Formation of Compositionally Graded Cemented Carbides by Multi-Beam Laser Metal Deposition

Abstract

Laser metal deposition (LMD)，which partially forms metal layers, is a useful method for achieving multi-materialization with the correct materials in the correct places. We formed compositionally graded cemented tungsten carbides on iron-based substrates by a multi-beam type LMD piece of equipment. The multi-beam type LMD can change the amount of energy applied by laser irradiation into the powder by changing the intersecting position of the beams. We clarified that the dispersity of the tungsten carbide (WC) particles was improved by moving the laser-focusing position from the substrate’s surface to 0.5-mm of overfocus position. We found that the average WC particle size increased by setting the overfocus position and could be controlled by the laser-focusing position of the multi-beam lasers.