nLIGHT offers AFX-1000 fiber laser for metal additive manufacturing

The AFX-1000 laser reportedly stabilizes pool melting during metal AM operations. nLIGHT

A manufacturer of industrial fiber lasers has introduced a laser developed for metal 3D printing. nLIGHT Inc. describes the AFX-1000 as a high-power fiber laser that can switch between single-mode beam and other beam profiles without the use of free-space optics. The beam shaping function is performed entirely within the laser.

The geometry of the AFX’s ring mode reportedly stabilizes large melt pools, reducing the amount of soot and spatter generated. This helps improve part quality and production yields. Plus, the laser allows selection of discrete beam profiles on the fly—as quickly as 30 times/sec.—offering new degrees of freedom that help control melting and solidification rates, as well as the physical microstructure and thermal strain that can lead to stress fractures.

Ring mode processing with a single laser has been shown to produce “fully dense” material (>99.5%) at build rates exceeding 100 cm3/hr., says the company, adding that it developed the AFX-1000 to promote broader adoption of AM for series production of parts.