The selective laser melting (SLM) process of metal powder is among the most widely used processes for fabricating complex components using additive manufacturing. Industrial systems typically do not allow the SLM process to be done with reduced quantities of powder, which limits their use in research and utilisation of new powder materials. We have therefore developed a powder hopper system with a recoater with an additional cover plate and secondary platform assembly for the DMG MORI Lasertec 30 SLM system, which limits the SLM process to a smaller work surface and lowers the amount of powder required. The design of the powder feeder was based on experiments. By performing the SLM process, we also confirmed its ability of producing components with a smaller quantity of powder.
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