WA Branch Technical Meeting - 8 June 2020

WA Branch Technical Meeting - 8 June 2020 Material Characterisation: An Integral Part of Advanced Manufacturing and 3D Printing

Source: Dr Zakaria Quadir, Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (MMF), Curtin University

With restrictions on face-to-face meetings in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Australia Branch recently re-commenced its technical program after a two-month break. The Branch held a virtual technical meeting via the Zoom videoconferencing platform on the topic Material Characterisation: An Integral Part of Advanced Manufacturing and 3D Printing. The virtual format proved popular, with 33 people registering for the event.

Dr Zak Quadir is a physical metallurgist and electron microscopist. He has 20 years of research experience in assessing material properties via microscopy characterisation after thermo-mechanical (rolling, forging, extrusion etc.) and powder metallurgical processing. He heads the Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (MMF) unit within Curtin University’s John de Laeter Centre (JdLC), and manages the recently launched 3D Microfactory for Additive Manufacturing, which offers a 3D printing platform aimed at academia-industry interactions. The world-class research facilities in the JdLC, the cost of which exceeds $50 million, are of national significance. As such, it is little surprise that the Centre is part of several alliances and collaborative networks. Capital costs were funded by ARC, State and Federal Governments, Curtin University, and other cooperating universities. Operating costs are funded by charges for instrument usage and fees from consultancies. Dr Quadir’s presentation provided examples of the extensive range of capabilities available in the MMF, illustrated with images from his own published studies. Dr Quadir then continued his presentation with examples of ongoing research using 3D additive manufacturing. Dr Quadir’s first set of examples dealt with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies of recrystallisation textures in interstitial-free (IF) steels and roll-bonded aluminium alloys. He then showed the use of correlated scanning EM, transmission EM (TEM) and stored energy (kernel average misorientation, KAM) studies of substructural phenomena in laser-assisted manufacturing in electronic packaging. Transmission EM was also used in a study of precipitation hardening of a magnesium alloy, described as ‘the lightest alloy on Earth’. Dr Quadir concluded this section of his presentation with two industrial failure analyses involving the use of SEM, ion milling, and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD), before moving on to describe work in the 3D Microfactory for Additive Manufacturing (AM). The 3D Microfactory is described as a ‘multi-disciplinary platform for industryacademic research’, offering ‘critical service supply chains within an integrated support facility system’. Dr Quadir’s presentation covered two examples of AM research, one based on bound metal deposition (BMD) and another based on selected laser melting (SLM). The BMD method uses metal powder and polymer bound together in the form of a solid rod, suitable for 3D printing. Curtin has BMD rods for deposition of 17-4 PF SS, 316L SS, copper, Inconel 625, and Kovar F-15. After printing, the polymer binder is removed, and the powdered metal is densified by sintering. The Microfactory has the facilities for printing, and the MMF has the facilities for analysis. Processing and performance evaluation can be undertaken in associated schools and centres within Curtin. Dr Quadir illustrated the complete cycle with an investigation of 17-4 PH SS test pieces, 3D printed, sintered and subjected to several heat treatment processes. Mechanical testing was complemented with SEM, TEM, EBSD and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. His final example was 3D printing of 316 SS by SLM; in this case analysis of the effect of solution heat treating include high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging. This was an entirely virtual presentation, with Dr Quadir alone in his office, sharing his screen with his muted audience,

also alone at their own screens. While this restricted the usual free-wheeling question time, the meeting was a success, showing a way for Branch meetings to be extended to a wider audience.

The Western Australia Branch greatly appreciates Dr Quadir’s generosity and flexibility in adapting to the format, and in showcasing local capabilities for working at the leading edge of materials characterisation and additive manufacturing.

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