Automated laser fabrication of high performance saw blades

Abstract

Automated Laser Fabrication (ALFa) is an emerging computer-aided manufacturing technology that uses a laser beam to melt and deposit the injected powder to fabricate near net shape 3-D components and add delicate features onto the existing components with short turn around time in a layer-by-layer fashion by metal deposition.Recently, we have extended our efforts to deposit WC on High speed steel substrate to fabricate high performance saw blades. This paper reports the fabrication and characteristics of High performance saw blades using ALFa by depositing WC-Co on High speed steel. The laser fabricated samples were subjected to various mechanical and metallurgical analyses. The results showed that fully dense and crack free deposition of WC-Co with an excellent metallurgical bonding and low dilution. No melting of WC particles in the Co matrix has been observed during the microscopy. The average microhardness at the tool surface was in the range of 1450 - 1850 HV, while that at blade was 700-850 HV.Automated Laser Fabrication (ALFa) is an emerging computer-aided manufacturing technology that uses a laser beam to melt and deposit the injected powder to fabricate near net shape 3-D components and add delicate features onto the existing components with short turn around time in a layer-by-layer fashion by metal deposition.Recently, we have extended our efforts to deposit WC on High speed steel substrate to fabricate high performance saw blades. This paper reports the fabrication and characteristics of High performance saw blades using ALFa by depositing WC-Co on High speed steel. The laser fabricated samples were subjected to various mechanical and metallurgical analyses. The results showed that fully dense and crack free deposition of WC-Co with an excellent metallurgical bonding and low dilution. No melting of WC particles in the Co matrix has been observed during the microscopy. The average microhardness at the tool surface was in the range of 1450 - 1850 HV, while that at blade was 700-850 HV.