Design optimization of smartphone camera housing fabricated by laser powder bed fusion using thermal analysis

The additive manufacturing (AM) of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) manufactures three-dimensional products by melting metal powders using laser energy and staking repeatedly the fabricated layers. However, residual stress generated by the heat gradient presents a technical challenge for the application of metal AM in commercial products, as excessive residual stress can cause thermal deformation, cracks, and delamination in the products. In this study, the numerical thermal analysis of a smartphone camera housing was performed for various design geometries by applying the inherent strain method. The optimization of the design geometry relieved the maximum deformation by 8.2 %. The simulation results showed excellent agreement with the measured deformation based on the maximum deformation. The method of minimizing thermal deformation and optimizing design geometry was explained in great detail. This demonstrates the possibility of the application of the LPBF technique in practical engineering fields, including mobile phones.