Research on New Material Adaptation of High-Voltage Power Supply for Electron Beam 3D Printing

With the diversification of electron beam 3D printing materials (such as ceramic matrix composites, refractory metals, gradient materials), high-voltage power supplies need to be adapted and optimized according to the melting characteristics of different materials to solve problems such as insufficient material melting and low printing efficiency caused by fixed parameters of traditional power supplies. The research on new material adaptation needs to focus on the electrical properties of materials and melting energy requirements, and construct a matching system between power supply parameters and material properties.
First, analyze the core needs of different new materials: ceramic matrix composites (such as Al₂O₃-SiC) have high resistivity (10¹²-10¹⁵Ω·cm), requiring higher acceleration voltage (25-35kV) to ensure electron beam penetration depth, and at the same time requiring beam current stability ≤ ±0.5% to avoid cracking caused by local overheating; refractory metals (such as tungsten, molybdenum) have high melting points (>3000℃), requiring increased power supply output power (≥5kW), enhanced energy input by increasing beam current (40-60mA), and optimized voltage regulation accuracy (±0.1%) to prevent incomplete fusion defects caused by power fluctuations; gradient materials (such as Ti-Al alloy gradient parts) have a composition gradient, and the difference in melting voltage requirements in different regions reaches 3-8kV, requiring the power supply to have a wide range of voltage regulation capabilities (10-40kV), and the regulation response speed ≤ 50μs to achieve regional parameter adaptation.
Construct an adaptation technology path based on requirements: adopt modular power units on the hardware, realize adjustable output power of 1-10kW by increasing or decreasing power modules to meet the energy needs of different materials; develop a material-parameter matching database on the software, storing the optimal voltage, current, and power parameters of more than 20 common new materials. Users can automatically call parameters by inputting material type and component size, and support custom parameter input and optimization; in addition, design an energy feedback regulation mechanism, collect the energy density of the printing area in real time (calculation method: beam current × acceleration voltage / scanning area), compare it with the critical energy density required by the material, and automatically correct the output parameters. For example, when it is detected that the energy density of the ceramic matrix composite printing area is lower than 200J/mm², the acceleration voltage is automatically increased by 2-3kV.
The verification of adaptation effect is carried out through comparative experiments: using the adapted power supply to print ceramic matrix composite samples, the density is increased from 88% of the traditional power supply to 96%, and the bending strength is increased by 40%; printing refractory metal tungsten components, the melting efficiency is increased by 35%, and the printing time is shortened by 25%; printing Ti-Al gradient parts, the interface bonding strength reaches 85MPa, and there is no obvious component segregation. This adaptation research provides power supply technical support for the industrial application of new electron beam 3D printing materials and expands the material application range of additive manufacturing.