Laser ablation methods for producing feedstock powder suitable for laser-based additive manufacturing

Abstract

Methods and systems for producing feedstock powders, suitable for use in laser-based additive manufacturing, use laser ablation to vaporize a source material, which may be in bulk solid or solid coarse grain form. The source material is vaporized by a laser (or other focused energy source) in a vaporization chamber that is temperature controlled to provide a vertical thermal gradient. The vertical thermal gradient may be controlled to, in turn, control the nucleation, coagulation, and agglomeration of the vaporized molecules, enabling formation of microparticles that may then be used as feedstock powders in laser-based additive manufacturing. The produced feedstock powder particles may be of uniform composition, of uniform shape (e.g., substantially spherical), and of uniform phase or homogeneously mixed phases.