Product Code: ICA12_305

3D Analysis of the Powder Flow of Laser Cladding Nozzles
Authors:
Rezak Mezari, STAMP-Arts et Métiers ParisTech; Paris France
Pascal Aubry, STAMP-Arts et Métiers ParisTech; Paris France
Thierry Malot, STAMP-Arts et Métiers ParisTech; Paris France
Kevin Verdier, STAMP-Arts et Métiers ParisTech; Paris France
Presented at ICALEO 2012

In order to generate 3D complex structures by laser metal deposition, especially for Direct Manufacturing of parts where the number of deposited layers can be high, it is necessary to control the width and the height of the deposited material. If a process control is needed to ensure the stability of the process, it is very important to calibrate and control each component of the system that will be used too. Particularly, it can be very useful to determine the quality of the powder flow provided by the nozzle. Moreover, the 3D distribution of the powder must be known for the modeling and simulation of the process. Therefore, we propose a device that can easily provide this 3D distribution. The powder flow coming from the nozzle is scanned by a laser line. The light diffused by the powder is registered by a camera. A data processing module computes the 3D profile of the powder flow, the visualization of the powder distribution at any height from the bottom of the nozzle, the position and diameter of the powder focusing point. The system is presented on some examples showing the influence of some parameters of the nozzle system (gas flow, powder feeding rate) on the 3D profile of the powder flow.