초록
Rapid tooling technique enables us to make dies and molds that produce prototype parts with the correct material at a substantially reduced cost and time. In this study, experiments on selective laser sintering of tungsten carbide-cobalt mixture were carried out to find optimal sintering conditions that will be applied to rapid metal tooling. The experiments were carried out within an air, an argon and a nitrogen atmosphere. Coupons of single layer were sintered at various laser powers, scanning speeds and scan spacings. Very severe oxidation took place within an air atmosphere. The oxidation is reduced significantly within an argon and a nitrogen atmosphere. The thickness of the sintered coupons is increased as the energy density, the laser energy Per unit scanned area, is increased. Several multi-layer sintering experiments were also carried out.
