Thermoelectric generators directly convert thermal energy to electricity when exposed to the proper temperature difference. The efficiency of the thermoelectric module has not been fully explored due to the drawbacks in conventional design and fabrication methods. Selective laser melting (SLM) additive manufacturing offers a unique potential scalable approach for the fabrication of flexible and functionally graded thermoelectric materials with high energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, we developed a physical model to simulate the SLM manufacturing process of thermoelectric materials (Mg₂Si powders) with additive material (Si) mixed for better thermoelectric performance. A comprehensive thermal and fluid study of the SLM manufacturing was conducted to understand the phenomena associated with the melting and solidification processes in the melting pool. This physical model was established based on the conservation equations and provided a basis to study the fluid flow driven by the buoyancy force and surface tension in the melting pool. Using this model, the influences of the process parameters, such as laser scanning speed and power energy density, on the temperature distribution, powder bed shrinkage, pool size, and particle aggregation in the powder bed, were studied, which provided critical information for understanding SLM for thermoelectric device fabrication.

当暴露在适当的温差下时，热电发电机将热能直接转换为电能。由于常规设计和制造方法中的缺陷，尚未完全探索热电模块的效率。选择性激光熔融（SLM）增材制造技术提供了一种独特的潜在可扩展方法，用于制造具有高能量转换效率的功能性渐变热电材料。在本文中，我们开发了一个物理模型来模拟热电材料（Mg ₂硅粉）与添加材料（Si）混合在一起，以获得更好的热电性能。进行了SLM制造的综合热力和流体研究，以了解与熔池中熔化和凝固过程相关的现象。基于守恒方程建立了该物理模型，为研究熔池中浮力和表面张力驱动的流体流动提供了基础。使用该模型，研究了激光扫描速度和功率能量密度等工艺参数对温度分布，粉末床收缩率，池尺寸和粉末床中颗粒聚集的影响，为理解这一点提供了关键信息。用于热电设备制造的SLM。