摘要：

Summary Laser Powder Additive Manufacturing (LPAM) is a Rapid Manufacturing (RM) technique that combines the attributes of Laser Cladding (LC) with Rapid Prototyping (RP) into a technology with capabilities of solid freeform fabrication (SSF) from the millimeter to meter scale. This paper covers the historical developments of this technology, the current status of its use in industry and prospects for further application. Aircraft structural components are being fabricated in a similar fashion using a multi-kilowatt scale CO2 laser and powder from the 100 micron size range. Using similar powder size, single kilowatt scale Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers are being used to produce smaller sized components with unique feature attributes. These technologies offer the potential: to manufacture highly complex parts and assemblies; produce additional cost saving since no part specific hard tooling is required; to significantly reduce design-to-manufacture cycle times; and reduce part to part variability through minimal human intervention.

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