Coaxial wire feeding laser additive manufacturing system

The additive manufacturing (AM) market is a potentially growing market in every manufacturing sector. Estimated at $1.8 billion in 2012, it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.5% to reach $3.4 billion by 2017. Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential to replace many conventional manufacturing processes. Laser cladding is an AM technology
which is used to deposit a thin layer onto the surface of a material, e.g. to improve wear or corrosion resistance. The cladding material is usually in the form or wire or powder. With laser cladding, complex 3D shapes can be achieved while delivering a small heat zone, rapid solidification, increased cleanness and lower dilution. Wire-feeding laser cladding provide
clear advantages over powder feeding or traditional solution such as arc welding including:
100% utilisation of filler material, reduced cost and energy savings. However, the technique is still mostly used on manual system limiting its wider adoption within industry.
Compared with a powder cladding procedure, the laser wire cladding option offers better energy efficiency, full material efficiency (100% utilisation of filler material vs 30-70%), improved operational safety and health protection (no dust).
The business opportunity for Advanced Laser Technology (ALT) is to develop a novel coaxial wire feeding laser additive manufacturing system for depositing or printing liquid metal droplets.