Viable Ti-6AI-4V Additive Manufacturing Repair

PROBLEM

There is a need for a reliable and robust additive manufacturing (AM) repair method for military aircraft related components manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V. Depending on the component, conventional repair methods may not always be feasible or reliable.

As a result, interest in Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LPDED) to solve this problem has grown. LPDED is a maturing technology, however, lacking specifications, best practices, procedures, and process controls.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this project was to facilitate the adoption of AM for flight-worthy repairs by restoring the Ti-6Al-4V component function without compromising structural integrity.

Restoration of the component function was achieved by the development of an LPDED repair methodology that could be cost-effective and consistently applied to a range of applications. The project also included the coordinated integration of available, past and ongoing, LPDED development efforts into a centralizeddirected energy database (DEDatabase).