A processing head of a laser cladding apparatus, configured to form a cladding layer on a substrate, includes: a laser irradiation part that introduces incident laser light and irradiates the substrate with the laser light; a jet nozzle, into which an assist gas is introduced and which forms a jet of the assist gas around the laser light; and a powder storage part that stores a cladding material powder to be fed to the substrate. The powder storage part has a powder feeding port that is opened facing a jet formation region of the assist gas.

Laser welding of a first metal substrate having a first planar surface and a second planar surface disposed opposite the first planar surface to a second metal substrate is performed by placing an end face of the second metal substrate proximate to the first planar surface. An input laser beam from a fiber laser is generated, and a beam delivery system is provided that is configured to receive the input laser beam and generate an output laser beam having a beam spot that moves in a predetermined pattern along a first and a second axes to irradiate a target area on the second planar surface such that the target area is positioned over an intersection region of the first planar surface where the end face is positioned proximate to the first planar surface.

A monitoring system for in-situ identification of anomalies of a workpiece in a 3D printing manufacturing process is provided. The monitoring system includes an optical sensor having an optical path; an infrared sensor having an IR path; an optical device configured to merge the optical and the IR paths to obtain a merged optical path, which is arranged to be directed to the workpiece during a first stage of a 3D printing manufacturing process to obtain a first perception data; and a processor configured to identify anomalies of the workpiece based on the first perception data. A method is also provided. The method includes steps of: merging an optical path of an optical sensor and an infrared path of an IR sensor using an optical device to obtain a merged path; directing the merged path to the workpiece during a first stage of a 3D printing manufacturing process to obtain a first perception data; and identifying anomalies of the workpiece based on the first perception data.

A method for laser-processing a metallic surface to produce a functionalized metallic surface comprises: providing a substrate having the metallic surface; applying a pulsed laser beam with a controlled fluence to a region of the metallic surface in an environment containing oxygen, wherein metal material in the region of the metallic surface ablates due to the applied pulsed laser beam and wherein at least a portion of the ablated metal material oxidizes and redeposits on the metallic surface to produce one or more oxidized-metal-coated structures; wherein the metallic surface having the one or more oxidized-metal-coated structures is the functionalized metallic surface. Optionally, the functionalized metallic surface has a higher hemispherical emissivity than the metallic surface free of the oxidized-metal-coated structures and prior to applying the pulsed laser beam under otherwise identical conditions. Optionally, the functionalized metallic surface is characterized by a hemispherical emissivity of at least 0.85.

An apparatus and a method for powder bed fusion additive manufacturing involve a multiple-chamber design achieving a high efficiency and throughput. The multiple-chamber design features concurrent printing of one or more print jobs inside one or more build chambers, side removals of printed objects from build chambers allowing quick exchanges of powdered materials, and capabilities of elevated process temperature controls of build chambers and post processing heat treatments of printed objects. The multiple-chamber design also includes a height-adjustable optical assembly in combination with a fixed build platform method suitable for large and heavy printed objects. A side removal mechanism of the build chambers of the apparatus improves handling and efficiency for printing large and heavy objects. Use of a wide range of sensors in the apparatus and by the method allows various feedback to improve quality, manufacturing throughput, and energy efficiency.

The present invention relates to a 3D-printed iron based alloy product comprising carbon, tungsten, vanadium, cobalt, chromium and molybdenum with very high hardness and very good high temperature properties thermal properties as well as a method of preparing the 3D-printed product and a powder alloy.

A feed head apparatus for laser additive manufacturing, comprising an optical housing configured to receive a laser beam and a feedstock therein, wherein the feedstock is for use in an additive manufacturing process that includes a build plate or other additive manufacturing work surface; a first reflective optic for receiving and reflecting the laser beam; and a second reflective optic for receiving laser light reflected by the first reflective optic, wherein the second reflective includes a first region of curvature for directing a portion of the laser light received from the first reflective optic onto the feedstock in a cylindrical configuration such that the feedstock and the cylinder of laser light are coaxial with regard to one another; and a second region of curvature for directing a portion of the laser light received from the first reflective optic onto the build or surface only in a ring-shaped configuration, wherein the ring of laser light surrounds the feedstock and the cylinder of laser light and is coaxial therewith.

A laser processing apparatus includes: a work support portion which supports the work and forms a closed space between the work and the work support portion; pads which are movable upward and downward inside the closed space and include upper surfaces respectively coming into contact with regions obtained by dividing a processing object region having the through-holes formed in the work to surround the region of the work over one circle when the pads move upward; a drive unit which drives the pads to move forward and backward between a state in which the pad is in contact with the work and a state in which the pad is separated from the work; a gas supply unit which supplies a gas into the closed space; and clamps which contact the work supported by the work support portion on inner circumferential surfaces and outer circumferential surfaces from above over one circle.

Subject-matter of the invention is a method of applying silicon carbide-containing materials to a substrate surface, and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

A method for marking a location on a surface of a component includes irradiating the location with a first laser beam to create a first mark having a first color. The location defines a normal extending perpendicularly therefrom. The first laser beam is disposed at a first angle relative to the normal. The method also includes irradiating the location with a second laser beam to create a second mark having a second color different than the first color. The second laser beam is disposed at a second angle relative to the normal. The second angle is different than the first angle.