, like automotive engines, rockets, military equipment, etc. So in these circumstances, any failure of one component can trigger a catastrophic domino effect.

이는 산업이 현재의 통합 단계에서 오래된 주조 및 가공 방식보다 지배적인 제조 공정으로 전환하는 데 결정적인 요소가 될 것입니다.

특히 정밀 제조에 사용되는 3D 프린팅 기술 중 하나가 바로 레이저 파우더 베드 퓨전입니다.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Argonne National Laboratory have recently analyzed the process with advanced X-ray imaging and think they can dramatically reduce the defects occurring during manufacturing. They published their findings in the International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, under the title “Revealing mechanisms of processing defect mitigation in laser powder bed fusion via shaped beams using high-speed X-ray imaging¹”.

레이저 파우더 베드 퓨전

The way powder bed 3D printing works is that a layer of powder containing the material used for the additive manufacturing is deposited in a container. A laser then melts/fuses the powder in the zone that will form the 3D-printed item.

A new layer of powder is then deposited on top, and the parts that need to be melted and added to the item are again targeted by the laser. Done over enough time, and very complex shapes can be produced, as well as relatively large items.

출처: ResearchGate

아래 동영상에서 레이저 파우더 베드 퓨전이 실제로 작동하는 모습을 확인할 수 있으며, 이 기술로 제작 가능한 예시들도 확인할 수 있습니다.

레이저 파우더 베드 퓨전은 플라스틱뿐만 아니라 티타늄, 강철, 코발트-크롬, 알루미늄 등 다양한 금속을 생산하는 데에도 활용될 수 있습니다.

이 방법의 장점은 금속 사출 성형과 유사한 ±0.2mm 수준의 정밀한 형상을 만들 수 있다는 점이며, 사용되지 않은 파우더를 회수해 재사용함으로써 재료 낭비를 최소화합니다.

대형 부품도 여러 레이저를 동시에 사용하는 고급 3D 프린터 설계 덕분에 빠르게 출력할 수 있습니다.

It should be noted that laser powder bed fusion is an umbrella term covering several different sub-techniques:

• Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), both trademarked processes that use a laser system to fully melt metal powder.
• Electron Beam Melting (EBM), similar to SLM but using an electron beam in an inert atmosphere or vacuum chamber.
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), using powdered polymer materials as the laser only sinters the particles together and does not fully melt the material.

3D 프린팅 실패 방지

In theory, additive manufacturing of metal parts is equivalent to the traditional casted parts. In practice, issues can occur, such as pores, or “voids,” rough surfaces, and large spatters.

Such structural issues can lead to the parts breaking, something not acceptable in critical applications.

“Because we understood the underlying mechanisms, we could more quickly identify the right processing conditions to produce high-quality parts using the ring-shaped beam.”

Lianyi Chen – Associate professor of mechanical engineering at UW-Madison

링 형태 레이저 빔

The first change the researchers made to their 3D printing design was to replace the usual laser beam with a ring-shaped laser beam, provided by a laser company called nLight, creating semiconductor lasers.

출처: International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture

이러한 비정형 빔은 용융 풀 내 금속 순환을 개선하고, 새로 형성된 표면의 파동을 감소시켜 파편이 작아지고 퍼지는 거리도 짧아집니다.

출처: International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture

모델과 관측 일치

The researchers confirmed these observations by using the Argonne National Laboratory’s high-energy synchrotron X-ray facility. They used it to create high-speed snapshots of the 3D printing process, allowing the researchers to check if their mathematical model simulated reality properly.

출처: International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture

3D 프린팅 속도 향상

The researchers also managed to get the ring-shaped beam to drill deeper into the powder without creating more instability. This resulted in thicker layers without weakening the finished product.

As the production ultimately requires fewer layers, this speeds up manufacturing and increases the overall productivity of the machine.

파우더 베드 퓨전 사례

This type of work is far from just an academic demonstration. It could improve the powder bed fusion machinery already used in the industry. A good example would be in aeronautics, with the fuel nozzle on General Electric’s (GE.TO ) GE9X engine, which is used on Boeing 777 aircraft.

