The Application of Laser Assisted Cold Spray for Additive Manufacturing

Cold spray is a metallic powder deposition technique which has been traditionally used to create coatings on substrates to repair or enhance them. Recently cold spray has been introduced to the additive manufacturing sector, being used to fabricate and/or repair free standing components. The status quo is that machining is required after the deposition to obtain the desired form and texture.

This project will look at the application of cold spray and laser assisted cold spray for additive manufacturing. This may encompass building of parts, spraying into moulds and repair work (or any combination). Materials will initially be selected for cost and ease of deposition, e.g. copper, but will then move onto more functional materials e.g. titanium alloys. Target application spaces will range from aerospace to medical.

The first year of study will look to identify the most promising regions for exploration by a combination of literature review and experimentation. Subsequent years will look at developing the process and its understanding, along with any machinery necessary to potentially eliminate the need for post process machining. 

For more information on the status quo of cold spray in additive manufacturing please refer to:

• Yin S, Cavaliere P, Aldwell B, Jenkins R, Liao H, Li W, et al. Cold spray additive manufacturing and repair: Fundamentals and applications. Addit Manuf. 2018 May;21:628–50.