Figure 6

Schematic illustrating the (a) mixing of Mo and MoS₂ powders, (b) single laser scanning, and (c) laser-based fusion of the powder bed with partial remelting of the previously solidified layer. (d) SEM images of a homogenous mixture of Mo and MoS₂ powders, (e) stereomicrograph of laser single scan as a function of energy density, and (f) SEM image of the half-melted sample showing the boundary between the melted/solidified (red arrow), un-melted powder bed (yellow arrow), and hatch overlap during continues single laser scanning of powder bed (blue arrow).