A review on additive manufacturing of alloys using laser metal deposition

Abstract

Manufacturing technologies related to additive processing permit quick and reliable fabrication of parts, components, thereby enabling savings with respect to economy and time. Moreover, as the technology of additive based fabrication is free from usage of tools, it provides flexibility in multiple degrees of freedom. With the objective of improving certain hindrances present in the additive based fabrication and to expand its potential to next level, design and principle of operation oriented rethinking is essential. LMD (Laser metal deposition), an recently evolved next dimension of additive based manufacturing, not only permits fabrication of parts with intricate shapes and dimensions, but makes it possible to repair and recoat the worn-out components, parts relevant to the industrial sectors of construction of turbines, nuclear power plants, tool manufacturing, aerospace engines, submarines etc. At the same time, the employment of this LMD technique in fabrication of intricate parts require extensive proficiency of its parameters and their control. Fabrication of superior quality components can be attained using the technique of LMD, only by carrying out the process in a completely regulated environment, as extensive number of supplementary factors must be taken into account. Therefore, this review paper throws an insight about the strategies being adopted and the combination of process related parameters being employed by several researchers and investigators during the fabrication of alloys of stainless steel, Inconel, titanium etc., using the technique of LMD.