In 2020, everyone is already talking about high-power EHLA deposition rates in excess of 2m²/h. With the EHLA process,FraunhoferSaid that the process is an improvement over current machining processes for corrosion and wear protection. Since hard chrome plating consumes a lot of energy and has disadvantages of adhesion and porosity, thermal spraying can be quite wasteful in terms of materials used. In contrast, the EHLA method produces coatings that are non-porous, improving adhesion and reducing the likelihood of cracks and porosity. In addition to this, according to Fraunhofer,EHLATechnology saves 90% of material than thermal spray.
In terms of commercialization, TRUMPF has commercialized Fraunhofer’s technology and mass-produces EHLA laser metal coating equipment. According to TRUMPF, the new EHLA process provides a fast and efficient method of coating metals that is 100 times faster than existing processes.
Source: Fraunhofer ILT
Walk the factory with a robot
Recently, the Turkish branch of gripper manufacturer Bilsing Automation announced that the DED of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) will be 3D printingTechnology is applied to its workflow.
What makes EHLA ultra-high-speed laser cladding so exciting? According to the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, which invented the technology, ultra-high-speed laser material deposition (EHLA) has the potential to replace current corrosion and wear protection methods such as hard chrome plating and thermal spraying.
Interchangeable nozzle
The ultra-high-speed laser material deposition technology of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology is a variant of direct energy deposition in which a nozzle delivers powder to the intersection with a high-power laser, in this case the laser melts the powder as it is deposited, removing the It melts on the surface of the part directly below. Fraunhofer ILT has been developing its own version since 2012 and has been continuously marketed.
Interchangeable nozzles. Source: Fraunhofer ILT
Fraunhofer ILT developed EHLA technology in 2013, marketed the first device in 2016, and commercialized 5-10 devices in 2017. At the same time, TRUMPF entered the field of EHLA commercialization. In 2018, more than 20 devices were marketed, and in 2019 More than 40 sets of equipment will be developed, and industrialized multi-nozzle high-throughput EHLA technology will be developed in 2020).
Fraunhofer ILT’s ultra-high-speed laser material deposition technology has modular elements that allow the nozzles to be swapped out for more lateral or more coaxial nozzles depending on the type of powder feed required for the application. But what really pushed Bilsing to adopt the technology was the new HighNo (High Quality Powder Nozzle). The HighNo directs the cone-shaped powder jet onto the workpiece at a very precisely definable distance. Made of copper alloy, the nozzle has two distinct cones on the inside that guide the powder all the way to the tip. Users can adjust these cones to vary the powder flow from the nozzle, enabling customizability for applications that require it.
Since adopting this technology, Bilsing has produced many proprietary products including flexible fixtures, handling equipment and forming tools through ultra-high-speed laser material deposition. Bilsing is also working with Fraunhofer to produce Ti64 aircraft components for Turkish Airlines, in particular repairing O-rings in landing gear.
Apply protective layer. Source: Fraunhofer ILT
Bilsing installed the ultra-high-speed laser material deposition technology cladding head on a mobile robot with rails in its own facility, making the whole installation like a miniature tank equipped with a laser beam, and these mobile robots “roamed” the workshop, as the need increased production line to help.
thinner and faster
The replaceable tip of the new generation nozzles is held in place with three screws that can be loosened and another tip can be inserted. HighNo nozzles make the process more reliable, faster and reduce setup time.
Interchangeable nozzles. Source: Fraunhofer ILT
In China, as an innovative enterprise incubated by Fraunhofer Institute of Laser Technology, Germany is located in Tianjin.ACunityThe company (Aachen United Technology) has carried out a series of market-oriented expansion research and development around EHLA technology, and improved and upgraded core equipment. ACunity successfully developed the world’s first EHLA-Grand5000 ultra-large high-speed laser cladding equipment in April 2018 and delivered it to Chinese customers.
The latest progress is currently at the Fraunhofer ILT Laser Institute in Aachen.
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