The CLAD process - Rapid Manufacturing

2000 people for the rapid manufacturing

2010-09-22T21:32:00.007+02:00

For two years, 2000 people have visited this blog and I thank you for it.
You can see the first news here :
http://cladprocess.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

You can take a look at the sites:
www.easyclad.com
www.irepa-laser.com
to have some news on the CLAD process and see the industrial solutions proposed for rapid manufacturing and repairing of mechanical parts.

EASYCLAD Systems

2010-01-06T21:22:00.006+01:00

This is the new link about news and information on the CLAD process.

www.easyclad.com

Some news

2009-05-06T23:46:00.003+02:00

The CLAD system

2008-12-17T15:38:00.005+01:00

An other achievement of the CLAD process.
Owing to the POWERCLAD software, a large range of items can be easily processed from CAD file (here from IGES file). The fully equipped CLAD system (200 W fiber laser, high performance cladding nozzle, powder feeding device,CNC workstation ...) allows the manufacturing of this part without tools.

A stainless steel duct

For massive parts manufacturing, repairing/modification of large objects, a macro-nozzle and a very high power laser system can be used.

Cladding of valve seats

The POWERCLAD software

2008-11-05T19:58:00.008+01:00

In order to produce mechanical parts, the CLAD process is associated with the POWERCLAD software for manufacturing parts directly from digital datas.
Thus it is very easy to obtain the tool path generation from CAD file.
In the video below, an example can be seen.

A butterfly

2008-09-20T15:00:00.003+02:00

This is a video about the manufacturing of a butterfly sample shape on a 5 axis cnc workstation

Rapid manufacturing samples

2008-09-11T21:18:00.005+02:00

With the CLAD process, we can find many manufacturing methods :

* Manufacturing of the whole part

Picture : L shaped part (Cp-Ti)

Picture : A small blade

* Manufacturing by adding shapes on machined parts

On the picture above, we can see tubes which were deposited on a flange in order to reduce the processing cost and material losses.

Thin Shell parts manufacturing

2008-08-16T11:40:00.010+02:00

The CLAD process allows the processing of thin shell parts with low power fiber laser device (<200w). A special nozzle development allows to obtain a very small powder stream diameter (from 500 to 1000 µm) in order to optimize the powder catchment efficiency (PCE)(up to 60%).
Owing to this PCE, the surface roughness and the processing time are improved.

Picture : View of the nozzle output, powder stream without laser

The mesoCLAD system composed of the nozzle, a single mode fiber laser and a special accurate powder feeder (from 100 to 2000 mg/min) contributes to the manufacturing of thin shell or small parts.

Picture : Processing of a thin wall

Picture : AISI 316 L part

Picture : Thin Ti6Al4V walls (width 650 µm) Laser power : 100 W !!! Layer thickness : 140 µm

About the laser cladding nozzle

2008-08-06T19:39:00.008+02:00

One of the most important element of the process is the cladding nozzle. The cladding nozzle of the CLAD process is a high performance nozzle patented by IREPA LASER. The nozzle is used worldwide in industry and technical centers. The powder travels precisely in fluidized bed through the laser beam axis in order to optimize the laser/powder interaction.

With this coaxial configuration, the laser beam energy is used to melt the particles and the thin layer of the substrate. Thus, a fully dense deposit and a clad/substrate metallurgical bonding are obtained.
Furthermore, with the coaxial configuration, the cladding process can be carried out in omnidirectionnal way.

The laser cladding nozzle can be adapted and optimized for a lot of laser system (Nd:YAG, CO2, fiber laser and diodes laser) and a powder catchment efficiency* up to 90% can be achieved.

* ratio between the mass of the deposit and the mass of injected powder.

Is it porous?

2008-08-05T16:52:00.003+02:00

Some people ask if the parts are porous because the feeder material is powder. This is not sintering, the material is fully melted.
The parts carried out by the CLAD process have a density close to 100% (a few micro-porosity can be seen).

The microstructure of a AISI 316L part consists of austenite dendrites structure. A pore and crack free part can be noted.

Picture : Microstructure of a AISI 316 L (the layers can be observed).

From small parts to large parts

2008-07-28T18:10:00.006+02:00

A small parts

Pictures : Air ducts (AISI 316L)

Large parts

On the left : 316L Stainless steel wings on a steel tube
On the right: 316L Stainless steel part

The T shape part after machining

Tests have shown that parts made by CLAD process have the same mechanical properties (YS, UTS and elongation) as the wrought material,

Some samples

2008-07-21T14:17:00.004+02:00

Here you can found other parts made with the CLAD process.

Picture : positioning device (wall width : 1mm)

The laser additive techniques can be linked with other processes for producing parts with costs saving.
Below, the pin and the plate (AISI 304) were laser welded then the cross shape (AISI 431 martensitic stainless steel ) was added by the CLAD process.

Picture : Plate diameter 45 mm

2008-07-16T18:31:00.002+02:00

The CLAD® process (Construction Laser Additive Directe, in French) allows the manufacturing of mechanical components and complex profiles layer by layer. This process is based on the principle of the laser cladding of metallic powders by a patented coaxial nozzle (The nozzle is patented by the technical center IREPA LASER). The powder filler material is injected coaxially into a high power laser beam. Thus the energy input is partly used to melt both the filler material and the surface of the substrate.

The patented nozzle (IREPA LASER)

The technology allows the direct manufacture of mechanical parts of very small size whose width wall is less than one mm (> 500 μm) or of large parts (1 to 5 mm) with a very good powder catchment efficiency (50 to 90%).

A long part (CP-Titanium, width : 1 mm, height : 130 mm, fiber laser power : 120 W)

This technology allows the realization of complex forms without lubrication, without specific tools. The CLAD process can be considered as a supplement or an alternative to conventional processes (machining, casting…) for carrying out mechanical parts in small series.

Picture : Adding profiles on parts (CP-titanium)

This process was awarded a prize (Special award of the jury) during the European Forum on Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, Paris, March 2008.

Other parts :

Modification of a stainless steel part (AISI 316L, single mode fiber laser)

Manufacturing of a finned tube on a 5 axis CNC workstation. The tube is built then the wings are deposited.
(Cp-Titanium, single mode fiber laser, power 100 W, powder feed rate : 500 mg/min)

The nozzle can be adapted for different laser systems (fiber laser, Nd:YAG, diodes) to produce small parts or large parts.

In the video, a steel tube is modified by adding stainless steel wings (3000 W diodes laser system).

SUMMARY:

The CLAD process :

can be used instead of machining
is an additive process : decreasing of material loses
is a rapid process : parts can be manufactured directly from CAD files
can add shapes on machined/casted parts
build free of pores and defects parts
allows Multi-materials deposition
can fix high cost parts