APPLICATION OF LASER SURFACE POLISHING ON ADDITIVE MANUFACTURED PARTS OF INCONEL 718 NICKEL-BASED SUPERALLOY
Martin Bures, Miroslav Zetek
Abstract
This article deals with the influence of laser polishing parameters on the final surface quality of nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 produced by metal additive manufacturing. The aim is to optimize the laser polishing process parameters to reduce the surface roughness of the sample. The investigated parameters of the laser are scanning speed, frequency, focal length, and pulsed and continuous wave regimes are considered. The samples of Inconel 718 are produced by direct metal laser sintering technology. Depending on the printing orientation, the roughness after AM is Ra 5 -12 m. The samples were machined to ensure uniformity of the monitored and tested surface. An IFM -G4 3D optical microscope is used for the surface evaluation. The initial roughness of the samples before applying laser polishing was Ra 1 -2 m. The roughness after laser polishing is significantly reduced to Ra 0.369 m.