The objective of this project is to develop materials and processes for use in laser additive layer manufacture, which are capable of meeting the stated requirement for advanced, high temperature nickel superalloys (with high levels of gamma prime forming elements) for use in novel combustion components for lean burn engine developments.

The participants will review the current state of the art and determine a shortlist of three potential alloys for development. In collaboration with the Topic Manager, one alloy will be selected for development. A representative application for the selected alloy will be defined and appropriate specifications determined for geometrical accuracy, surface finish and materials properties.

The first phase of experimental work will develop an 'Additive Layer Manufacturing' process, optimised for the properties determined above. In a second phase, this 'best known' method of manufacture will be used to manufacture multiple batches of part geometries and test specimens in order to provide sufficient statistical confidence in the data to allow use of this process for the manufacture of parts for use in an engine-realistic environment.