Simulating the Electron Optics of an Electron Beam Manufacturing 3D Printer
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Program
Publicerad
2020
Författare
Gardfjell, Martin
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a growing industry that has the potential to completely
revolutionize global manufacturing. Electron Beam Manufacturing (EBM)
is a 3D-printing method developed by GE Additive that utilizes an electron beam,
controlled by a magnetic lens system, to melt metal powder. GE is currently looking
into opportunities for simulating the Electron Optics, with the ambition to further
develop their EBM technology. In this project a model of the lens system has
been built and evaluated in COMSOL Multiphysics®. Using the Finite Element
Method (FEM) and Time Step Particle Tracing it was possible to simulate the electron
trajectories in 25 min. The computational time was substantially reduced by
approximating certain calculations and replacing COMSOL’s default Generalized
Alpha Time Stepping algorithm with a simpler algorithm in certain regions. The
accompanied decrease in accuracy was negligible compared to the error in the model
itself, proving that there is a lot of potential for improvement. The thesis concludes
that COMSOL is a useful FEM software for simulating the electron optics of an
Arcam EBM lens system. The model created in this thesis does however require
further development, especially regarding mesh convergence, before the software
can be implemented as a simulation tool at GE Additive.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Computational Electromagnetics , Electron Optics , Charged Particle Optics , Additive Manufacturing , Arcam Electron Beam Manufacturing , GE Additive , COMSOL Multiphysics® , Finite Element Method , Boundary Element Method , Generalized Alpha