Effect of dynamic wire feeding on deposition quality in laser cladding process

Abstract

Laser based material deposition has matured into a well-established industrial technique for precise coating deposition (cladding) and additive layer manufacturing (direct laser metal deposition). Laser cladding is one of the techniques for enhancing the surface performance, hence extending the lifetime of many components in severe corrosive-wear environments. Laser cladding with wire consists in feeding the deposited material as a metallic wire, which is melted by a laser source and manipulated over the deposition volume. This process shows some advantages over powder-based systems such as cleaner processing environment, reduced environmental cost for producing the wire, better surface finishing, and a higher material deposition rate. By means of innovative equipment such as dedicated nozzle and wire feeder systems, well-customized manufacturing strategies can improve the coating quality. Among recent innovations, the change of the wire direction results in a forward final feeding speed. This type of feeding is called dynamic feeding. The controlled movement of the wire is well-known in arc welding, and its synchronization with the arc's electrical parameters gives a drastic increase in stability and controllability. Based on that, the present paper addresses a characterization analysis of the frequency of dynamic feeding process in laser cladding in terms of coating quality. In addition, a dynamic feeding equipment was developed with total flexibility of parameters regulation. Dynamic feeding oscillation showed good stability and lower dilution compared to the conventional method.