Research and Development Prospects of Laser Shock Peening as a Post- Processing Technique for Selective Laser Melting

Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) is widely used in the fields of aviation, chemistry, medicine, and biology in recent because of its advantages in terms of small batches, complex structures, short cycles, and low costs. Among them, selective laser melting (SLM) is an extremely important technology that is widely used because of its advantages of high- precision control, high density, and a wide range of available materials. However, during the additive forming process, owing to factors such as temperature gradient changes and metal phase transformation, it is easy to generate large residual tensile stress as well as a large number of small pores, cracks, and other defects. To effectively solve such problems, laser shock peening (LSP), which is an advanced material modification technology, is widely used in the post- processing of additive manufacturing. This article discusses the research and application of LSP on SLM in recent years, highlighting the feasibility and future prospects of low- energy laser shock peening (LE-LSP) in SLM applications.