Additive Manufacturing CAM

Laser Cladding Powder Feed & Nozzle Standoff Calculator

Optimize powder stream convergence focal point ($f_p$), spot waist diameter ($d_p$), powder catchment efficiency ($\eta_c$), and carrier/shielding gas flow rates for coaxial laser metal deposition (LMD/DED).

Process Parameters & Inputs

Laser Spot Diameter at Surface (mm)

Top-hat or Gaussian laser beam footprint diameter on workpiece.

Powder Mass Feed Rate (g/min)

Total powder delivered from disk or screw feeder.

Carrier Gas Flow Rate (Ar/He, L/min)

Laminar carrier gas delivery flow through coaxial nozzles.

Coaxial Nozzle Convergence Angle (deg)

Half-cone angle of annular or discrete multi-jet coaxial nozzle.

Working Standoff Distance (mm)

Distance from nozzle exit tip to workpiece substrate.

Powder Material Density (g/cm³)

Calculated Engineering Metrics

Powder Waist Diameter

2.2mm

Catchment Efficiency

88.4%

Focal Standoff Error

0.4mm

Specific Powder Influx

61.1mg/mm²·s

Toolpath & Geometry Simulation

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Engineering Principles & Formula Reference

Coaxial laser powder cladding efficiency depends on the geometric intersection of the convergent annular powder stream and the laser-generated melt pool on the substrate.

Powder Stream Waist & Catchment Geometry

The powder convergence focal distance f_p and waist diameter d_p at standoff distance Z are governed by:

f_p = R_nozzle / tan(theta_cone)
d_p(Z) = d_p0 + 2 * |Z - f_p| * tan(theta_div)
eta_c = (Area_melt / Area_powder) * [1 - exp(-(d_beam / d_p)^2)]

When the standoff distance matches f_p, powder catchment efficiency peaks at 85% - 95%, minimizing costly superalloy overspray waste.