Fraunhofer ILT and TRUMPF offer joint solution for laser material deposition

Fraunhofer ILT and TRUMPF-TRUMPF in Aachen, Germany have signed a cooperation agreement to carry out closer cooperation in the field of laser material deposition and accelerate the transfer of technology to industrial applications. As a result, industrial customers benefit from a unique combination of world-leading laser system technology and years of application-specific process knowledge.

Ultra-high-speed laser material deposition by TRUMPF © TRUMPF

The growing importance of basic research

Despite the appeal of additive manufacturing technology in enabling mass customization and enabling complex designs, there are many obstacles to the application of this technology in manufacturing, such as speed and the quality of the final part or the need for further investment to Matching the technology, the business has financial considerations, etc.

Emphasis on the development of process and system components

How to improve the productivity of laser material deposition? What is the best material for crafting? How fast can be optimized machining? These are typical questions from industry users. The core business of Fraunhofer ILT at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Aachen, Germany is the development of application-adapted process and system technology components. It is based on more than 30 years of experience in laser material deposition by Fraunhofer ILT at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology.

Target of cooperation: Applications such as wear and corrosion protection of economical brake discs or hydraulic cylinders.

© TRUMPF

During this period, Aachen scientists decisively influenced the development of the technology and set numerous trends. Innovations such as the very high-speed laser material deposition EHLA developed by Fraunhofer ILT have won several awards and have been successfully implemented in industry many times.Compared to traditional methods, EHLA scores in several areas, including feed rate and deposition thickness. It is not without reason that Fraunhofer ILT scientists received the prestigious Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize in 2017 for this. The EHLA process developed by Fraunhofer increases the feed rate for surface treatment in conventional laser material deposition from 0.5 m/min to 2 m/min. All the way up to 50 to 500 meters per minute. As a result, components can now be coated 100 to 250 times faster, and significantly thinner layers can also be applied. While layers of at least 500 microns are state-of-the-art for conventional laser material deposition, EHLA can reach 25 microns.

Another advantage is the low heat input. In conventional laser material deposition, powdered filler material is melted directly on the part surface in a relatively large molten pool during the coating process. However, this permanently changes material properties and consumes a lot of energy. Not so with EHLA: Here, solid powder particles are melted by a laser while still in the air. They reach the part surface in a liquid state without further melting under high energy input. The result is a reduction of the heat-affected zone to five to ten microns, which is only one percent compared to conventional processes.

This means that metallurgically incompatible heat-sensitive materials such as aluminium and titanium can now be paired together and machined. Overall, the component surfaces have also become smoother. Its roughness is only one tenth of that of conventional deposition processes.When Fraunhofer transfers its technology to industrial applications, customers are increasingly concerned about the implementation of systems engineering, especially with regard to the availability, stability and suitability of components. The practical aspect is an area where Fraunhofer ILT’s partner – TRUMPF has more than 20 years of experience. As the world’s leading manufacturer of laser systems and components for laser material deposition, TRUMPF has the necessary expertise with regard to stability, reliability and high efficiency in manufacturing laser materials for industrial series production.

For TRUMPF, the cooperation with Fraunhofer ILT is a win-win situation for industrial users, thanks to the close cooperation with Fraunhofer ILT, TRUMPF can provide a one-stop solution for the entire production chain. By combining TRUMPF’s system technology (optimized for industrial use) with processes adapted or specially developed for this purpose, users around the world can benefit from these innovations.

TRUMPF’s state-of-the-art laser deposition system with various optics and powder feeding nozzles is currently installed at the Fraunhofer ILT Laser Institute in Aachen. In this way, Fraunhofer scientists study processes directly on industry-relevant systems. This enables both parties to transfer research into user applications particularly efficiently.

The cooperation between TRUMPF and the Fraunhofer Institute is not only in Germany for a long time, many promising applications are already at hand, such as the economical coating of brake discs in passenger cars or the wear repair and corrosion protection of hydraulic cylinders. For both partners, this is another important step in their long-term collaboration. Plans to expand the cooperation between TRUMPF and the Fraunhofer ILT Institute in other areas of laser material processing are also already underway.

Collaboration leads to innovation

In China, TRUMPF also attaches great importance to cooperation with R&D institutions. In 2019, TRUMPF also joined hands with Shanghai Jiaotong University to hold the 2019 Sino-German Laser Processing Technology Seminar and Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony at the TRUMPF China Headquarters in Taicang City, Jiangsu Province. The unveiling ceremony of the Sino-German Joint Laser Application Center. Professor Li Zhuguo, deputy dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said that as early as 2005 when the laser manufacturing laboratory was built, Shanghai Jiao Tong University introduced the TRUMPF 15kW CO2 laser. In the future, with more in-depth interaction between Shanghai Jiaotong University and TRUMPF, we will continue to promote the cultivation of innovative talents and the transformation of industrialized achievements.

The complexity of additive manufacturing design is interdependent on many factors, such as material quality will affect part performance, which will affect design decisions; production parameters will affect quality assurance, and quality assurance requirements will be reflected in those design decisions…and so on. The challenges in the field of additive manufacturing are multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary challenges, so the cooperation between enterprises and research institutions is strengthening, and the multinational cooperation between research institutions is strengthening, according to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, ACAM Aachen Additive Manufacturing Center and Shanghai The Institute of Special Materials (ISM) of Jiaotong University signed a memorandum of strategic cooperation. The Institute of Special Materials (ISM) of Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Additive Manufacturing Center (ACAM) in Aachen, Germany announced their cooperation in additive manufacturing R&D, applied research and education and training. Cooperation.

The importance of basic and applied research is emerging, and the industry will go back to the basics, start from the basics and find what’s important. This need for back-to-basics will start to permeate other fields, and will bring makers back to science, trying to understand what really matters.Here, scientific research brings a broader perspective and understanding of the nature of the challenge. And cooperation brings innovation, which includes cooperation between enterprises and research institutions, and cooperation between research institutions and research institutions. And innovation brings better and more sustainable development to mankind.

(responsible editor: admin)