Prof Ramesh Kumar Singh, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT Bombay, has developed a novel technology that uses a laser for the repair and restoration of high-value components such as moulds, turbine blades, and other aerospace components. The expectation is that this technology will take the restoration and repair industry to the next level and help in nucleation of a viable cutting-edge laser manufacturing ecosystem for self-reliant India.

The existing repair techniques like welding and thermal spraying are ad hoc and do not provide accuracy and precision. Moreover, all the existing technologies are manual, and the quality of repair depends upon the skill set of the person.

The laser-based technology is completely autonomous with minimal to zero human intervention. This ensures restoration with enhanced quality and repeatability, says a press release from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.

With this, defective components that require repair will be scanned autonomously for damage detection via a laser scanner, and the deposition path will be determined based on certain algorithms. The laser-directed energy deposition (LDED) technique will be used to deposit the material, followed by finishing and automated inspection of the restored product.

“The developed technology is very impactful, and a game-changer for the restoration and repair segment of the manufacturing industry and has huge market potential. The components which can be reconditioned via this technology are very high-value. The level of accuracy and precision, which is possible through this technology, is phenomenal and is far ahead of the current state-of-the-art methods,” says Prof. Ramesh in the release.

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