Laser metal deposition of brake disks in accordance with the Euro -7 standard
Find out why high-speed laser metal deposition is the optimal choice for manufacturing Euro 7-compliant brake disks - and why it could become the new standard in the manufacture of brake disks.
Transforming production processes with high-speed laser metal deposition
Until now, brake disks have mostly been cast and machined in vehicle construction. Untreated cast brake disks cause heavy brake abrasion and high particulate emissions during vehicle use. The new EU standard, Euro 7, significantly reduces the permitted pollutant values and for the first time also sets binding limits for non-exhaust-related particulate matter from tire and brake abrasion. This new legal standard presents brake disk manufacturers with major challenges: They not only have to manufacture an optimized product, but also test new, suitable production technologies and integrate them into their production processes before the deadline.
The good news is that there is already a tried-and-tested process that can be used in large-scale production to manufacture Euro 7-compliant brake disks - high-speed laser metal deposition (HS-LMD). With this process, an extremely thin coating of a high-tensile and abrasion-resistant metal-carbide mixture is applied to the conventional brake disk, which significantly increases the wear and corrosion resistance.
Laser metal deposition offers optimum requirements for meeting the Euro 7 fine dust standard and the associated compliance with the prescribed brake wear.
High-speed laser metal deposition (HS-LMD) makes it possible to reliably produce low-emission brake disks in large series.
Want to know more about how you can produce Euro -7-compliant brake disks with high-speed laser metal deposition?
Our brake coating experts will be happy to help you. Send us a message!
What advantages does high-speed laser metal deposition offer for Euro 7-compliant brake disk production?
High-speed laser metal deposition allows you to produce brake disks which are compliant with the Euro 7 standard. The process also offers numerous advantages in the manufacture and use of brake disks:
Our beam forming technology ensures an optimum welded connection between the brake disk and the coating and guarantees safe use in all vehicle types.
The high application rates of up to 1500 cm²/min enable the technology to be used economically in series production, even with volumes of several million brake disks per year.
High-speed laser metal deposition can be integrated into any production process and used for different brake disk and coating types.
The application of up to 96 % of the valuable powder optimizes the use of resources. In addition, costs for complex pre- and post-processing can be reduced. Saving time and money!
*Example calculation for a typical brake disk coating of approx. 1 million disks per year, by saving 50 µm of coating material.
Another plus: corrosion and wear resistance
The high-speed laser metal deposition process allows very thin layers of typically 100 to 300 µm per layer to be applied with high precision. A special feature of the process is that the combination of metal and hard particle powders makes it possible to weld on coatings that are metallurgically bonded, crack-free and resistant to corrosion and wear - this also benefits electric cars, whose brakes are susceptible to rust. This ensures a longer service life and longer maintenance intervals.
How does laser brake disk coating work?
What makes it different to other coating processes?
In electrochemical coating (or electroplating), a workpiece is immersed in a metal ion solution as a cathode. By applying a voltage, the metal ions are deposited on the workpiece and coat it. Galvanization offers corrosion protection and low material consumption, but wear protection particles cannot be processed and the coatings are not diffusion-tight. Chrome plating in particular could soon be completely banned due to new European legislation.
In thermal spraying, a powdered coating material is heated and sprayed onto a surface. The sprayed-on layer is not completely melted and therefore only adheres to the surface, which means that the layer bonding quality is low, typically a few 10 to 100 MPa. With high-speed laser metal deposition, the connection is in the tensile strength range, i.e. 800 to 1,000 MPa (depending on the material). Although many materials can be processed, the layers are not dense and the thickness of the application remains limited. The efficiency is significantly lower than with high-speed laser metal deposition.
Cold spraying is a thermal spraying process in which powder particles are projected onto a surface at very high speed. The powder particles are formed into a layer by the high kinetic speed on impact with the workpiece. However, these layers are not diffusion-tight or corrosion-resistant. The process is also very loud and consumes very large quantities of process gas and powder. Furthermore, carbides can only be processed to a very limited extent.
Everything from a single source: with these products and services, you are guaranteed Euro 7-compliant coating
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