Near net shape manufacturing of components using direct laser fabrication technology

Direct laser fabrication (or LENS) has been used to manufacture near net shape components. Good geometry control and surface finish have been achieved. Parts with various geometries, including a certain degree of overhang, have been built successfully using DLF for Ti alloys and SiAl alloys. It has been found that some alloys can be laser processed easily, i.e., have a large processing window whilst others have very small processing windows, in which case the microstructure of the build is very sensitive to the laser process parameters. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.