A method for treating a material comprising: applying energy to a predetermined portion of the material in a controlled manner such that the local chemistry of the predetermined portion is altered to provide a predetermined result. When the material is a shape memory material, the predetermined result may be to provide an additional memory to the predetermined portion or to alter the pseudo-elastic properties of the shape memory material. In other examples, which are not necessarily restricted to shape memory materials, the process may be used to adjust the concentration of components at the surface to allow the formation of an oxide layer at the surface of the material to provide corrosion resistance; to remove contaminants from the material; to adjust surface texture; or to generate at least one additional phase particle in the material to provide a nucleation site for grain growth, which in turn, can strengthen the material.

A method for treating a material comprising: applying energy to a predetermined portion of the material in a controlled manner such that the local chemistry of the predetermined portion is altered to provide a predetermined result. When the material is a shape memory material, the predetermined result may be to provide an additional memory to the predetermined portion or to alter the pseudo-elastic properties of the shape memory material. In other examples, which are not necessarily restricted to shape memory materials, the process may be used to adjust the concentration of components at the surface to allow the formation of an oxide layer at the surface of the material to provide corrosion resistance; to remove contaminants from the material; to adjust surface texture; or to generate at least one additional phase particle in the material to provide a nucleation site for grain growth, which in turn, can strengthen the material.

System and method for welding a precipitation-hardened superalloy, e.g., Nickel-based superalloy, article to produce a weld joint, wherein one or more sections are defined longitudinally within the entire length of the weld joint to be produced, melting of superalloy material adjacent the weld joint to be produced in one of the one or more sections is subsequently performed, by directing a power beam towards the section and longitudinally oscillating the power beam within the section, an intensity of the power beam and a frequency of oscillation of the power beam are selected such that the superalloy material adjacent the weld joint to be produced are caused to become uniformly heated and melt thereby producing the weld joint from the consolidation of the superalloy material so melted, where the weld joint is thereafter solidified by gradually reducing the power beam intensity while oscillating longitudinally the power beam within the section.