ORIGINAL ARTICLE Feed rate calculation algorithm for the homogeneous material deposition of blisk blades by 5-axis laser cladding Amaia Calleja & Iván Tabernero & Jon Ander Ealo & Francisco Javier Campa & Aitzol Lamikiz & Luis Norberto López de Lacalle Received: 11 February 2014 /Accepted: 11 June 2014 /Published online: 27 June 2014 # Springer-Verlag London 2014 Abstract The application of laser cladding technology is becoming widely extended in the industrial environment due to its advantages of high added value and direct manufacturing or repair of complex parts. These complex parts require 5-axis laser cladding deposition processes whose programming de- mands optimized and continuous tool paths. The present work develops a programming methodology for a homogeneous material deposition of a continuous 5-axis laser cladding process applied to rapid manufacturing of blisk blades. Ini- tially, the blisk blade geometry is defined and the process requirements are studied considering key factors such as the best parameters, nozzle trajectories, and feed values. There- fore, the proposed algorithm solution for feed variation control is applied to the process obtaining a more homogeneous structure. Finally, a blisk case study is developed according to the proposed solutions. Keywords Laser cladding . Blisk blades . Feed rate optimization . 5-Axis 1 Introduction Global air traffic level predictions foretell a fast continuous growth, expecting the number of planes to grow at an average of more than 3 % each year by 2030 [1, 2]. The increase of the aviation industry represents a real challenge in aeroengine manufacturing, demanding robust manufacturing and cost- efficient solutions. Therefore, reliable manufacturing process- es for these high added value engine components such as blisks and impellers are required [3]. It is due to the complex geometry [4, 5] of these engine parts and due to the hard conditions they are subject to that their manufacturing cost increases. For this reason, plausible solutions such as innovative and efficient manufacturing pro- cesses [6] take more and more relevance for both repairing and direct manufacturing of these parts. This is the case of laser additive manufacturing techniques, applicable for the recov- ering of damaged blades [7, 8] or simply for their direct manufacturing [9]. Additive techniques for solid object manufacturing are the group of processes in charge of making a product by adding layers in a relatively efficient way, such that there is low waste or reduction of materials. One of the most outstanding techniques forming part of this group of techniques is laser cladding, a method of material deposition by which a powder or wire material is melted and consolidated by the use of a laser in order to coat part of a substrate or fabricate a near-net shape part. The most reliable and industrial solution is based on powder, which is injected by a nozzle, and the interaction of the laser and the substrate causes melting to occur, and powder is deposited onto a substrate. The relative motion between the laser and the sub- strate allows both the melt pool and powder to solidify and produce a track of solid metal [10]. Generally, the laser path strategy is decisive, and the more uniform the deposition strategy, the more uniform the height of the deposited material [11]. If the laser path becomes more complex, the motion of the machine axis can present discon- tinuous movements and variable feed rate. Therefore, in these cases, the laser cladding process can present defects on the part due to a nonhomogeneous material addition. Special attention has to be paid to the development of optimal parameters [12] and laser path strategies [13, 14] that could influence mechanical or metallurgical properties [15]. Precisely one of the factors that could reduce the quality of the final part is the accumulation of residual stresses [16]. These residual stresses could be minimized by optimal laser A. Calleja (*) : I. Tabernero : J. A. Ealo : F. J. Campa : A. Lamikiz : L. N. L. de Lacalle University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Bilbao, Spain e-mail: amaia.calleja@ehu.es Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 74:1219–1228 DOI 10.1007/s00170-014-6057-3