Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is a technology often used for local repairs of e.g. high quality and high value turbomachinery components. Due to its specific advantages such as low heat input into the work piece, low distortion, high reproducibility and the suitability for automation, LMD is especially used for blade tip- repair.
In general, existing repair processes and results cannot be transferred to new repair applications without substantial adaptations. The development of new tip repair processes strongly depends on the part geometry and the specific materials. For the development of a new tip repair application, the LMD process parameters – such as laser power, scanning speed, powder mass flow as well as beam diameter – have to be adapted and require intensive experimental work. Although this approach is still state of the art, it is time consuming and cost intensive. LMD process diagrams can significantly reduce those experimental efforts and shorten the development time for new repair applications.