Laser powder deposition

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art of laser powder deposition (LPD), a solid freeform fabrication technique capable of fabricating fully dense functional items from a wide range of common engineering materials, such as aluminum alloys, steels, titanium alloys, nickel superalloys and refractory materials. Design/methodology/approach - The main R&D efforts and the major issues related to LPD are revisited. Findings - During recent years, a worldwide series of R&D efforts have been undertaken to develop and explore the capabilities of LPD and to tap into the possible cost and time savings and many potential applications that this technology offers. Originality/value - These R&D efforts have produced a wealth of knowledge, the main points of which are highlighted herein.