Experimental Investigation of Laser Metal Deposition of Functionally Graded Copper and Steel

Laser metal deposition is an emerging technology for producing fully dense metallic parts. This process shows a promising future for the deposition of functionally graded steel - copper alloys. Good thermal conductivity of copper and a high wear resistance of steel can be achieved in dies and cores. However, to accomplish this, there are many issues to be resolved, such as the formation of an undesirable phase, solidification cracking, porosity at the interface and difference in thermal coefficient of expansion between steel and copper. The influences of process variables, such as laser power, laser scan speed, composition, powder flow rate, on the success of the process, should be studied.Mechanical Engineerin

Experimental Investigation of Laser Metal Deposition of Functionally Graded Copper and Steel

Laser metal deposition is an emerging technology for producing fully dense metallic parts. This process shows a promising future for the deposition of functionally graded steel - copper alloys. Good thermal conductivity of copper and a high wear resistance of steel can be achieved in dies and cores. However, to accomplish this, there are many issues to be resolved, such as the formation of an undesirable phase, solidification cracking, porosity at the interface and difference in thermal coefficient of expansion between steel and copper. The influences of process variables, such as laser power, laser scan speed, composition, powder flow rate, on the success of the process, should be studied

Laser metal deposition of functionally graded copper and steel

The Laser Aided Manufacturing Processes (LAMP) developed at the University of Missouri--Rolla is used to fabricate three dimensional metal parts. The powdered metal material are melted using a laser onto a substrate. The CAD model is basically converted to a format called STL files where the model is split into numerous triangles. This facilitates the slicing of the CAD model. Toolpath generation software is used to generate the deposition toolpath from the STL file. The laser scans the substrate and deposits the part according to the slices and slowly finishes the part to near net shape. This thesis describes the optimization of the process parameters for the deposition of functionally graded copper and tool steel. Experiments were conducted to optimize the parameters such as, laser power, powder flow rate, outer gas, feed rate for different percentage of copper and steel. Four point bending test was carried out on the laser deposited samples to study the interfacial strength of the deposit. Microstructure of the tested samples is also discussed --Abstract, page iv

Deposition Technologies for Micromanufacturing: A Review

This paper discusses the microdeposition technologies used in the fabrication of meso- and microscale structures. The ability to process a wide range of materials and the flexibility to build functional and geometrically complex structures in meso- and microscale gives the microdeposition method some advantages over micromachining or lithography methods investigated extensively in the past. In this paper, work on deposition technology is reviewed, including material, supply of material, powder flow rate, and manipulation of particles and microdeposition technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of each technology are summarized at the end of the paper

Educating High School Students and Teachers in Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Technologies

Presented in the paper is an analysis of the experience of teaching rapid prototyping technology to groups of high school students and teachers at a workshop sponsored by NSF during the summer of 2003. This workshop was a collaboratory effort between the University of Missouri-Rolla and the St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. Its purpose was to expose high school students and teachers to manufacturing technology in the hope of impacting their career choices. The material presented within the workshop was modified during the course of the summer. The paper reports results of the changes through workshop attendee feedback

An Advanced Manufacturing Workshop for High-School Teachers and Students

Presented in this paper is an analysis of the experience of teaching advanced manufacturing technology to groups of teachers at a workshop sponsored by NSF during the summer of 2004 at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The purpose of the workshop was to expose teachers to manufacturing technology in the hope of impacting the career choices of their students. Some high school students also participated in the workshop. The material presented in the workshop included CAD modeling, rapid prototyping, and lean manufacturing. Some industrial representatives came to the workshop to interact with the teachers and students on the prospectives of advanced manufacturing technologies. The participants also toured manufacturing research laboratories on campus and two local manufacturing facilities. This paper details the experiences of both the participants and facilitators of the workshop