Laser Surface Additive Manufacturing

Laser cladding in wind power is mainly used for the repair and surface strengthening of key components such as main shafts, gearboxes, bearings, and tower bolts. It has advantages such as a small heat-affected zone, metallurgical bonding, the ability to preset residual compressive stress, a cost 40% to 60% lower than that of replacement, and a shorter construction period.

Laser cladding technology is a new type of surface modification technology. By adding cladding materials on the surface of the substrate and melting them with a thin layer of the substrate using a high-energy-density laser beam, an added cladding layer metallurgically bonded to it is formed on the surface of the substrate.

Compared with surfacing, spraying, electroplating and vapor deposition, laser cladding technology has the characteristics of small dilution, dense structure, good adhesion between coating and substrate, a wide range of materials suitable for cladding, and large variations in particle size and content. Therefore, the application prospects of laser cladding technology are very broad.

From the current application situation of laser cladding technology, it is mainly applied in three aspects:

First, it is surface modification of materials, such as gas turbine blades, rolls, gears, etc.

2. Repair the surface of the product, such as rotors, molds, etc. Relevant data indicates that the strength of the repaired parts can reach over 90% of the original strength, and the repair cost is less than one fifth of the replacement price. More importantly, the repair time has been shortened, solving the problem of rapid repair of rotating parts that must be addressed for the continuous and reliable operation of major complete sets of equipment in large enterprises.

Third, rapid prototyping. This model is rapidly manufactured by sintering and layer-by-layer stacking of metal powders.

Components of wind power generation, such as the main shaft and turntable, are often found to be worn out or severely worn during maintenance. If not repaired, it cannot be used any longer. Before the laser cladding method was adopted for repair, most of the parts were treated as scrap. After adopting this special repair technology, the secondary utilization rate of parts can be greatly improved, maintenance costs can be reduced, and the maintenance cycle of gearboxes can be shortened.

Laser cladding method for repairing parts is simple and reliable. The specific part repair process is as follows:

1. To remove the fatigue layer at the repair position of the part, local grinding or turning is generally required. This process has no special requirements for the surface roughness of the part.

2. Preheat the parts according to their material properties to prevent cracks and other defects;

The preheated parts can undergo laser cladding, with a general cladding thickness of 3 to 4mm. If the hardness of the repaired area is relatively high, the thickness of the cladding may be relatively reduced. This is because the thicker the cladding layer, the higher the hardness. Without heat treatment, large-area cladding is prone to defects such as cracks.

4. After cladding, stress relief annealing and dye penetrant testing are carried out to ensure that the parts are defect-free after laser cladding.

5. Process the cladding layer to meet the dimensional requirements of the drawing.

This technology is not only applied to the repair of various parts and molds, but also widely used in the rapid manufacturing of wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant composite steel plates, surface modification of wear-resistant parts, repair of various failed parts, and the rapid manufacturing of high-performance composite material parts and molds. Its market potential is huge, the economic benefits are considerable, and it has a very broad application and promotion prospect.

Guosheng Laser has always attached great importance to innovation and research and development. Its engineering team covers the research and development, design, development, testing, analysis, pre-sale and after-sale services of laser cladding equipment and other projects. With vast technical resources, strong R&D capabilities, advanced production technology, fast delivery cycles and flexible technical services, we provide customers with high cost-performance products and services. Guosheng Laser has obtained a patent for the repair of wind power components and is more professional in this field. Customers who need to know more about this are welcome to visit our factory and consult.