34 Influences of Substrate Preheating on the Laser Rapid Manufacturing Process

Laser rapid manufacturing is a state-of-the-art technology, which is the combination of rapid prototyping and laser cladding. This technology introduces a substantially complicated manufacturing process in that too many factors linked together influence this procedure. Accordingly, the relative experiments and analyses need to be performed for ascertaining the influence law of these factors on the process, which is the key to optimize this forming process and improve the quality of as-deposited metal parts. Among these factors, the substrate preheating temperature is an important one that affects the evolution of microstructure by changing the temperature gradient. Consequently, it is necessary to master the influence law of preheating temperature on composition segregation and microstructure morphology. Based on the experiments, the proper process system of substrate preheating can be concluded in terms of the relative material, which is the key to fabricate high-quality and low-defect nickel-based metal parts.