Laser wire casting

Abstract

A new technique has been developed for the production of solid wire or rods from powder by laser melting. Three techniques have been developed to ensure that the molten powder solidifies as a rod or wire rather than a series of droplets. The straight rods or wires produced in this way have near-circular cross-section, are several millimetres in diameter and can be pore free. The techniques can be used to produce welding rods, tensile test samples and other solid pieces from a wide range of powder mixes. The rapid thermal cycle involved means that it is now possible to produce hitherto difficult mixtures and alloys in the solid form in seconds.