Laser DED additive manufacturing: CuAl sealing component (naval)

The aim is to produce CuAl sealing components for demanding naval environments, guaranteeing a complete absence of defects. The challenge is to obtain dense, reliable parts despite the significant constraints of this material, notably its high reflectivity, while opening the way to alternative manufacturing and repair approaches.

A coaxial wire-fed laser DED process is developed and specifically adapted to CuAl alloys. Parameters are optimised to stabilise the melt pool and control heat input, while dedicated deposition strategies ensure geometric accuracy and material quality.

The main challenge lies in the operational and metallurgical control of a highly reflective material, which makes the laser-material interaction particularly unstable and difficult to control. It is also crucial to finely manage heat input to prevent metallurgical defects such as cracking or porosity. Finally, the solution must ensure high geometric accuracy and industrial reproducibility for a critical sealing function in a naval environment.

The deposits obtained are dense and free from critical defects, with performance meeting sealing requirements. The process developed is robust and transferable, opening up prospects in both manufacturing and industrial repair.