Laser Engineered Net Shaping

Companies Aerospace and Defense Industrial Biomedical Electronics Sandia National Labs

How It Works Uses a high power laser to melt metal powder that is deposited onto the table. Metal is sprayed onto the focal point on the laser where the metal becomes fused together. An inert gas is used to shield the metal from atmospheric gases. It uses a layered approach to manufacture the components.

LENS Diagram Click here to read more about Click here to read more about Laser Engineered Net Shaping Laser Engineered Net Shaping and to also view a diagram. and to also view a diagram.

Materials Stainless Steel 316 alloy H13 Tool Steel Titanium with 6% Aluminum and 4% Vanadium Copper Inconel

Advantages of LENS Can be used to repair parts as well as fabricate new ones Has a very good granular structure Powder forming methods have few material limitations Doesn’t require secondary firing operations The properties of the material are similar or better than the properties of the natural materials

Disadvantages of LENS Some post processing involved The part must be cut from the build substrate Has a rough surface finish, may require machining or polishing Current maximum wall angle is 18 degrees Low dimensional accuracy

LENS Specs The building area is usually contained within a chamber both to isolate the process from the ambient surroundings and to shield the operators from possible exposure to fine powders and the laser beam. The laser power used varies greatly, from a few hundred watts to 20KW or more, depending on the particular material, feed- rate and other parameters

LENS Initial Applications Fabrication and repair of injection molding tools Fabrication of large titanium & other exotic metal parts for aerospace applications

LENS Capabilities Ability to build fully dense shapes Closed loop control of process for accurate part fabrication Ability to tailored deposition parameters to feature size for speed, accuracy, and property control Composite and functionally graded material deposition

LENS Capabilities cont.. Three- and four-axis systems for complex part fabrication Wide variety of materials that, at minimum, include: stainless steel alloys (316, 304L, 309, 17-4), maraging steel (M300), nickel- based superalloys (Inco designations 625, 600, 718, 690), tool steel alloys (H13), titanium alloy (6Al-4V), and other specialty materials Mechanical properties similar or better than traditional processing methods

Material Specs Material type Ultimate Strength (ksi) Yield Strength (ksi) Elongation % in one inch LENS 316 Stainless SS Wrought Stock LENS Inconel Inconel 625 Wrought Stock LENS Ti-6Al-4V Ti-6Al-4V Wrought Stock

In Process Picture (Sky Scraper) Click here to view an in process picture.

In Process Picture #2 JOM/9907/Hofmeister/Hofmeister-9907.html Click on the link below to view more pictures and read more about Investigating Solidification with the Laser-Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM) Process.

In Process Picture #3 and Produced Parts Click this link and scroll down to view Click this link and scroll down to view more pictures of the process and products. more pictures of the process and products.

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