Fully Reflective, Coaxial Laser Wire Additive Manufacturing, an article written by EWI associates Stan Ream and Jacob Hay with Craig Walters, appears in the March/April issue of INDUSTRIAL LASER SOLUTIONS FOR MANUFACTURING.
Direct energy deposition (DED) using wire-based methods such as gas metal arc welding, electron beam welding, and laser welding, are gaining attention as higher deposition rate processes used in additive manufacturing evolve.
With laser wire DED devices showing promise, EWI is addressing the opportunity through the development of a totally reflective, omnidirectional, coaxial optic with virtually unlimited laser power capability. The process has the potential to reach high productivity levels shown by wire-based processes while keeping equipment cost levels lower.
The process and developments presented in the paper demonstrate the significant potential for this additive manufacturing solution and could be a game changer for the rapid production of large scale metal parts.
Interested in learning more about this technology, or how your organization can collaborate to bring this technique to commercialization? Contact EWI at 614.688.5152 or [email protected].