Development of a near net shape processing method for rhenium using directed light fabrication

Directed Light Fabrication (DLF) is a direct metal deposition process that fuses gas delivered powder, in the focal zone of a high powered laser beam to form fully fused near net shaped components. The near net shape processing of rhenium and refractory metals is currently in development and may offer significant cost savings compared with conventional processing. A fully associative 3D design through manufacturing model is presented for the application of DLF for the fabrication of a near net shaped nozzle part. This study describes the ability to move from a parametric 3D model integrated into a manufacturing model, creating a control file which can run on the DLF machine to produce a near net shaped metal component. Examples of DLF deposited rhenium and iridium show a continuously solidified microstructure in rod and tube shapes. Entrapped porosity indicates the required direction for continued process development. These results demonstrate a new methodology for fabricating complex near net shaped components using rhenium.