Laser Beam Melting Of Technical Springs: Additional Functionality And Powder Quality Control

Springs are applied in diverse shapes and sizes for a wide range of technical devices, machines and applications. Usually, they interact with many other components as part of an assembly to fulfil a joint function. Generally, springs are produced by coiling a drawn wire into multiple-turn windings around a shaft or mandrel. Demands for miniaturisation and reduction of assembling operations require new spring designs that cannot be realised by coiling. The paper summarizes new design opportunities that Additive Manufacturing offers for complex-shaped springs. Additional functionalities for technical springs are highlighted. The focus is on the challenge of the addition and removal of support structures required for Laser Beam Melting (LBM) as well as powder quality control for the utilized material. New spring designs were achieved provided that specific design rules were followed.