High Density Selective Laser Melting of Waspaloy®

In this work, high density Waspaloy® specimens were produced using specially assembled laboratory equipment by Selective Laser Melting (SLM). SLM of Waspaloy® powder was performed using a high power pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The laser parameters pulse energy (J), pulse width (ms), repetition rate (Hz) and scan speed (mm/min) were varied. Process parameter optimization was achieved using factorial analysis to investigate the relationship between specific processing parameters and the formation of Waspaloy® specimens. The optimized processing parameters produced Waspaloy® specimens that were 99.3 % dense. The resultant laser melted specimen’s height, width and contact angles were measured. Specimens were also observed for the occurrence of porosity.