Alpha Laser Fiber Lasers can now be used for powder welding/deposition! We have developed our own powder nozzle, the AL-FLOW this delivers powder coaxially with the laser beam, for accurate deposition and weld location. This process is similar to wire welding, but instead of adding filler by hand or by spool, the powdered metal is blown into the focal point of the laser beam, on the workpiece.
This process can be used manually or with a CNC program, and can be used for surface treatment/coating applications, as well as 3D buildups on existing surfaces, as well as freeform 3D buildup.
Laser cladding has excellent applications in surface coatings, because of the flexibility it offers in the choice of materials deposited, it can be used to secure whatever requirements needed in terms of wear potential, hardness, strength, etc.
Laser cladding can also be used for joining of dissimilar metals, as it can use a filler than maintains the correct properties to join the two base materials. It can also be used for gap bridging during joining, as well as large programmed buildups, while still inputting less heat than a traditional weld operation.