The GE9X is the largest turbo-fan engine produced, and the additively manufactured nozzle is five times more durable than previous versions.

It should be noted that such developments are still very recent, with the GE9X design approved by the FAA only in 2020.

Even a higher quality powder bed fusion process, as well as a quicker one, could improve the design further while at the same time reducing its costs.

3D 프린팅의 미래?

첨단 제조 지배로의 전진

We have previously discussed how 3D Printing is consolidating into the future of manufacturing.

This is true in advanced manufacturing like biomedical implants or aeronautics. As the quality of additive manufactured parts keeps improving, this will probably become the dominant method of manufacturing in such demanding industries.

This is likely to apply as well to robotics, in-orbit manufacturing, or even holographic 3D printing directly inside our bodies.

더 많은 적용 분야로의 전진

Another change will occur when 3D printing gets cheaper.

This will be due in part to simply more utilization, as more 3D printers being produced will create economies of scale and decrease the costs of the machine and their feedstock.

Another factor will be improvements of the technology. It can optimize the utilization of feedstock (reducing operating costs) or produce parts quicker (reducing capex costs).

This could include thicker layers with ring-shaped lasers like in this study. Or maybe using 2 lasers at once. And even 3D-printed electronics to add to the 3D-printed materials and parts.

3D 프린팅에 투자하기

3D printing is now reaching technological maturity, as well as market consolidation. This gives investors a little more visibility than in the past and confirms that this technology is far from a fad but is here to stay.

You can invest in 3D-printing-related companies through many brokers, and you can find on this website our recommendations for the best brokers in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, as well as many other countries.

If you are not interested in picking specific 3D printing companies, you can also look into ETFs like ARK Invest 3D Printing ETF (PRNT) to capitalize on the growth of the additive manufacturing sector as a whole.

Or consult our articles “Top 10 Additive Manufacturing And 3D Printing Stock to Watch“, and “Top 10 Nanotechnology Stocks“.

링 형태 레이저 기업

지금까지 3D 프린팅 기술 분야에서 승자는 주로 3D 프린터 제조업체와 최종 사용자였습니다. 3D 프린터 부품을 개별적으로 생산하는 기업들은 대부분 표준화된 레이저와 같은 상품화된 부품에 의존하고 있어 투자하기가 어려웠습니다.

하지만 여기서 논의된 혁신은 링 형태 레이저라는 새로운 개발을 통해 잠재적인 핵심 응용 분야를 찾은 사례입니다.

The researchers used a laser produced by nLight, more precisely the continuous-wave (CW) AFX1000 fiber laser.

The versatile palette of beam settings enables the processing of all metals without compromise. In cutting, these fiber lasers provide CO2-like edge quality for thick metal and the speed advantages of fiber lasers for thin metal—all with the reliability and low cost of ownership of fiber lasers.

This laser is able to modify the shape of the ring in order to do more or less fine 3D printing and complex geometries.

출처: Trokut Solutions

The company had seen its revenues grow steadily from 2016-2021, to then suffer from a decline largely driven by shrinking sales in China. This was likely in connection to the growing trade tensions between China and the West, and competition from Chinese domestic laser producers.

With currently 95% of customers out of China, this is not likely to keep impacting the company moving forward.

출처: nLight

The mixed results are a reflection of this shift, with industrial sales declining steeply in 2024, while the microfabrication and aerospace segments boomed.

출처: Trokut Solutions

The recent decline in sales has caused cash flow from operations to drop back into negative territory in 2024. However, if the growth trend of aerospace and microfabrication/3D printing persists, carried by the general growth of these sectors and nLight’s unique technological advantage, nLight should get back into profitability.

연구 참고:

^{1. Yuan, J., Guo, Q., Clark, S. J., Escano, L. I., Nabaa, A., Qu, M., Huang, J., Li, Q., Román, A. J., Osswald, T. A., Fezzaa, K., & Chen, L. (2025). Revealing mechanisms of processing defect mitigation in laser powder bed fusion via shaped beams using high-speed X-ray imaging. International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 204, 104232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmachtools.2024.104232}