Laser MultiWire Cladding: Process & Applications

Laser MultiWire Cladding - The Process

Wire-based laser cladding is carried out using special MultiWire processing optics. The laser beam creates a molten pool on the workpiece surface, to which the cladding material (from up to three wires) is simultaneously fed. 100% of the wire material is fused efficiently and quickly with the base material. This cladding is more durable than coatings produced by thermal spraying and, unlike hard chrome plating, is harmless to health.

Laser cladding with MultiWire

MultiWire Cladding with Hot Wires

Electrical preheating of the wire means that less laser power is required for deposition welding, as the wire is almost completely melted before it is introduced into the weld pool. This results in several positive effects:

Reduced laser power and energy savings
Less mixing of the base material
Even temperature distribution across wire and workpiece
Virtually no reworking required - efficient process, high quality
Alternative to reduced laser power: Higher area deposition rates

The Advantages of MultiWire Cladding

Feeding up to three wires simultaneously enables significantly higher deposition rates and improves efficiency. The use of multiple wires also enables a direction-independent process, which increases flexibility and adaptability for complex designs. As the entire wire is applied to the workpiece, there is no loss of material and therefore no contamination of the workplace arising from the cladded material.

Compatibility

The modular design of the processing optics from the OTS and OTZ series makes it possible to convert from a powder coating process to a cladding process with wire in the field. The powder nozzle can be dismantled and – via plug-&-play – converted to, for example, a MultiWire processing optic. Once the system configuration and process have been adapted, cladding can then be carried out with MultiWire.