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Trumpf adds Fraunhofer’s extreme high-speed laser deposition welding process Trumpf, headquartered in Ditzingen, Germany, reports that it plans to incorporate the new Extreme High-Speed Laser Deposition Welding (EHLA) method, developed by Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT), into a number of its Additive Manufacturing systems. According to the company, EHLA is significantly faster than conventional Laser Deposition Welding. Depending on component size, Trumpf stated that it has various laser machines which are candidates for EHLA. The company’s TruLaser Cell 3000 is suitable for small and medium-sized components, while the machines in the TruLaser Cell 7000 Series are suitable for large ones. Apart from these turnkey systems, manufac-
turers can also integrate the EHLA method into their existing systems. “For EHLA, we can draw on similar techniques to those we’ve been using for Laser Deposition Welding,” explained Antonio Candel-Ruiz, an expert in laser surface methods at Trumpf in Ditzingen. “The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology developed and patented EHLA with the primary aim of executing coating processes very quickly with low layer thicknesses for rotationally symmetric components.” “For large-area coating tasks, lasers have until now lacked the necessary speed,” stated CandelRuiz. In addition, the minimum layer thickness achievable using conventional Laser Deposition Welding is around 500 µm. In conventional laser
deposition, the laser generates a weld pool on the surface of a component and fuses the metal powder, coaxially added simultaneously, to create the required shape. The powder then fuses with the surface, gradually forming a protective coating. By contrast, in the EHLA method, the laser strikes the powdery filler material above the weld pool, heating the material nearly to its melting point while it is still on its way to the component. Consequently, the particles melt faster in the weld pool. This makes it possible to use energy much more efficiently. Whereas normal laser deposition welding can coat only 10-40 cm2 per minute, the EHLA method achieves rates of over 250 cm2 per minute. In addition, much thinner coatings with layer thicknesses of 10-300 µm are now possible. What is more, EHLA permits a much finer laser focus, rendering the process considerably more energy-efficient. www.trumpf.com
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Vol. 3 No. 3 © 2017 Inovar Communications Ltd
Metal Additive Manufacturing | Autumn 2017
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