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Improved laser ablation technique

Gareth Littlewood, Lin Li, Zhu Liu and Charles Malcolm Ward-close

QinetiQ Ltd, WIPO- World Intellectual Property Organization. WO/2010/055277. 2010 May 20..

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Abstract

A method of manufacturing a shaped part, the method comprising: (I) providing a partially consolidated porous part that has been made from a powder; (II) permeating the porous part with a volatile liquid (e.g. water, ethanol), so that the liquid is present in the pores of the porous part; and (V) forming the shaped part by applying a laser beam to a spot on the surface of the liquid-permeated part to cause the volatile liquid to heat in the spot region, causing the powder particles to separate in the spot region, so that a portion of the part is ablated in the spot region. The porous part may be made from metallic or ceramic powder and has been partially consolidated for integrity, but is ablated by this lower energy, liquid-assisted laser process, prior to further strengthening. The method allows bespoke, complex shaped parts such as aerospace parts or medical implants to be made inexpensively, especially shaped titanium parts.