High-rate laser metal deposition of Inconel 718 component using low heat-input approach

Currently many aircraft and aero engine components are machined from billets or oversize forgings. This involves significant cost, material wastage, lead-times and environmental impacts. Methods to add complex features to another component or net-shape surface would offer a substantial cost benefit. Laser Metal Deposition (LMD), currently being applied to the repair of worn or damaged aero engine components, was attempted in this work as an alternative process route, to build features onto a base component, because of its low heat input capability. In this work, low heat input and high-rate deposition was developed to deposit Inconel 718 powder onto thin plates. Using the optimised process parameters, a number of demonstrator components were successfully fabricated.