Hard Chrome Plating Alternatives - Laser and Weld Coatings
Weld cladding has been used for many
years to produce thick wear resistant layers on large
items of industrial and agricultural equipment. In
recent years several new weld cladding methods have been
developed and are used or under consideration for use on
military equipment.
Arc welding has been used for some time
for repairing turbine blades, and laser cladding has
more recently been developed for the same purpose.
Neither of these is used to replace chrome plate.
More recently, two methods have been
evaluated as chrome alternatives –
Electrospark
Deposition (ESD, or Electrospark Alloying, ESA) for
localized repair and explosive welding for gun barrel ID
cladding. Both of these technologies are described
elsewhere. Please click on the links for more
information
Hard chrome alternatives summary –
laser treating and weld coating*.
|
Alternative |
Compliance |
Usage |
Notes |
|
Laser cladding |
RoHS, WEEE, ELV, OSHA Cr |
Turbine blades, worn shafts |
Localized high temperatures. Can build very
thick and near-net structures |
|
Weld cladding |
RoHS, WEEE, ELV, OSHA Cr |
Rebuilding turbine engine blades and other parts |
High surface heating. Some alloys must be
re-heat treated after processing. Good for
large areas |
|
Explosive bonding
|
RoHS, WEEE, ELV, OSHA Cr |
Thick cladding under evaluation for gun barrels |
Old technique enjoying a resurgence for cladding
gun barrels and joining dissimilar metals |
|
Electrospark deposition (alloying)
|
RoHS, WEEE, ELV, OSHA Cr |
Aircraft engine part repair, repair of corroded
or damaged areas |
Very low deposition rate. Useful for small area
repair of nicks and damage. Not used for
fatigue-critical parts |
|
* Note: These are more for repair and rebuild
rather than coating. |
|
