Direct laser powder deposition - 'State of the Art'
Recent developments on Laser Cladding and Rapid Prototyping have led to Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) technologies that produce net shape metal components by laser fusion of metal powder alloys. These processes are known by various names such as Directed Light Fabrication (DLF{trademark}), Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS{trademark}), and Direct Metal Deposition (DMD{trademark}) to name a few. These types of processes can be referred to as direct laser powder deposition (DLPD). DLPD involves fusing metal alloy powders in the focal point of a laser (or lasers) that is (are) being controlled by Computer Aided Design-Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology. DLPD technology has the capability to produce fully dense components with little need for subsequent processing. Research and development of DLPD is being conducted throughout the world. The list of facilities conducting work in this area continues to grow (over 25 identified in North America alone). Selective Laser Sintering (SLS{trademark}) is another type of SFF technology based on laser fusion of powder. The SLS technology was developed as a rapid prototyping technique, whereas DLPD is an extension of the laser cladding technology. Most of the effort in SLS has been directed towards plastics and ceramics. In SLS, the powder is pre-placed by rolling out a layer for each laser pass. The computer control selects where in the layer the powder will be sintered by the laser. Sequential layers are sintered similarly forming a shape. In DLPD, powder is fed directly into a molten metal pool formed at the focal point of the laser where it is melted. As the laser moves on the material it rapidly resolidifies to form a shape. This talk elaborates on the state of these developments.
- Research Organization:
- Knolls Atomic Power Lab., Niskayuna, NY (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC12-76SN00052
- OSTI ID:
- 754936
- Report Number(s):
- KAPL-P-000311; K99089; TRN: AH200017%%272
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ASTM/TMS Materials Week, Cincinnati, OH (US), 11/01/1999--11/04/1999; Other Information: PBD: 1 Nov 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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