Laser cladding technology drives a revolution in equipment efficiency and life!
In the metallurgical industry, key equipment such as rolling mills, continuous casting equipment, and blast furnace systems have long been subject to multiple challenges such as extreme wear, high-temperature oxidation, and chemical corrosion, resulting in frequent shutdowns and high operation and maintenance costs. With Laser Cladding as the core, combined with additive manufacturing (AM) and surface functional enhancement processes, our company provides global metallurgical customers with a full chain of services from old parts repair to new product pre-strengthening, helping to increase equipment life by 3-8 times, reduce comprehensive operation and maintenance costs by more than 50%, and meet the needs of green manufacturing and low-carbon transformation.

Ⅰ. Analysis of industry pain points and core component requirements

1. Rolling and continuous casting system

Roller/continuous casting roller:

Requirement: During the rolling process, the steel billet is subjected to high temperature (1200℃+) and high pressure (≥2000 tons) friction, and a super wear-resistant coating with a surface hardness ≥HRC 60 is required, while resisting iron oxide corrosion 26.

Typical damage: thermal fatigue cracks, surface peeling, dimensional tolerance (roller surface wear ≥2mm).

Gear shaft/bearing seat of rolling mill:

Requirement: Anti-micro-wear and fatigue fracture under high torque load, and the original assembly accuracy must be maintained after repair (tolerance ±0.05mm).

2. Smelting and sintering equipment

Blast furnace tuyere/hot air valve:

Requirement: High temperature (1400℃) and slag erosion resistance, thermal shock resistant coating (thermal expansion coefficient matching substrate) is required.

Sintering trolley grate:

Requirement: resistance to high temperature oxidation (800℃) and sulfide corrosion (SO₂/H₂S environment), extending the grate replacement cycle to 3 times the original.

3. Auxiliary and conveying system

Conveyor roller/chute lining:

Requirement: resistance to ore particle impact wear (Mohs hardness ≥7), reduce the lining replacement frequency (extended from 3 months to 1 year).

Desulfurization pump impeller/flue valve:

Requirement: resistance to acidic medium corrosion (pH 2-4, Cl⁻ concentration ≥5%), prevent pitting and stress corrosion cracking.

Ⅱ. Laser cladding technology advantages and material system

1. Core technical advantages

Metallurgical grade bonding strength: The bonding strength between the cladding layer and the substrate is ≥400MPa (ASTM C633), far exceeding traditional cladding (200-300MPa), eliminating the risk of spalling.

Micron-level precision repair: The six-axis robot cooperates with the coaxial powder feeding system to achieve 0.1mm-level repair of complex curved surfaces (such as roller surface contour restoration), and the heat-affected zone is ≤0.3mm to avoid substrate deformation.

Composite functional coating: supports “gradient material + bionic structure” design, for example:

Wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant composite layer: surface WC-Co (hardness HRC 65) + middle layer Inconel 625 (high temperature resistance) + bottom layer FeCrNiMoB (impact buffer).

2. Material selection and performance adaptation

Ⅲ. Full-process service system and quality control

1. Old parts repair process

Damage assessment:

Use 3D scanning (accuracy ±0.05mm) and metallographic analysis to quantify the crack depth and wear of the roll.

Process design:

Based on the working condition database (including 2000+ metallurgical cases), match materials and laser parameters (power 3-8kW, powder feeding rate 15-50g/min).

On-site implementation:

The mobile laser cladding workstation supports on-site operations in steel mills and is equipped with a powder recovery system (utilization rate ≥95%).

Post-processing and certification:

Shot peening to improve fatigue strength (ISO 1143) + penetrant flaw detection (ASTM E1417) + salt spray test (3000 hours)67.

2. New product pre-strengthening process

Pre-strengthening of rolling mill lining: substrate 42CrMo + cladding WC-12Co coating, hardness increased from HRC 25 to HRC 65, life extended from 6 months to 3 years.

Integrated manufacturing of blast furnace tuyere: titanium alloy substrate + laser cladding Ta (tantalum) corrosion resistant layer, slag erosion resistance life increased to 5 years.

IV. International cooperation cases and benefits

1. European steel mill roll repair project

Problem: Hot rolling rolls need to be replaced every 3 months, with a single cost of 120,000 euros.

Solution: Laser cladding WC-12Co coating (thickness 2.5mm), wear resistance life increased to 18 months.

Result: Annual cost savings of 480,000 euros, certified by TÜV Rheinland.

2. Corrosion resistance upgrade of flue valves of South American copper smelters

Requirement: Acidic flue gas caused valve corrosion and perforation in 6 months.

Solution: Laser cladding Hastelloy C276 coating (thickness 1.8mm), corrosion resistance life exceeds 3 years.

Benefits: Maintenance costs reduced by 65%, equipment availability increased to 95%.

V. Technology extension and future direction

Intelligent equipment upgrade: Develop AI-driven laser cladding robots, monitor the molten pool morphology in real time, dynamically adjust the power and powder feeding rate, and improve processing efficiency by 30%.

Green manufacturing: Reduce metal resource consumption by 70% through remanufacturing, in line with the EU carbon tariff (CBAM) requirements.

Special material research and development: Develop zinc liquid corrosion-resistant coatings (metallurgical galvanizing line rollers) and anti-aluminum slag adhesion coatings (aluminum melting furnace parts).

Reshape the vitality of metallurgical equipment with laser cladding – with innovative technology and a global service network, we help customers achieve “zero unplanned downtime” under harsh working conditions and promote the metallurgical industry towards an efficient and sustainable future.