Cladding is a process whereby a filler material is fused onto a workpiece. Normally, the filler material is a powder, but it can also be a wire or strip. In principle, a laser beam is used to melt the surface of the base metal while filler is continuously added to the weld pool.

Advantages

Laser cladding provides a number of engineering advantages:

• High quality
• Minimal dilution with the base metal
• Minimal heat input and distortion
• Homogeneous and fine-grained microstructure in the coating
• Possible to apply very thin layers

The above-mentioned capabilities also provide a number of economic advantages:

• High productivity
• Savings on materials
• Increased flexibility
• High precision

Working together with the FORCE Technology, you have 

• a partner with many years of experience in the industrial applications of laser cladding;
• assistance in development projects and consultancy in part design and the purchase of advanced equipment;
• access to Scandinavia’s largest and most flexible laser installation, which includes a number of beam delivery and positioning systems using both CO2 and Nd-YAG lasers and which can handle a wide variety of different applications, from thin to thick coatings, at a high rate of productivity;
• the opportunity to perform pilot production runs at our workshop.

Applications

Laser cladding can be used in production processes in which a high productivity combined with flexibility is desired without compromising on quality.

A high and uniform quality with a low heat input makes this process suitable for a wide range of applications in which a minimum of distortion is desired.

Examples of industrial laser cladding applications:

• Improving wearability of valves, axles, bearings and other parts
• Improving corrosion resistance
• Repairing moulding tools, turbine parts, etc.
• Building up complicated geometries

FORCE Technology services

The FORCE Technology can provide consultancy services all the way from idea to finished product. With the enormous volume of expertise and experience we have at our disposal, we can help optimize your entire production process. Typical jobs for the FORCE Technology are

• design review of new or existing products
• optimization of process parameters and materials consumption in cladding
• production process optimization
• testing and documentation of product characteristics
• consultancy in connection with implementation of equipment
• prototypes made and pilot production runs in our own workshops
• courses in laser techniques

Documentation

Documentation of our services can be provided as required by the client. Normally, documentation takes the form of process data monitoring and relevant quality testing. We can also perform metallurgic analyses and both destructive and non-destructive testing.

For more information, please contact:

Steen Erik Nielsen 

Telephone (direct): +45 43 26 73 86 

e-mail: sen@force.dk

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