Product Code: ICAL06_206

Development of a Laser Assisted Material Spray Process
Authors:
Matthew Bray, Cambridge University; Cambridge Great Britain
Steven Celotto, Cambridge University; Cambridge Great Britain
William O'Neill, Cambridge University; Cambridge Great Britain
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Metal coating and cladding techniques employ high temperatures to melt the metal particles which can undermine the integrity and stability of the resulting deposit material and substrate. This paper introduces a new process for the deposition of metallic coatings in the solid state using a supersonic particle stream in conjunction with laser energy input, named Laser Assisted Material Spray, LAMS. This alternative approach circumvents, at lower cost, some key problems associated with current conventional high temperature thermal spray and laser-clad processes, as well as the Cold-Spray process. The quality of the bond between deposit and substrate, together with structural integrity of the deposit, rely heavily on the energy supplied to the system, whether it be by propulsion or heat source, as in related thermal spray methods. LAMS allows the precise and controlled addition of laser energy to both the supersonic metal particle stream and substrate interaction site. Preliminary results show that deposition can be achieved without melting the deposit material or generating a heat-affected zone in the substrate. Such a deposit does not form without the supplementary energy input of the laser.