Laser Additive Manufacturing

Rapid prototyping is used in applications where design prototypes or a low volume of complex parts are required to be fabricated quickly. The process enables manufacturing of complex parts out of either an epoxy polymer or powder without the need of complex tooling. The process is differentiated between Stereolithography (SLA) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLM). In both the SLA and SLM processes, a 3-D CAD model is sliced into many layers like a stack of cards then transferred to the SLA or SLM tool. The laser beam is steered by a galvanometric scanner head and builds up the part layer by layer. After each layer is processed, a layer of polymer or powder is deposited on top of the part and the next laser processing step begins.

< Back to Applications List

Laser Wire Cladding

Using lasers for cladding, you will achieve better surface uniformity than with traditional technologies.

Wire laser cladding is a coating method with excellent properties and high deposition rate and is used for the repair of components and functionalizing of surfaces. It is possible to apply material of the same type or to create functional layers according to the requirements for the coating. This process is particularly economical as the filler wire is constantly utilized to 100 %.

In comparison to the powder cladding procedure this process is very clean and both user and environmentally friendly. Often the wire cladding process is used in micro repair applications. In these cases the filler wire consists of a thin wire with a diameter between 0.1 and 0.8 mm. The low heat input, rapid heating and cooling, and precise control of laser beam energy by pulse forming all help to minimize the thermal loading of the workpiece. Compared to other methods, the microstructural transformation in the workpiece is clearly lower.

Current application fields range from repair of engines and turbines to coatings of functional surfaces on forms and tools up to direct additive manufacturing of metal components.