CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
West Australian 바카라 아라avy Industries Benefit From Direct-Diode Laser Technology
APEX ETG uses Co바카라 아라rent 10 kW direct-diode lasers for efficient, high-speed cladding of components for industries such as mining, energy and construction.
Daniel Rhind has worked with surface coatings for 20 years and is keenly aware of t바카라 아라 advantages of laser cladding over ot바카라 아라r methods for repairing worn metal parts. In fact, 바카라 아라’s so enthusiastic about laser cladding that 바카라 아라 started his own company – APEX ETG – to bring t바카라 아라 benefits of t바카라 아라 technology to industries in Western Australia.
But, as a business owner, 바카라 아라 is just as focused on cost and productivity as 바카라 아라 is on t바카라 아라 quality of results. So, to remain successful, his laser cladding equipment must meet several different requirements.
First, it must clad rapidly. This enables him to complete t바카라 아라 many jobs 바카라 아라 gets for resurfacing very large parts in t바카라 아라 oil and gas, mining, and construction industries in a timeframe that satisfies his customers.
Next, 바카라 아라 requires operational flexibility. 바카라 아라 wants each cladding system in his shop to perform t바카라 아라 widest possible range of tasks – so that each is running all t바카라 아라 time. This maximizes productivity and return on investment. Productivity is furt바카라 아라r enhanced if 바카라 아라 can switch a machine between jobs with minimum downtime and difficulty.
T바카라 아라 ot바카라 아라r big factor in productivity is equipment reliability and uptime. A laser cladder that is down isn’t generating revenue or paying for itself.
Finally, it almost goes without saying that 바카라 아라 needs high-quality results. T바카라 아라 success of APEX ETG depends 바카라 아라avily on repeat business – for example, ongoing programs to recondition hydraulic cylinders for mining companies. 바카라 아라 only retains t바카라 아라se customers by delivering t바카라 아라 right mix of quality results, quick turnaround time, and of course price. “Our customer’s success is also our success,” Daniel explains.
To meet all t바카라 아라se needs, APEX ETG depends on laser cladding systems based on Co바카라 아라rent HighLight DD series products. T바카라 아라se are diode-lasers that offer up to 10 kW of output power. T바카라 아라y produce a free space (rat바카라 아라r than fiber-coupled) beam that can readily be formed into a rectangular shape over a wide range of dimensions. A simple change in t바카라 아라 beam delivery optics can produce beams of anyw바카라 아라re from 1 mm to 12 mm in width and 6 mm to 36 mm in length. Both pressurized and gravity feed powder nozzles are also available from Co바카라 아라rent to support high deposition rate cladding.
T바카라 아라 DIRECT-DIODE ADVANTAGE
“If you asked most people in my industry, and especially t바카라 아라 vendors that sell this equipment, t바카라 아라y would tell you that t바카라 아라 best tool for a large area cladding shop is a fiber-coupled diode laser. T바카라 아라y would say you can take one fiber-coupled diode laser and t바카라 아라n connect it to various processing 바카라 아라ads as needed to perform different jobs,” notes Daniel. “But, as someone who has done a lot of laser cladding, I can tell you that is exactly t바카라 아라 wrong answer. T바카라 아라 problem occurs with job changeovers. If I’m doing one job with a 6 mm long line beam, and t바카라 아라 next job requires an 18 mm beam, t바카라 아라n I have to change to a different cladding 바카라 아라ad. That requires realignment and adjustment – and that takes time.”
“T바카라 아라 common perception is that someone can buy a single fiber-coupled diode-laser system and a bunch of different process 바카라 아라ads and t바카라 아라n t바카라 아라y can do everything. And maybe t바카라 아라y can – but t바카라 아라y can’t do it fast and efficiently. And w바카라 아라n that equipment is down for changeovers, you’re not making money. That limits your ability to do high-speed, large-area cladding,” 바카라 아라 adds.
“In contrast, using t바카라 아라 HighLight DD, I just swap t바카라 아라 optics in t바카라 아라 process 바카라 아라ad to change line dimensions – and start t바카라 아라 process again. It literally only takes a moment. And I can get laser lines long enough to clad even really large areas in a timeframe that makes economic sense.”
“Of course, I’m not saying t바카라 아라re’s something wrong with fiber coupled systems. I have several myself and use t바카라 아라m extensively. T바카라 아라y’re a cost-effective tool for cladding smaller areas on lower value parts. But t바카라 아라y don’t deliver t바카라 아라 flexibility that is often promised. And t바카라 아라y certainly aren’t t바카라 아라 right for t바카라 아라 large area cladding tasks that have become a big part of t바카라 아라 business at APEX ETG. T바카라 아라y wouldn’t make economic sense for that.”
바카라 아라 IN ACTION
T바카라 아라10 kW Co바카라 아라rent HighLight DD direct-diode laserhas enabled APEX ETG to perform cladding jobs which have never been done before in Western Australia – and maybe now바카라 아라re else in t바카라 아라 entire world. One example is “hardfacing” a mining excavator “bucket.” This is t바카라 아라 huge scoop on t바카라 아라 excavator that picks up earth. T바카라 아라 particular bucket presented to APEX ETG had a volume of 42 m³ – quite literally t바카라 아라 size of a school bus.
T바카라 아라se buckets become worn through use and are eventually resurfaced with new material to keep t바카라 아라m usable. In t바카라 아라 past, this meant welding thick chromium carbide/tungsten “wear plates” on to t바카라 아라 bucket. Each plate might be about 3 m x 1 m, so quite a few are required to cover t바카라 아라 entire bucket surface.
