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A major part of laser additive manufacturing focuses on the fabrication of metallic parts for applications in the space and aerospace sectors. Especially, the processing of the very brittle titanium aluminides can be particularly challenging because of their distinct tendency to lamellar interface cracking. In the present paper, a gamma titanium aluminide (γ-TiAl) nozzle, manufactured via electron beam melting, is extended and adapted via hybrid laser metal deposition. The presented example considers a new field of application for this class of materials and approaches the process-specific manipulation of the composition and/or microstructure via the adjustment of processing temperatures, temperature gradients and solidification conditions. Furthermore, intrinsic heat treatment is investigated for electron beam melting and laser metal deposition with powder, and the resulting influence is releated to conventional processing.

Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are refractory ceramic materials with damage-tolerant behavior. Coming from the space industry, this class of materials is increasingly being used in other applications, such as automotive construction for high-performance brake discs, furnace technology, heat coatings for pipe systems and landing flaps on reusable rocket sections. In order to produce CMC faster and more cost-efficiently for the increasing demand, a new additive manufacturing process is being tested, which in the future should also be able to realize material joints and higher component wall thicknesses than conventional processes. The main features of the process are as follows. A ceramic fiber bundle is de-sized and infiltrated with ceramic suspension. The bundle infiltrated with matrix material is dried and then applied to a body form. During application, the matrix material is melted by laser radiation without damaging the fiber material. For the initial validation of the material system, samples are pressed and analyzed for their absorption properties using integrating sphere measurement. With the results, a suitable processing laser is selected, and initial melting tests of the matrix system are carried out. After the first validation of the process, a test system is set up, and the first test specimens are produced to determine the material parameters.