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Background: Molten pool temperature in Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) will affect powder efficiency, structural compositions of reactants and products in the molten pool, thus determining the microstructure evolutions and mechanical properties of the final part. An interest in molten pool temperature measurement has been around for a long time since the appearance of LAM. However, a comprehensive summary of the existing methods and their applications does not exist in the literature. Objective: The state-of-the-art of the existed devices and methods for molten pool temperature measurement in various of LAM processes is reviewed in this paper. Methods: The existing temperature measurement methods for molten pool monitoring in LAM processes are discussed. For each method, the existed patents, detailed procedures, advantages and disadvantages, specific applications are specified. In the end, comparisons among the current temperature measurement techniques are made according to data accuracy, operation complexity and cost of implementation. Results: Four methods are currently being used for the molten pool temperature measurement in LAM processes, including (i) Thermocouples, (ii) Infrared pyrometers, (iii) Infrared cameras, and (iv) Charge-coupled-device cameras. Conclusion: Different measurement methods represent different characteristics of the signal, and each has merits and defects. Selecting suitable measurement method according to different process characteristics will be helpful to achieve a preferable and more convincing results.

In the present study, the influence of laser energy density (LED) on geometrical characteristics, mechanical properties and microstructure of Inconel 718 parts fabricated by laser engineered net shaping (LENS) were investigated. Thin walls and block specimens were designed and fabricated under a total of 25 different energy density combinations. The material properties, including part dimensional shrinkage, surface roughness, surface hardness, and microstructures, including, porosity, geometrical dilution, average grain size and dendrite arm spacing (DAS), were evaluated. The results of this investigations indicate that with the increase of LED, the part shrinkage and surface roughness present a down and up trend, whereas the porosity, geometrical dilution, grain size and DAS increase with increasing of LED and there is no statistically significant effect of LED on the surface micro hardness. Taking account of the material characterization results, the energy density window for LENS process of Inconel 718 is suggested between 98.21 J/mm2 to 107.14 J/mm2. The outputs of this study could provide an insightful view of the effects of energy input on mechanical and microstructural properties of as-deposited Inconel 718 alloy by LENS process.

The amount of heat input, expressed as energy density, is one of the key parameters for laser additive manufacturing process. It will affect the melt pool dynamics, such as melt pool/powder interaction and temperature distribution, during the material solidification process, thus exerting an important influence on the forming accuracy and properties of the fabricated part. This paper investigates the effect of energy density on the forming accuracy and physical/mechanical properties of Inconel 718 part fabricated by LENS technique. Specifically, geometrical accuracy and relative density are measured with thin wall specimens. Surface roughness test is performed with block specimens. Based on the experimental results of the forming accuracy, relative density, and surface roughness, the suggested energy density ranges from 83.33 J/mm2 to 137.5 J/mm2.

Due to high strength and ductility, AISI 4141 alloy steel is widely used in many industrial applications, such as gears and blades. When it is composed to harsh working environment, severe mechanical failures may happen. In order to save the high added value of the components, necessary repairing techniques are required to recover their functionality. Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) is an innovative technology for metal parts repairing and rebuilding due to its metallurgical bonding and exhibit heat affected zone (HAZ). Compared to other repairing processes, LENS cannot only reduce the manufacturing time and cost, increase material utilization, but also provide an outstanding as-fabricated mechanical properties. Considering the compatibility and availability of powder materials, the selection of to-be-fabricated materials are important and decisive to the mechanical properties and the quality of the deposits. In this investigation, nickel-based and cobalt based superalloys are deposited onto AISI 4140 steel substrate using laser engineered net shaping (LENS) process to verify the feasibility of these superalloys for repairing of AISI 4140 workpieces. The micro-hardness, tensile strength, fracture and wear resistance are analyzed to testify the resistance of deformation, tension and anti-friction performance of deposited materials.

As an important factor during direct energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing process, powder stream distribution will not only affect the deposition rate, but also the powder-gas and power-powder interactions, and thus the consequent quality and property of the fabricated part. This paper created an analytical model to illustrate the powder stream distribution under the four-jet nozzles in the DED. To validate the proposed model, weight measurement method was used to track the powder stream distributions at different positions under the nozzle. Additionally, the effects of the input variables, including powder flow rate, gas flow rate and particle size, on the powder stream distribution were also analyzed. The results suggest a relatively good agreement between the modelling and experimental measurements. At the end, the powder deposition efficiency (PDE) was estimated based on the simulation results.

AISI 4140 powder was directly deposited on AISI 4140 wrought substrate using laser engineered net shaping (LENS) to investigate the compatibility of a LENS-deposited part with the substrate. Tensile testing at room temperature was performed to evaluate the interface bond performance and fracture behavior of the test specimens. All the samples failed within the as-deposited zone, indicating that the interfacial bond is stronger than the interlayer bond inside the deposit. The fracture surfaces were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse X-ray spectrometry (EDS). Results show that the tensile fracture failure of the as-deposited part is primarily affected by lack-of-fusion defects, carbide precipitation, and oxide particles inclusions, which causes premature failure of the deposit by deteriorating the mechanical properties and structural integrity.

As a prospective candidate material for surface coating and repair applications, nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 (IN718) was deposited on American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 4140 alloy steel substrate by laser engineered net shaping (LENS) to investigate the compatibility between two dissimilar materials with a focus on interface bonding and fracture behavior of the hybrid specimens. The results show that the interface between the two dissimilar materials exhibits good metallurgical bonding. Through the tensile test, all the fractures occurred in the as-deposited IN718 section rather than the interface or the substrate, implying that the as-deposited interlayer bond strength is weaker than the interfacial bond strength. From the fractography using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy disperse X-ray spectrometry (EDS), three major factors affecting the tensile fracture failure of the as-deposited part are (i) metallurgical defects such as incompletely melted powder particles, lack-of-fusion porosity, and micropores; (ii) elemental segregation and Laves phase, and (iii) oxide formation. The fracture failure mechanism is a combination of all these factors which are detrimental to the mechanical properties and structural integrity by causing premature fracture failure of the as-deposited IN718.