Laser cladding is an emerging technology for manufacturing, repairing, and strengthening metal parts. It has been widely used in aerospace, automobile manufacturing, petrochemical industry, and other fields. As one of the core components of cladding equipment, the powder feeder’s performance will directly affect the quality of the cladding layer, and it has increasingly become the focus of everyone’s attention. Currently, there are two commonly used powder-feeding methods in laser cladding: preset powder feeding and synchronous powder feeding.
Preset powder feeding method:
The alloy powder material to be cladded is pre-covered on the surface of the substrate, and then a laser beam is used to scan the surface of the alloy pre-coating layer. The surface of the pre-coating layer absorbs laser energy to increase the temperature and melt it. At the same time, the surface heat is transferred to the interior through thermal conduction. After the laser beam leaves, the molten metal quickly solidifies on the surface of the base material to form a metallurgically bonded alloy cladding layer. Its advantages are high efficiency, uniform coating thickness, and strong bonding with the substrate. Its disadvantages are low powder utilization and the need for specialized equipment and technology.
Synchronous powder feeding method:
A special conveyor is used to directly feed the alloy material into the laser action area. Before reaching the melting zone, the powder first passes through the beam and is heated to a red-hot state. After falling into the melting zone, it melts immediately and is sent along with the base material and powder to form an alloy cladding layer. Synchronous powder feeding methods include synchronous lateral powder feeding and coaxial powder feeding. Synchronized lateral powder feeding has a simple structure and low price, but the powder utilization rate is not high and the cladding quality is relatively poor. It can be suitable for laser cladding of planes and shafts. The coaxial powder feeding structure is complex, the powder is preheated, the cladding quality is good, and the versatility is strong.
With the rapid development of laser cladding technology and the improvement of processing accuracy and quality requirements for cladding layers, the development of high-performance powder feeders is particularly important for laser cladding processing.
Huirui-Laser relies on its leading technology research and development capabilities to develop a high-precision powder feeder suitable for ultra-high-speed laser cladding. The coaxial powder-feeding method can maintain stability in high-power, large-powder-feeding work. , its unique high-precision micro-powder feeding technology can realize precision manufacturing processes.
Huirui-Laser powder feeder adopts special sealing technology, which reduces gas consumption by 15-25% compared with similar products. The powder bottle is equipped with a capacity detection module, which automatically alarms when the amount of powder is insufficient, making it easier for operators to replenish powder at any time. The visual powder tray design allows you to observe the working status of the powder tray at any time. The special coating treatment of the powder tray makes it more wear-resistant and durable, reducing the frequency of replacement of consumables. The built-in numerical control system and high-precision gas flow meter avoid the impact of gas pressure and temperature changes on the powder feeding accuracy. The repeatable powder feeding accuracy is ≤±1%, ensuring the stability and reliability of the process and ensuring 24-hour uninterrupted ultra-high-speed laser cladding.
