Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWSLaser Roll Cladding
Fraunhofer IWS develops laser roll cladding technologies for different applications. Conventional laser roll cladding is used to produce bimetallic strips or wires that are used as semi-finished products. The research focus here is on material pairings that are very difficult to join due to their metallographic properties, as they quickly form intermetallic phases at the joint. These include compounds such as Al-Cu and Al-Fe. Plain bearing materials as well as contact materials are also being intensively investigated.
A further field of development is process development for the manufacture of metallic sandwich elements or profiles using the roll-to-roll process. High production rates for lightweight panels and similar products can be achieved by continuous joining in the roll gap.
The latest laser rolling technology is high-performance coating by direct cladding. The aim here is to coat rotationally symmetrical components with strip material largely from the solid phase. This saves considerable energy and enables coating rates of up to 100 kg/h to be generated. Initial applications include the reconditioning of work rolls or the coating of large hydraulic cylinders.
