Additive Manufacturing of H11 with Wire-Based Laser Metal Deposition

Abstract Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is a near-net-shape production technique by which a part can be built up from 3D CAD model data, without material removal. Recently, these production processes gained attention due to the spreading of polymer-based processes in private and commercial applications. However, due to the insufficient development of metal producing processes regarding design, process information and qualification, resistance on producing functional components with this technology is still present. To overcome this restriction further studies have to be undertaken. The present research proposes a parametric study of additive manufacturing of hot work tool steel, H11. The selected LAM process is wire-based laser metal deposition (LMD-W). The study consists of parameters optimization for single beads (laser power, travel speed and wire feed rate) as well as lateral and vertical overlap for layer-by-layer technique involved in LMD process. Results show that selection of an ideal set of parameters affects substantially the surface quality, bead uniformity and bond between substrate and clad. Discussion includes the role of overlapping on the soundness of parts based on the height homogeneity of each layer, porosity and the presence of gaps. For the conditions tested it was shown that once the deposition parameters are selected, lateral and vertical overlapping determines the integrity and quality of parts processed by LAM.