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INVENTORS: Meiners; Wilhelm (Aachen, DE); Wissenbach; Konrad (Herzogenrath, DE); Gasser; Andres (Aachen, DE)
ASSIGNEES: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V. (Munich, DE)
U.S. CLASS: 219/121.61; 219/121.84; 219/121.85; 419/47
ABSTRACT: A method is disclosed for manufacturing a molded body, in accordance with three-dimensional CAD data of a model of a molded body, by depositing layers of a metallic material in powder form. Several layers of powder are successively deposited one on top of the other, whereby each layer of powder is heated to a specific temperature by means of a focused laser beam applied to a given area corresponding to a selected cross-sectional area of the model of the molded body, before deposition of the next layer. The laser beam is guided over each layer of powder in accordance with the CAD cross-sectional data of the selected cross-sectional area of the model in such a way that each layer of powder is fixed to the layer below it. The method is characterized in that the metallic material in powder form is applied in the form of a metallic powder free of binders and fluxing agents, that it is heated by the laser beam to melting temperature, that the energy of the laser beam is chosen in such a way that the la yer of metallic powder is fully molten throughout at the point of impact of said laser beam, that the laser beam is guided across the specified area of powder in several runs in such a way that each run of the laser beam partly overlaps the preceding run, and that a protective gas atmosphere is maintained above the interaction zone of the laser beam and the metallic powder. XX
