Geometry And Heat Transfer Considerations In Rapid Manufacturing

The authors review a laser-assisted rapid manufacturing process which allows to manufacture components from the original powderized material, overcoming functionality test limitations of conventional rapid prototyping processes. In a comprehensive experimental and analytical investigation, a set of rules which predicts the heat transfer and the geometrical properties of the fabricated parts was derived and verified. Further, the resulting set of equations was connected to a second model which predicts the mechanical properties of the fabricated parts. The results agree very well with measured mechanical properties, showing that, depending on the operating parameters laser power, scanning speed and powder delivery rate, the mechanical strength is anisotropic. © 2005 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland