Laser metal deposition of Euro 7-compliant brake disks
Discover why high-speed laser metal deposition is the ideal choice for manufacturing Euro 7-compliant brake disks – and could even become the new benchmark in brake disk production.
Transforming production processes with high-speed laser metal deposition
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.
Laser metal deposition provides optimal conditions for meeting the Euro 7 fine dust standard and ensuring compliance with the required brake wear regulations.
High-speed laser metal deposition (HS-LMD) makes it possible to reliably produce low-emission brake disks in large batches.
Are you interested in finding out more about manufacturing Euro 7-compliant brake disks using high-speed laser metal deposition?
Our brake disk coating experts will be happy to help you. Get in touch!
What are the benefits of high-speed laser metal deposition in terms of Euro 7-compliant brake disk production?
High-speed laser metal deposition enables the production of brake disks that comply with the Euro 7 standard. In addition, the process offers numerous advantages in the manufacture and use of brake disks:
Our beam forming technology creates an optimum welded joint between the brake disk and the coating, guaranteeing safe use in all vehicle types.
The high surface application rates of up to 1500 cm²/min enable the technology to be used economically in series production, even when handling volumes of several million brake disks per year.
High-speed laser metal deposition can be integrated into any production process and used for different types of brake disk ands coatings.
Application of up to 96% of the high-value powder optimises material usage In addition, the cost of time-consuming preparations and post-processing can be reduced. This saves 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 benefit is its resistance to corrosion and wear
The high-speed laser metal deposition process makes it possible to apply very thin layers, usually 100 to 300 µm per layer, 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 layers that are metallurgically bonded, crack-free and resistant to corrosion and wear – this is also beneficial for electric cars, as their brakes are susceptible to rust. This ensures a longer service life and less frequent maintenance intervals.
How does laser brake disk coating work?
What are the differences compared 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, these ions are deposited on the workpiece and coat it. Electroplating offers corrosion protection and low material consumption, but wear protection particles cannot be processed and the layers are not diffusion-resistant. Chrome plating in particular could soon be banned completely as a result of new European legislation.
Thermal spraying involves heating a powdered coating material and spraying it onto a surface. The sprayed-on coating does not melt completely and so only adheres to the surface, so thecoating bond 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-resistant or corrosion-resistant. The process is also very loud and consumes very large quantities of process gas and powder. In addition, carbides can only be processed to a very limited extent.
