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Development of a novel green coating process with laser
Chongliang Zhong1, Gerhard Backes2, Lukas Martin Johann3
1Institute for Laser Technology, Fraunhofer ILT, Steinbachstr. 15, 52074, Aachen, Germany. chongliang.zhong@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|April 16, 2022
Summary
Corrosion protection is evolving with a new laser coating process. This method offers high-quality, environmentally friendly coatings with significantly increased speed, addressing limitations of traditional hard chrome plating and thermal spray techniques.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Surface Engineering
- Corrosion Science
Background:
- Corrosion incurs significant economic losses (3-4% of GDP) and is exacerbated by climate change.
- Traditional hard chrome plating (HCP) uses toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr6+).
- Thermal spray (TS) coatings exhibit limitations like porosity, low material efficiency, and poor adhesion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an environmentally friendly and economical coating process.
- To overcome the low area coating rate of conventional laser-based coating methods.
- To achieve high-quality, well-adhering coatings with improved efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel laser coating process by decoupling powder melting from coating speed.
- Utilized laser technology for dense, metallurgically bonded coatings.
- Achieved defect-free layers with thicknesses of 50-250 µm.
Main Results:
- Significantly increased coating speed to over 500 m/min, achieving area rates up to 20 m2/h.
- Maintained high material efficiency (>90%) and metallurgical bonding.
- Demonstrated successful application in offshore and automotive sectors.
Conclusions:
- The novel laser coating process offers a superior alternative to HCP and TS for corrosion protection.
- The enhanced speed and quality of coatings meet industrial demands for large-scale applications.
- This environmentally friendly process provides significant benefits for various industries.
