To verify the engineering application of selected laser melting (SLM) technology in aerospace products, systematic verification is conducted in terms of aspects such as dimensional tolerances, testing performance, and environmental testing. Owing to the high temperature gradient around the molten pool under the action of a moving heat source and the deposition undergoing heating and cooling cycles, SLM technology is prone to residual stress and deformation during part forming, thereby affecting the accuracy and quality of the parts. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately predict and control the residual stress and deformation of the parts. Conventional methods used to control the residual stress and deformation have limitations in their applicability to various characteristic parts. Therefore, more effective methods are necessary to suppress part-forming deviations and improve the quality of SLM-formed parts.

Taking a satellite-mounted antenna component as the research object, an SLM process simulation is performed using Simufact Additive. The simulation adopts a pure structural algorithm called the inherent strain method. The inherent strain value is calculated based on the process parameters, scanning strategy, and material characteristics, thereby establishing displacement and stress field analysis models for part forming and predicting the forming deviation, equivalent stress, and failure position of the sample. As the inherent strain method cannot accurately determine the anti-deformation amount, it can only be approximated with reasonable accuracy through an iterative method. The final shape error of the formed part can be calculated using a recursive formula for the anti-deformation structure. When the allowable shape error is satisfied, the iterative calculation ends, and the final anti-deformation shape function is obtained. Finally, the simulation results are experimentally verified, and performance and environmental tests are conducted.

This study fully verifies the environmental adaptability and functional reliability of SLM-formed antenna components through experiments, performance testing, and environmental testing, achieving a transition from traditional performance to functional application and laying the foundation for the large-scale application of SLM technology in aerospace products. The measured antenna components meet the design envelope size requirements (Table 4). Further, the actual forming size of the measured hole-shaped features is smaller than the design size (Table 5), and the actual forming size of the measured thin-walled features is larger than the design size (Table 6). The measured hardness data of the samples in the deposited and heat-treated states show a decrease after heat treatment (Table 7). The measured tensile test data of the samples in the deposited and heat-treated states show that heat treatment can change the mechanical properties of SLM-formed parts. The strength of the parts decreases after heat treatment; however, the plastic properties improve (Table 8). After environmental testing, no evident deformation, damage, or other abnormal phenomena are observed in the appearance or structure of the antenna components. Meanwhile, the standing-wave test values are stable and satisfy the indicator requirements (Figs. 5?7). The inherent strain method can accurately predict the forming deviation and equivalent stress of the parts. The method of significantly improving the accuracy of formed samples through the reverse deformation method differs from conventional process methods and is rarely used in SLM technology. This method significantly improves the forming accuracy of the parts and lowers the forming risk by reducing the forming deviation by at least 39.47% and equivalent stress in part forming (Table 10).

The inherent strain method can accurately predict the forming deviation and equivalent stress of SLM-formed parts. By iteratively optimizing the anti-deformation parts using the anti-deformation method, the forming accuracy of the parts is significantly improved while the forming risk is lowered to a certain extent. The AlSi10Mg deposited samples exhibit superior mechanical properties compared to commonly used aluminum alloys (2A12, 5A06, and 6061), in addition to superior plastic properties. If the tensile and yield strength requirements are not high, the heat-treated samples can be used, and their plastic properties are approximately equivalent to those of commonly used aluminum alloys. The dimensional tolerance of the SLM-formed antenna components meets the design requirements; the mechanical and electrical performance standards are also satisfied. Through environmental testing, this study demonstrates the feasibility of SLM technology in aerospace products .