Abstract
The influence of processing parameters on the
resulting properties of laser metal deposition process cannot be
overemphasized. In this research, the influence of laser power
and powder flow rate on the dilution and surface roughness
value produced are critically studied.. The laser power was set
between 1.8 kW and 3.0 kW, while the powder flow rate was
set between 2.88 and 5.76 g/min. The scanning speed and the
gas flow rate were maintained at constant values of 0.05m/s
and 4l/min respectively. The study revealed that, as the laser
power was increased, the degree of dilution increases but the
average surface roughness value decreases. Also, as the powder
flow rate was increased, the dilution decreases and the average
surface roughness increases. The study shows that it is
important to keep the powder flow rare low so as to achieve a
better surface finished and also not to use too high laser power
as this will result in higher dilution, which is not desirable in
the laser additive manufacturing process because it will affect
the dimensional accuracy of the part under processing.