Laser cladding technology is widely used in industry to precisely apply tailored surface coatings, as well as three-dimensional deposits for repair and additive layer-by-layer fabrication of metallic parts. However, the processing of larger components, like tools for oil and gas production, is economically challenging due to the conventionally low deposition rates. Consequently, industry is requesting more powerful technologies that maintain the quality advantages of the laser technology, but also make the process more productive and time effective. The modern highest power diode lasers offer practical solutions for applying of large-area laser cladding with significantly increased productivity. Using a fiber-coupled diode laser of 20 kW power and the accordingly developed laser cladding heads, real deposition rates of metal alloys, e.g. Inconel 625, could reach 14 kg/h. With the new-developed powder nozzles with rectangular profile of the powder jet allows at a laser power of 20 kW single tracks with 45 mm-width can be produced. Besides the laser source, the processing laser head is the key parameter for a high productivity and efficiency of the whole cladding procedure. The paper presents a new generation of high-performance laser cladding heads with integrated process sensors, which guarantee a stable long-time operation at highest power levels. The deposition rates achieved with this technology are equal or even exceed typical values of the common PTA technique. Current applications are large-area coatings on power plant components, hydraulic cylinders for off-shore equipment, and large metal forming tools for automotive bodies.

High power diode lasers (HPDL) at the level of ? 6 kW are efficient cladding tools in heavy engineering applications where thick (up to 5 mm) wear and corrosion resistant coating layers are required. Large beam geometry makes possible the overlap of thick 20 mm wide cladding tracks side by side without coating defects. Compact size and closed cooling water circulation enable HPDL cladding process to take place also at a site of new or worn high-value machine parts, which have worn in operation or been damaged already during overseas transportation. Instead of moving parts of several tons’ weight, it would be perhaps more cost efficient to transport HPDL cladding unit.

Laser cladding is a surface treatment technology in which thick, dense and metallurgically adhered metallic layers are deposited on various structural steels with relatively low heat input, high accuracy and reproducibility. Laser cladding processes used in industrial cladding are largely based on the use of CO 2 or Nd:YAG lasers. High power diode lasers (HPDL) with rectangular beam spots are regarded as ideal laser sources for laser cladding processes, due to their compact size, high electrical to optical efficiency, easy operation, and low investment and running costs. In laser cladding of large surface areas, the affectivity of the laser cladding process becomes more important, i.e. high laser powers, wide laser beam spots, and high coating material feedrates are regarded as beneficial. In order to optimise the cladding process for such applications, special attention has to be put on devices used to deliver the coating power to the process. In the present work, various parameters in effective HPDL cladding are described and new approaches to optimised HPDL cladding process are described. The performance of a new HPDL cladding powder delivery nozzle will be presented and discussed. Abstract only; no full-text paper available.

Laser-assisted atmospheric plasma spraying (LAAPS) is a new one-step coating process performed in air whereby the laser beam interacts with the plasma torch at the substrate or coating surface during deposition to generate a coating that is metallurgically bonded to the substrate. This hybrid process was developed in order to combine the specific advantages of APS and laser cladding. In this paper, the development of a hybrid gun for coating internal surfaces of tubes and cylinder bores by LAAPS is presented. The process was optimized for spraying AlSi30 coatings on internal surfaces of aluminum alloy cylinder bores. Single-pass coatings with thicknesses of 300-400 µm and metallurgical bonding to the substrates can be realized by applying an optimized parameter set. The dependence of coating microstructure on spray parameters was investigated by metallographic preparation and optical microscopy. Surface pretreatment must be performed to eliminate the strongly adhering oxide layer on the aluminum alloy substrate and to attain metallurgical bonding of coating to substrate.

Laser-assisted atmospheric plasma spraying (LAAPS) is a newly developed one-step coating process in which the laser beam interacts simultaneously with the plasma torch on the substrate or deposited coating surface in order to generate the coating. LAAPS combines the advantages of plasma spraying, such as high coating rates, with those of laser cladding. In addition, there is no need for a special surface preparation method, such as grit blasting. In this paper, the principle of LAAPS is described and the use of this process for the preparation of NiCrBSi and Al 2 O 3 - 3%TiO 2 coatings is demonstrated. The coatings were characterized by optical microscopy, hardness and bond strength testing, X-ray diffraction measurements, and an oscillating sliding wear test. Coating microstructures and properties were compared to those of APS coatings. The bond strengths of LAAPS coatings were higher for NiCrBSi coatings, but they were lower for Al 2 O 3 -3%TiO 2 with a NiAl bond coat due to the very complex processes occurring in the contact region between the metallic substrate and the ceramic coating material.