An Experimental Investigation of Heat Affected Zone Formation and Morphology Development During Laser Processing of Metal Powder Mixtures

Laser-induced melting and subsequent resolidification of a metal powder mixture consisting of low and high melting temperature materials was experimentally examined. First. the onset of melting for the low melting point material was determined and correlated with dimensionless parameters. Next, the morphologies of the heat affected zones were categorized and finally, a process map for use in rapid prototyping technology was developed. The results indicate a strong dependence of the system behavior on the laser-material coupling efficiency and in turn, the ratio of the laser beam radius to particle size.