Effect of process parameters to monitoring of laser assisted additive manufacturing of alumina ceramics

Nowadays the widening range of materials suitable for laser assisted additive manufacturing (laser sintering and laser direct melting) and high automation level of equipments has made this method more interesting process for rapid manufacturing. Also use of alumina (Al2O3) as a raw material in these cases has raising interest among different industries, since has very favorable properties like high hardness and high melting point. Alumina is used industrially for example as abrasive, filler, isolator, catalyst and catalyst support.Laser assisted additive manufacturing of alumina has been very difficult according to literature. There exist a lot of methods to build-up 3-D structure of work piece with the assist of laser beam. In those cases, typically a binder is mixed to alumina and laser melts/evaporates this binder which is joining the particles together thus giving the shape to work piece, such that in final construction alumina particles are very close to each others. This is followed with post-heatin...