A systematic matrix with 25 samples, using five different point distances and five laser exposure times, depositing 75-μm-thick layers of Alloy 718 has been studied. The work has concentrated on defects formed, hardness of the deposits, and the microstructure. Relatively large amount of defects, both lack of fusion and porosity, was found in several of the specimens in the deposits. The defects were never possible to fully eliminate, but a significant decrease, mainly in the lack of fusion, was seen with increasing laser exposure time. The gas porosity on the other hand was not affected to any larger degree, except for the lowest laser energy input, where a slight increase in porosity was seen. A small increase in hardness was noted with increasing laser energy input. The width of the deposited beads increased with increasing laser energy, while the depth of deposits was more or less constant. However, for the lowest combination of point distance and laser exposure time, quite deep and narrow beads were formed. A comparison was made with deposition of 50-μm-thick layers, with quite similar laser energy input, but with some variation in detailed deposition parameters. It was found that the 75-μm-thick layers contained less lack of fusion, particularly for small point distances. The amount of porosity was also less, but that did not vary with deposition parameters.© 2017 The Author(s)