Study on the influence characteristics of heat source and loading form in numerical simulation of laser sintering

With the continuous advancement of numerical simulation technologies, computational modeling has become an effective approach for analyzing the laser sintering process, enabling a deeper understanding of the sintering mechanism and prediction of forming results. However, existing LS numerical simulation models still have certain limitations. The representation and implementation of heat source models are often oversimplified, and the correspondence between actual equipment conditions—particularly the response time characteristics of control components—and simulation settings is frequently neglected. Such simplifications can lead to significant discrepancies between simulation and experimental results, thereby affecting process optimization and mechanism studies based on numerical modeling. To address these issues, this study systematically investigates the heat source loading characteristics in the LS numerical simulation process. Four commonly used heat source models, Gaussian surface, Gaussian volumetric, Goldak’s, and semi-ellipsoidal, were analyzed in combination with single-layer laser sintering experiments. Meanwhile, the influences of laser response time, galvanometer response time, and scanning interpolation delay on the temperature field distribution were considered. The results indicate that simulations using the Goldak’s heat source model yield temperature fields that more closely match the actual sintering process. Furthermore, the three parameters, laser and galvanometer response times, together with interpolation delay, have a significant impact on the simulation accuracy and temperature field distribution. These parameters should therefore be regarded as essential input factors in LS numerical simulations to achieve higher prediction accuracy and better physical fidelity.