Process and Properties Control in Laser Aided Direct Metal/Materials Deposition Process

Abstract

Laser aided direct metal/material deposition (DMD) process, one of the technologies based on laser cladding, has demonstrated the ability to make a metal component directly from a 3-D CAD model. DMD process is achieved with a laser system combined with a NC machine tool or laser-robot system. Making metallic parts directly, designer can reduce unnecessary steps such as mock-up and molding. In the sense, DMD process is rather a rapid production technique than a rapid prototyping process. With continued advancement, DMD process, one of the leading solid freeform fabrication techniques, has demonstrated the ability to make a metal part with heterogeneous components directly from a CAD model. One unique advantage of the process is that building different metallic parts in same object can be achieved alternating metal powders. The advantage gives designers better quality of products than others can offer. Another attractive point is that some features such as cooling channel, heat sinks, sensors, fibers, and even hard phases for composites can be embedded during the process. This paper summarizes the fundamentals of the process, process control and influence of process parameters, and reports some examples produced utilizing the technique with the characteristics of fabricated parts.