Laser Additive Manufacturing of Aerospace Materials

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) has become an emerging technology for near-net shape fabrication and value-added repair (remanufacturing) of aerospace metallic materials. The laser beam heat source has been widely used due... [ view full abstract ]

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) has become an emerging technology for near-net shape fabrication and value-added repair (remanufacturing) of aerospace metallic materials. The laser beam heat source has been widely used due to its high energy density, high processing speed and low overall heat input, which enable rapid solidification of the metallic material, minimize metallurgical damage and render low distortion of the component. Within the Aerospace branch of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), work has been undertaken to develop additive manufacturing and repair of aerospace metallic material components using solid-state Nd:YAG, fiber and diode lasers. The aerospace materials processed include lightweight aluminum and magnesium alloys as well as high temperature nickel-based superalloys; a summary of the developments achieved will be presented in this work.