Laser Cladding & Laser Hardfacing Services

About Laser Cladding & Laser Hardfacing

Laser Cladding and Laser Hardfacing are additive manufacturing technologies utilizing the high energy of a laser to bond a high performance alloy to a metal substrate of typically lesser quality. The laser cladding layer is customized for protection against corrosion, wear, high temperature fatigue and other failure causing conditions. In laser hardfacing, additional hard particles are embedded into the layer to offer superior resistance against abrasive wear.

Laser Cladding

LWS will assist the customer in determining which laser cladding service to use for their wear application. With more than 15 years of experience we will also recommend the right commercially available alloy or assist in the development of a proprietary, unique material solution.

Schematic of laser cladding process

Cost Savings Potential

Today laser cladding is an important cost savings tool as it significantly increases the lifetime of high performance components and at the same time reduces the use of rare and expensive metal materials.

Characteristics of Laser Cladding

The increasing popularity of laser cladding compared to conventional technologies such as thermal spraying (HVOF, Plasma, Cold Spray etc) and arc overlay welding (PTA, TIG etc) is driven by characteristics such as:

  • The high performance alloy is melted with minimal dilution of the lesser substrate material, thus preserving the qualities of the performance alloys.
  • The melt metallurgical bond between the completely dense performance alloy and the substrate is extremely strong and free of defects.
  • The heat input into the substrate is minimal thus not damaging important properties or causing heat related distortion.
Laser Cladding
Laser Cladding

Laser Cladding Materials & Alloys

Laser cladding is a versatile technology that can be used with a wide range of materials. Generally, any material that can be melted and fused with a substrate using a high-energy laser can be used in laser cladding. Commonly used are:

Nickel alloys such as INCONEL 625, INCONEL 718, C276, COLMONOY 6
Cobalt alloys such as STELLITE 1, STELLITE 6, STELLITE 21

Ceramic-reinforced alloys such as our M-Series Tungsten Carbide Alloys
Diamond reinforced alloys such as our Diamondite-M alloys

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