Laser cladding and laser assisted direct manufacturing

Metal matrix composite coatings with advanced tribological performance are produced by laser cladding and examined on the tribological reciprocating machine. The coating Stellite/CuSn/nanoWC/Co with solid lubricant matrix reinforced by both internal structure (tough Stellite core) and dispersed ceramic phase shows the best performance with stable dry friction coefficient 0.12. It is shown that the irradiation mode is one of the critical parameters defining the coating microstructure and thus its wear properties. Application of the pulsed-periodic mode of laser irradiation provides better component remixing in comparison to the continuous wave one. As follows from AFM analysis, nanostructure of powder materials is partly preserved after laser cladding. logy of Direct Metal Deposition is applied to fabricate functionally graded object from metallic powder.