Sponsor: National Science Foundation
In this NSF-funded program, the LENSTM, Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) process, is acquired and used for the direct fabrication of advanced engineered materials (3-D parts). The most significant advantage of LENSTM technique lies in its ability to form near-net-shape metallic components directly from a CAD solid model. Moreover, the LENSTM technique is unique in its flexibility for the direct fabrication of a component over conventional processing, as well as Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies, including the ability to create an “embedded” structure, superior material properties for a comparable wrought material, and minimum waste.