Analysis of single tracks of IN718 produced by laser powder directed energy deposition process

Despite the powerful capabilities of the Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) process, the applications are limited almost to feasibility analyses of simple case studies. This arises from the knowledge gap in the process parameters identification and optimization of the deposition quality. A practical approach is to delineate the process parameters window by producing single tracks with different sets of parameter levels. This paper aims to study, through statistical analysis, the effect of process parameters on the characteristic dimensions of IN718 single tracks. Results will allow empirical relations to be identified between track geometry and the analysed parameters. These relations will support process optimization.