Why Materials & Process Still Feels Hard

In metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) the Materials & Process Development (M&P) team sits at the bleeding edge of innovation and frustration. Their mandate is simple to state but brutal to execute: find machine process parameters that deliver dense, defect‑free parts fast, then adapt them to every geometry, alloy, and production target the business can imagine.

Yet one constraint has stubbornly limited progress—toolpath control. Legacy build‑prep tools treat every layer, hatch, and contour identically, as if a solid cube and a delicate lattice were born to share the same laser settings. M&P engineers know better; the rest of us pay in re‑builds, supports, and surface‑finish nightmares.

Before Dyndrite LPBF Pro, printing with multiple process parameters inside a single part was possible… but only if you enjoyed self‑inflicted misery. You had to:

1. Return to CAD and break the model into dozens of sub‑bodies - for each parameter you planned on assigning.
   
2. Export each sub‑body as a separate STL or 3MF.
   
3. Re‑import and reassemble the now Frankenstein‑ed part back into your slicer.
   
4. Manually assign parameters one sub‑body at a time.
   
5. Pray the part hadn’t shifted on the build plate during file roulette.
   
   

The process felt less like engineering and more like medieval cartography—painstaking, prone to error, and dependent on tribal knowledge no handbook could capture.

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Enter Dyndrite LPBF Pro: Parameter Freedom in a Single Click

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Dyndrite LPBF Pro replaces that five‑step torture ritual with a single, intuitive workflow:

Import geometry → Volumetric Segmentation → Assign parameter sets → Generate toolpath.

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Why It Matters: Speed, Quality, and a Shorter Learning Curve

1. Time Savings – Projects that once took days of file prep collapse into hours (or minutes). Focus shifts from babysitting STL files to engineering optimal parameters.
   
2. Human‑Error Elimination – Region‑based parameter rules are stored human-readable build recipes, not in someone’s head. Less finger‑pointing, more first‑time‑right builds.
   
3. Scalable Knowledge Transfer – New hires learn the process once, then rely on documented scripts. Goodbye language barriers and late‑night Slack threads.
   
   

Real‑World Proof: The Elementum 3D Breakthrough

Elementum 3D, a leading developer of advanced metal AM powders, used Dyndrite LPBF Pro to dramatically accelerate its parameter development for A2024-RAM2 on an SLM 280—eliminating hours of manual work and enabling support-free builds down to 15°. 

With Dyndrite’s software and automated parameter assignment, Elementum was able to streamline Design of Experiment (DoE) setups and push the boundaries of what’s printable. “Being able to quickly import different test coupons, label them, and assign different parameter sets on the fly, automatically, makes Dyndrite’s software a game-changer,” said Jared Rickaby, VP of Engineering Design at Elementum 3D. “We can continue pushing the boundaries of metal 3D printing with Dyndrite.”

Download the case study to see how Elementum 3D leveraged Dyndrite LPBF Pro to speed up materials and process development—and reduce supports in the process.

Use Cases That Move the Needle

1. Design‑of‑Experiments for New Alloys

Developing parameters for a new nickel superalloy? Script a matrix of bulk power/speed pairs, contour adjustments, and volumetric energy densities. Print them all in one plate, track results, iterate by lunchtime.

2. Support Reduction in Complex Geometries

Apply parameters with lower energy densities near down‑skins or introduce contour‑only passes to minimize balling. 

3. Ultra‑Thin‑Wall Heat Exchangers

Graded parameters let you control wall thickness, avoid overheating, and hit density targets that keep rocket engines running cooler under extreme cycles.

4. Qualification & Certification

Store every parameter invocation per build for traceability. Regulatory audits become data‑driven slideshows instead of treasure hunts.

There's a smarter approach to materials and process development. One that makes preparation easy and the innovation significantly faster.

Want to learn more? Talk to a Dyndrite LPBF Pro expert today or register for one of our FREE World-Tour hands-on LPBF workshops in a city near you! - Seats are limited!