Laser-Based Post-processing of Metal Additive Manufactured Components

Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) is a widely adopted technique for building complex shaped and high-performance metallic components. Some of the common issues MAM built components face are loss of alloying elements, porosity, high surface roughness, distortions, cracking, delamination, etc. The above issues associated with MAM attracts the deployment of post-processing techniques. Post-processing is an umbrella term that comprises the stages that an AM part experiences after coming of the AM system before the final deployment, which includes mechanical, thermal, and chemical processes. Laser, a tool of power and precision, is one of the potential energy sources for post-processing MAM built components. The different laser-based post-processing techniques being explored globally for MAM built components are laser remelting, laser polishing, laser shock peening, laser micromachining, and laser welding. This chapter reviews the various advancements in the laser-based post-processing techniques for MAM built components by explaining the process and its application to them, including the recent research works. Further, the potential laser-based post-processing techniques that can be used for tailoring the properties of MAM components will also be discussed. This chapter will aid as a reference article for beginners, researchers, and industrialists interested in working on laser-based post-processing of MAM built components.