Hard, Wear Resistant Metal Surfaces for Industrial Applications through Laser Powder Deposition

Most materials produced today are monolithic structures that are heat treated to perform a particular function. Laser Powder Deposition (LPD) is a technology capable of modifying a metallic structure by adding the appropriate material to perform a desired function (e.g., wear and corrosion resistance). LPD offers a unique fabrication technique that allows the use of soft (tough) materials as base structures. Through LPD a hard material can be applied to the base material with little thermal input (minimal dilution and heat-affected-zone {HAZ}), thus providing the function of a heat treatment or other surface modifications (e.g., carburizing, nitriding, thermal spray and electroplating). Several materials (e.g., Stellite 6 &21, 316 SS, 420 SS, M4, Rex 20, Rex 121, 10V, AeroMet 100, CCW+, IN 625 and IN 718) have been deposited on to carbon steel (4140, 4340, 1566, 1018) substrates to provide various functions for a number of industrial applications. These surface modifications have been evaluated through standard wear testing (ASTM G-65), surface hardness (Rc), micro-hardness (vickers), and optical microscopy. The results from these evaluations will be presented along with several industrial application case studies.

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