How does LENS compare to traditional repair methods like welding or casting?

Precision and Heat Control

LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping) offers far better thermal control than traditional welding. Its focused melt pool and low heat input reduce distortion, residual stresses, and heat-affected zone cracking—issues commonly seen when repairing high-temperature alloys such as Inconel, Hastelloy, or Stellite. Unlike conventional welding, LENS can maintain microstructural stability close to that of the base metal, especially for components originally produced by vacuum investment casting or superalloy precision forging.

Material Deposition Efficiency

Traditional repair welding requires filler wires and often involves removing large sections of material to prepare the joint. In contrast, LENS deposits material additively and only where needed. This minimizes material waste and avoids the dimensional imprecision common in weld buildup. For complex aerospace or turbine components, LENS can restore worn areas with much higher accuracy before final finishing via CNC machining.

Superior Metallurgical Bonding and Density

Thermal spray or brazing repairs often lack full metallurgical bonding, creating weak interfaces and higher porosity. LENS produces dense, metallurgically bonded layers comparable to the original alloy. When needed, post-processing methods such as HIP further eliminate internal porosity and enhance structural reliability, outperforming conventional weld repairs.

Restoring High-Value and Complex Components

Traditional casting-based repairs typically require remanufacturing entire sections or even replacing the full component, resulting in long lead times and high cost. LENS enables localized repair on high-value parts such as turbine blades, pump components, burner nozzles, and exhaust hardware used in power generation, oil and gas, and aerospace systems.

Reduced Downtime and Enhanced Lifecycle

LENS enables faster turnaround than recasting or large-scale welding operations. Components can be repaired, heat-treated, and finished rapidly, extending service life while lowering total cost of ownership. The ability to precisely rebuild worn geometries also improves part reliability compared to traditional weld overlays, which may introduce stress concentrations or inconsistent hardness.