Functional metallic components can be built layer by layer from a CAD model, by using an optical fiber coupled Nd:YAG laser beam along with the simultaneous delivery of desired metal/alloy powders through a nozzle into the molten pool. Building of shapes using various alloys, including 316L stainless steel, Ni-base IN-625 superalloy and M4 tool steel, have been investigated. The components built using the free-form laser consolidation are metallurgically sound, free of cracks and porosity. Surface finish of the order of 1∼2 μm (Ra) can be obtained on “as-consolidated” samples. The microstructure of the laser-consolidated samples is similar to the rapidly solidified materials. Under certain conditions, directionally solidified microstructure can also be obtained. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that laser-consolidated material maintains the same phase structure as the original powder. The tensile properties of the laser-consolidated IN-625 alloy and 316L stainless steel are comparable to the respective wrought materials. The microhardness of the as-consolidated M4 tool steel reaches to approximately Hv1000. The polarization testing results indicate that laser-consolidated IN-625 alloy and 316L stainless steel show a similar corrosion resistance as the respective wrought material in 3.5% NaCl solution.

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