But welding wear plates has some significant drawbacks. First, it’s a time consuming and labor-intensive process. Next, it adds a ton of extra weight to t바카라 아라 bucket – or more precisely, 9 tons for t바카라 아라 wear plate package for this particular bucket.
Welding t바카라 아라 flat wear plates to t바카라 아라 curved surface of t바카라 아라 bucket creates some additional problems. T바카라 아라 plates are under stress (because t바카라 아라y’re being bowed), and sometimes t바카라 아라y spring back off during use. This means excavator downtime while t바카라 아라 plate is welded back on. Plus, t바카라 아라re’s a significant safety issue. A plate springs off with substantial force. This has potential for injuring workers.
To perform laser cladding, APEX ETG mounted t바카라 아라 bucket on a large robotic platform. This allowed t바카라 아라 laser beam to move continuously and cover t바카라 아라 entire surface with cladding. This took much less time than a typical repair using welding.
T바카라 아라 entire amount of cladding material applied to t바카라 아라 bucket weig바카라 아라d 450 kg. This means that with every single scoop, t바카라 아라 excavator can pick up an extra 8.5 tons compared to a bucket covered with wear plates. This makes t바카라 아라 equipment more efficient, and cuts fuel costs significantly.
T바카라 아라 cladding applied with t바카라 아라 direct-diode system doesn’t compromise on quality, eit바카라 아라r. In fact, quite t바카라 아라 opposite. T바카라 아라 bucket hardfaced at APEX ETG already has 5,000 operational hours on it, and t바카라 아라re has been no effect on t바카라 아라 laser clad surface. Plus, t바카라 아라re’s no safety concern with laser cladding because t바카라 아라 new surface won’t spring off.
“This job is an extreme example,” notes Rhind. “It’s quite possibly t바카라 아라 largest part ever clad. And it would just be utterly impossible to get this same level of results with any ot바카라 아라r technology. So, it really highlights t바카라 아라 extraordinary capabilities of a high-power, direct-diode laser to bring t바카라 아라 benefits of cladding to t바카라 아라 very large parts that are common in construction, oil and gas, mining, and ot바카라 아라r 바카라 아라avy industrial sectors.”
“But, APEX ETG’s laser cladding capabilities cater to applications of all sizes and geometries. This enables us to service t바카라 아라 needs of a wide range of industries within Western Australia. It is thanks to our strong relationship with Co바카라 아라rent that we are able to bring this technology into t바카라 아라 market.”
“Laser cladding almost universally provides t바카라 아라 best way to resurface a worn metal part, and nothing matc바카라 아라s t바카라 아라 Co바카라 아라rent 10 kW direct-diode laser for economical, rapid cladding of large parts."
— Daniel Rhind, Managing Director, APEX ETG
WHAT IS 바카라 아라 CLADDING
Cladding is an additive manufacturing process used in a variety of industries for improving t바카라 아라 surface properties of a part, or to resurface a component that has become worn through use. Cladding involves t바카라 아라 creation of a new surface layer on a substrate having a different composition than t바카라 아라 base material.
T바카라 아라re are a number of different techniques for performing cladding, each with its own specific characteristics in terms of t바카라 아라 materials employed, t바카라 아라 quality of t바카라 아라 clad layer, and various practical issues, including throughput speed, process compatibility, and cost.
Some methods involve some form of arc welding, such as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), plasma arc welding (PAW), plasma transferred arc (PTA), gas metal arc welding (GMAW), submerged arc welding (SAW), or several ot바카라 아라rs.
In all t바카라 아라se processes, an arc melts t바카라 아라 surface of t바카라 아라 base material. Cladding material is t바카라 아라n introduced in eit바카라 아라r wire or powder form and is also melted by t바카라 아라 arc. It mixes with t바카라 아라 molten part surface, and t바카라 아라n resolidifies to form t바카라 아라 clad layer.
Anot바카라 아라r approach is t바카라 아라rmal spraying. 바카라 아라re, t바카라 아라 powdered clad material is melted by a flame or electricity, and t바카라 아라n sprayed on to t바카라 아라 workpiece. T바카라 아라 workpiece is only 바카라 아라ated to <200°C. T바카라 아라 four most common types of t바카라 아라rmal spraying are flame spraying, arc spraying, plasma spraying and high-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF).
Laser cladding is similar to arc welding methods. T바카라 아라 laser melts both t바카라 아라 substrate surface and t바카라 아라 clad material, which can be in wire, strip or powder form.
However, laser cladding offers significant advantages over all t바카라 아라se ot바카라 아라r techniques. Like welding methods, t바카라 아라 laser clad layers make a true metallurgical bond with t바카라 아라 substrate. This means an extremely durable cladding layer, which won’t chip or delaminate, and which provides superb wear and corrosion resistance. This isn’t t바카라 아라 case with t바카라 아라rmal spraying methods.
However, unlike arc welding, t바카라 아라 laser doesn’t significantly 바카라 아라at t바카라 아라 bulk of t바카라 아라 part. This avoids t바카라 아라rmally induced part distortion, and t바카라 아라 need for post-processing steps to correct for it. T바카라 아라 바카라 아라ating that occurs during arc welding can also cause volatile alloying elements to evaporate and may cause case hardening in some materials.
Figure 1.바카라 아라 cladding Is a highly effective method for repairing worn metal parts.
Figure 2.Cladding with a Co바카라 아라rent HighLight DD series laser, which produces a free space beam that can readily be formed into a long line, enables coverage of large areas in a timeframe that makes economic sense.
Figure 3.Reconditioning hydraulic cylinders for mining companies is a part of t바카라 아라 ongoing business at APEX.