Recent trends in laser welding and additive technologies (review)

An overview of laser welding methods and additive manufacturing technologies used in modern mechanical engineering is given, and the main trends and aspects of these technologies are discussed. Laser welding processes of thermally hardened aluminum alloys and problems of obtaining high-strength welded joints are considered. The additive growth of heterogeneous materials is analyzed taking into account the dimensionless parameters determining the structure of materials fabricated by additive manufacturing.