GLAD PROJECT: use of the LMD-p process! - IRT Saint Exupéry • Technological Research Institute

The GLAD project (Functionally Graded materials with LAser Metal Deposition) concluded in 2024, with the main objective of developing materials with a chemical composition gradient (FGM – Functionally Graded Materials) in order to improve the high-temperature mechanical properties of an aircraft engine casing, while keeping production costs down.

The LMD-p process for additive manufacturing of graded materials

Thanks to its multiple powder feeders, the LMD-p (Laser Metal Deposition – powder) process is particularly well-suited for additive manufacturing of materials with a chemical composition gradient. Although the concept of Functionally Graded Materials (FGM) has been explored for several decades, producing them via LMD-p is relatively recent. It requires the implementation of specific equipment and adapted methodologies, opening up numerous development opportunities within the GLAD project.

The project focused on the maturation of equipment capable of selecting and mixing powders from different alloy compositions, establishing suitable processing windows for the technique, and designing and analyzing the metallurgy and mechanical properties of functionally graded materials.

*Laser Metal Deposition – powder process, also known as the DED-LB process.

Conducted over more than three years, the project aimed to achieve three key objectives:

Define, develop, and validate a powder distribution and mixing system for metallic powders
Select manufacturing parameters for the target alloys at each desired chemical composition step, to obtain deposits that meet chemical and metallurgical requirements
Develop a suitable heat treatment process for FGM materials made from several grades of nickel-based superalloys

More than 18 deliverables were provided to project members (Safran Additive Manufacturing Campus, AddUp, PPRIME), including the creation of a double-curvature demonstrator integrating a composition gradient (FGM) made from alloy 718 and Waspaloy® powders, thanks to the integration of the unique BeaMix system at IRT Saint Exupéry.

GLAD PROJECT: use of the LMD-p process!