LASER-WIRE DIRECTED ENERGY DEPOSITION FOR HIGH DEPOSITION RATE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Y.K. Bandari*1, Y.S. Lee1, P. Nandwana1, B.T. Gibson1, B.S. Richardson1, M.C. Borish1, L.J. Love1, W.C. Henry2
1Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Knoxville, TN, 37932, USA
2GKN Aerospace, Hazelwood, MO, 63042, USA
Abstract
Although additive manufacturing (AM) usage is rapidly developing, industrial sectors such as aerospace demand manufacturing of large-scale components that most powder-bed fusion processes, such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) are not capable of. Therefore, a Laser Metal Deposition with wire (LMD-w) system is under development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This novel AM process can produce large scale components with low Buy-to-Fly (B:F) ratios at high deposition rates, low costs, and with reductions in lead times. LMD-w technology adds material in the form of wire using a laser welding process in order to melt both the wire and the substrate.
The LMD-w system at ORNL consists of a 20kW fiber delivered diode laser, a 6-axis KUKA robotic arm, a wire feeder, an enclosure chamber, and a profilometer. A control system is being developed in-house to increase the efficiency of the technology and resulting quality of the components. Ti-6Al-4V is a promising candidate material for this technology given that it is extensively used in aerospace applications and some large, high B:F ratio components can be more efficiently produced by LMD-w than via conventional machining.
This presentation addresses the applicability of LMD-w technology as an alternative to traditional metallic preforms manufacturing processes, such as casting or forging. Increased affordability will be presented with a special focus on improved B:F ratio and deposition rates. In addition, an over-view of the metallurgical and mechanical properties of the deposited parts will be provided. Lastly, distortion models and thermal management options will be discussed.