Support-Free Process of Laser Powder Bed Fusion for Overhanging Structures

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is widely used for fabricating complex metal structures that often include overhang features, which typically require support structures. These supports increase material consumption, energy usage, and post-processing workload. The challenges are more significant when processing alloys like Ti-6Al-4V, due to their low thermal conductivity and high thermal expansion. This study focuses on reducing the need for supports in overhang regions by analyzing the effects of laser parameters on thermal and stress fields. An optimized support-free strategy is proposed to improve manufacturing efficiency and part quality in complex geometries.