Effects of Laser-Powder Alignment on Clad Dimension and Melt Pool Temperature in Directed Energy Deposition

The process parameters of Directed Energy Deposition (DED) have been widely studied including laser power, powder flow rate, and scanning speed. These parameters affect clad dimension and melt pool temperature, which are directly related to part quality. However, laser/powder profiles and their alignment have obtained less attention due to the cumbersome characterization process, although they can be directly associated with local energy density for melt pool formation. This study examines the impact of the alignment between the laser beam and powder flow distributions in DED on clad dimension and melt pool temperature. The laser beam and powder profiles are characterized by measuring their respective 2D Gaussian profiles for a given standoff distance. Aligned and misaligned laser-powder profiles are then used to build single-clad square geometries. It was found that a 500-µm offset between the centers of the laser and powder profiles causes up to a 20% change in both the width and the height of a single clad as well as an average temperature increase of 100 K. To understand the interaction between powder flow, energy flux, and local temperature, the local specific energy density distribution was plotted in 2D. These results suggest that laser-powder misalignment may significantly alter the thermal history and shape of deposited clads, possibly preventing DED-manufactured parts from meeting design properties and causing build failures.