Laser metal deposition of Euro 7-compliant brake disks

In vehicle construction, brake disks have traditionally been manufactured using casting and chipping. Untreated cast brake disks cause heavy brake wear and high particulate emissions during vehicle use. The new EU Euro 7 standard significantly reduces the permitted pollutant values and for the first time also establishes mandatory limits for non-exhaust-related particulate matter from tire and brake wear. This new legal standard presents brake disk manufacturers with major challenges. They not only have to manufacture an optimized product, but also test and procure new, suitable manufacturing technologies and integrate them into their production processes – all on schedule.

The good news is that there is already a tried-and-tested, large-scale production process for manufacturing Euro 7-compliant brake disks – high-speed laser metal deposition (HS-LMD). In this process, an extremely thin coating of a high-strength and abrasion-resistant metal-carbide mixture is applied to the conventional brake disk, which significantly increases wear and corrosion resistance.