Laser consolidation of Al 4047 alloy for making net-shape functional components

Laser consolidation (LC) is a novel manufacturing process that produces net-shape functional and metallurgically sound components by adding material based on a CAD model. Parts are built using a laser beam to melt a controlled amount of injected powder on a base plate to deposit the first layer and on previous passes for the subsequent layers. As an alternative to conventional machining processes, the LC process builds complete net-shape functional parts or features on existing parts by adding instead of removing material. In this paper, laser consolidation of Al 4047 alloy is demonstrated. The LC process successfully built metallurgically sound Al 4047 alloy samples on Al substrate. The microstructure of LC Al 4047 material was examined using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical properties of the LC Al 4047 material were evaluated and compared with reference data. In addition, several LC Al 4047 samples were produced to demonstrate the capability of the process. Laser consolidation of Alalloys has many potential applications in aerospace, mold making and other industries for rapid tooling, small quantity production, and repair of expensive components.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye