Relative Performance of Additively Manufactured and Cast Aluminum Alloys

Laser power bed fusion (LPBF) enables the possibility to improve the performance of critical automotive components by leveraging new design and manufacturing potentials. While the LPBF approach taps into numerous design freedom advantages, the finely focused energy input source, layer-wise thermal cycling, and rapid cooling rates also impact the properties of a given material, thereby affecting performance characteristics of the end-product. The microstructure and mechanical properties of LPBF components must hence be thoroughly compared with the traditional processing technique used for a given application to evaluate its feasibility. In the context of this work, AlSi10Mg processed via LPBF is compared to a high-pressure die-cast aluminum alloy to compare the performance toward technology adoption in manufacturing automotive transmissions. It was found that, with proper process control, LPBF parts can achieve better or comparable density of 99.84–99.95% (cast: 99.15–99.97% cast), similar surface topography, comparable hardness of 54.3–69.3 HRB (cast: 72.8–81.5 HRB), comparable specific wear rates of 3.92*10−4 to 6.04*10−4 mm3N−1m−1 (cast: 2.50*10−4 to 2.55*10−4 mm3N−1m−1), and an overall better corrosion resistance compared to the cast pump housing. The findings show that, with an appropriate selection of process parameters, it is feasible to pursue and possibly enhance the performance of AlSi10Mg for fluid power applications using LPBF.