Heat Treatment and Thermal Coating

For component geometries, wear cases and materials where conventional hardening and coating technologies fail, laser technologies often offer new solutions for creating wear-resistant surfaces. Our main fields of activity are laser hardening of steel materials, laser cladding with powder and wire, and joining or coating of complicated material pairings by means of laser roll cladding. The process spectrum is complemented by laser shock peening, which introduces residual compressive stress fields into the surfaces and thus guarantees a long service life.

Core competencies of Fraunhofer IWS are process development, the elaboration of customer-specific processing concepts as well as the new and further development of system technology, from individual devices to complex machines and systems. Current activities focus on the realization of highest area rates by application of laser powers in the multi- 10 kW range, increase in efficiency and quality improvement. Innovative beam shaping systems and a precise temperature field control serve as the basis for reproducible industrial processes.

Our range of services includes:

• Development and industrial transfer of laser-based processes with high-power laser and/or induction, such as hardening, heat treatment, roll cladding or buildup welding
• Development of systems engineering components for process monitoring and control: Temperature measurement devices, thermal field control, special optics with/without dynamic beam shaping.
• Integration of laser processes into industrial production and on-site support
• Processing of test and prototype samples