LENS: An Additive manufacturing Technology

For making metallic products through Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, laser based systems play very significant roles. Laser-based processes such as Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) are dominating processes. A new design often bounces back and forth several times between designers & production engineers until it transformed into something manufacturability. A new low-volume production technology “LENS Additive manufacturing Technology� reduces the manufacturing related limitations on design. Engineered LENS manufacturing Technology makes near net shape metal parts directly from CAD data. Depositing metals in an additive process, it produces parts with material properties equal to or better than those of conventional wrought material. Additive process involves addition of metal in form of thin layers one after another. LENS is layer manufacturing Technology which produces a fine weld bead, exposing the component to far less heat than conventional methods due to smaller and more controlled heat affected zone which does not damage the underlying part. Once a geometry & material or material combination has been identified LENS can rapidly produce a 3- dimensional prototype with good mechanical properties. The tool less process is driven directly from CAD data so prototype of a new design or design iteration can be produced in few hours providing significant time compression advantages.