Product Code: ICAL06_203

Defining Coating Material for Aluminum Die Casting Molds Using a Laser Cladding Process
Authors:
Jaby Mohammed, ; Louisville KY USA
Suraj Alexander, University of Louisville; Louisville KY USA
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Steel dies often fail prematurely due to metal-fatigue cracking, corrosion, erosion, oxidation, heat checking and soldering, when the dies are exposed to molten metals while operating under cyclic-mechanical stresses, thermal loading, chemical corrosion and thermal fatigue. The objective of this work is to find an "optimal" mold material composition for use in the die casting industry using a direct material deposition process (DMD). DMD is a laser based additive fabrication technology that is used to deposit metal powders over substrate material. A combination of Tungsten and Inconel 718 as the surface layer and Copper Chromium as the substrate has been selected for evaluation. Experiments are conducted to understand the significant variables that influence the property of the mold manufactured via DMD and also to establish a relationship between the various process parameters. The process parameters investigated include laser power, transverse speed, substrate temperature, preheating, and mass flow rate, along with the composition of the metallic powders. Material properties that are evaluated include hardness, tensile strength, abrasive resistance, thermal conductivity, and porosity.