Additive manufacturing of metallic components – Process, structure and properties

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has been researched and developed for more than 20 years. Rather than removing materials, AM processes make three-dimensional parts directly from CAD models by adding materials layer by layer, offering the beneficial ability to build parts with geometric and material complexities that could not be produced by subtractive manufacturing processes. Through intensive research over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in the development and commercialization of new and innovative AM processes, as well as numerous practical applications in aerospace, automotive, biomedical, energy and other fields. This paper reviews the main processes, materials and applications of the current AM technology and presents future research needs for this technology.

Additive manufacturing: technology, applications and research needs

Laser-based additive manufacturing (LBAM) processes can be utilized to generate functional parts (or prototypes) from the ground-up via layer-wise cladding – providing an opportunity to generate complex-shaped, functionally graded or custom-tailored parts that can be utilized for a variety of engineering applications. Directed Energy Deposition (DED), utilizes a concentrated heat source, which may be a laser or electron beam, with in situ delivery of powder- or wire-shaped material for subsequent melting to accomplish layer-by-layer part fabrication or single-to-multi layer cladding/repair. Direct Laser Deposition (DLD), a form of DED, has been investigated heavily in the last several years as it provides the potential to (i) rapidly prototype metallic parts, (ii) produce complex and customized parts, (iii) clad/repair precious metallic components and (iv) manufacture/repair in remote or logistically weak locations. DLD and Powder Bed Fusion-Laser (PBF-L) are two common LBAM processes for additive metal part fabrication and are currently demonstrating their ability to revolutionize the manufacturing industry; breaking barriers imposed via traditional, ‘subtractive’ metalworking processes. This article provides an overview of the major advancements, challenges and physical attributes related to DLD, and is one of two Parts focused specifically on DLD. Part I (this article) focuses on describing the thermal/fluidic phenomena during the powder-fed DLD process, while Part II focuses on the mechanical properties and microstructure of parts manufactured via DLD. In this current article, a selection of recent research efforts – including methodology, models and experimental results – will be provided in order to educate the reader of the thermal/fluidic processes that occur during DLD, as well as providing important background information relevant to DLD as a whole. The thermal/fluid phenomena inherent to DLD directly influence the solidification heat transfer which thus impacts the part's microstructure and associated thermo-mechanical properties. A thorough understanding of the thermal/fluid aspects inherent to DLD is vital for optimizing the DLD process and ensuring consistent, high-quality parts.

An overview of Direct Laser Deposition for additive manufacturing; Part I: Transport phenomena, modeling and diagnostics

A critical review of powder-based additive manufacturing of ferrous alloys: Process parameters, microstructure and mechanical properties

Characterization of stainless steel parts by Laser Metal Deposition Shaping

Laser additive direct deposition of metals is a new rapid manufacturing technology, which combines with computer-aided design (CAD), laser cladding and rapid prototyping. The advanced technology can build fully dense metal components directly from CAD files with neither mould nor tool. Based on the theory of this technology, a promising rapid manufacturing system called “Laser Metal Deposition Shaping (LMDS)” has been constructed and developed successfully by Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang Institute of Automation. Through the LMDS system, comprehensive experiments are carried out with nickel-based superalloy to systematically investigate the influences of the processing parameters on forming characteristics. By adjusting to the optimal processing parameters, fully dense and near-net-shaped metallic parts can be directly obtained through melting coaxially fed powder with a laser. Moreover, the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-formed samples are tested and analyzed synthetically. As a result, significant processing flexibility with the LMDS system over conventional processing capabilities is recognized, with potentially lower production cost, higher quality components, and shorter lead-time.

Xiaofeng Shang

Papers

Research on the processing experiments of laser metal deposition shaping