Laser-aided Thermal Coating

1 2 3

GRARD BARBEZAT SULZER METCO FRDRIC FOLIO EPF LAUSANNE

4 5

1 Application principle of the Protal process. The laser removes the oxide layer and the contaminants; the cleaned surface is coated immediately after treatment with the laser.
1 Laser beam 2 Plasma jet 3 Powder 4 Oxide layer 5 Substrate 6 Coating on the cleaned surface

Despite their undisputed advantages, thermal coatings are time-intensive and, ecologically, not always without problems because of the use of solvents and blast media when pretreating the surfaces to be coated. The short reoxidation time of numerous metals causes further difficulties. With the Sulzer Metco laser-aided process Protal, the cleaning, activation and coating steps are combined in a single working operation. It is therefore quicker, more economic and less harmful to the environment than conventional processes.

The metallic or ceramic coating of workpieces is part and parcel of the industrial processes that have become more and more important in the last few years: namely as a functional coating to enhance the wear and corrosionresistance and thus prolong the life cycle or to change the physical properties of the surface. With the thermal coating of metallic surfaces, the preparation of the surface is one of the decisive operations it is of prime importance for the adhesion of the applied coating.

PREPARATION COSTS TIME AND MONEY

With customary processes, the substrate has to be degreased and then blasted with corundum in order to avoid reactions between organic contaminants and the melted particles of the coating materials. This process gives rise to various problems. The employed solvents and blast media have to be disposed of, and at no little expense; the surface of the substrate is contaminated by particles of the blast medium. With the notch-sensitive surfaces of titanium alloys

and high-strength steels, for example, the blasted part can exhibit a tendency towards early fatigue. The process may reach the limits of its possibilities if very thin substrates have to be coated, because the abrasion caused through blasting with corundum can damage or even destroy them. Further difficulties are encountered with the coating of highly reactive materials such as aluminium alloys: the activated surface reoxidizes within 100 ms. And, last but not least, the degreasing and blasting with corundum

24

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 3/2000

3918

2I The Protal unit: plasma torch F4 and a high-energy laser, mounted on a robot arm.

require valuable time, and the respective equipment sufficient space.

IN A SINGLE WORKING OPERATION

The laser-aided process Protal (Projection thermique assiste par Laser) combines the preparation of the substrate and the thermal spraying in a single operation (Fig. 1I). There is no need for the customary treatment, namely degreasing and blasting with corundum. Moreover, we do not have to cope any more with the disadvantages of the blasting process contamination of the surface through residual blast medium (penetration of particles), mechanical stress of the surface, abrasion and the disposal of blasting medium. The development of the process was inspired by Prof. Christian Coddet of the Institut Polytechnique in Sevenans (FR). Sulzer Metco took over the central co-ordi-

nation of this research project, which is sponsored by the EU in 1996, and proceeded to develop the Protal process in co-operation with the FIT Lausanne (CH) and other partners. The first results were presented already in 1998. Protal is now ready for commercial application (Fig. 2I), and Sulzer Metco has secured the worldwide rights for the process (the patents) and the marketing of the respective system.

With the Protal process, the substrate is cleaned with a high-energy laser pulse. A laser beam with a wavelength of 1.064 mm and a very short pulse duration of only 10 ns evaporates the layer of grease, detaches the oxide layers and removes the uppermost atomic layer by means of ablation, without heating the base metal to any appreciable degree. The impact area of the laser is normally 18 8 mm. A surface area of 1 m2 can be treated with an energy density of 1.5 J/cm2 in just one minute. A few nanometres of the substrate are removed with this process. The resultant activated surface is now coated by means of a HVOF (High Velocity Oxy-Fuel) or a plasma torch with ceramic or metallic materials.

3I The comparison of the adhesive strength (EN 582) of plasma-sprayed coatings on TiAl6V4-substrate with conventional blasting with corundum and Protal treatment shows almost identical adhesion values.

Substrate
TiAl6V4 TiAl6V4 TiAl6V4 TiAl6V4 TiAl6V4 TiAl6V4

Coating material (APS-F4)

Copper Copper Nickel chromium 20 Nickel chromium 20 Al2O3/13%TiO2 Al2O3/13%TiO2

Surface preparation
Blasting with corundum Laser 0,75 J/cm
2

Adhesive strength (MPa)

60 55 60 55 80 80

Blasting with corundum Laser 0.75 J/cm

2

Blasting with corundum Laser 0.5 J/cm

2

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 3/2000

25

CHEMICAL BONDING OF COATINGS

The corundum process results in the mechanical interlocking of the coatings, because the roughening of the surface enables the coating to mechanically interlock closely with the substrate. With the Protal process, the substrate is activated by the laser. The smooth, very clean surface facilitates the formation of a chemical, respectively metallurgical bond between the particles of the coating material and the substrate. This results in an adhesive strength which is comparable to or higher than that of the conventional process.

SIMPLE COATING OF ALUMINIUM

A layer of oxide forms on aluminium or aluminium alloys within the shortest possible time. Although this is welcomed for surface protection reasons in many cases, it reduces the adhesive strength of thermal coatings. With the Protal process, the difference in time t between the preparation of the surface and the impact of the particles can be kept very short. Depending on the substrate, we can expect a reduction in the adhesive strength already by a t of only 100 ms, and so the coating must be applied immediately after the treatment with the laser. For this reason, the laser optic is coupled together with plasma torch and mounted as one unit on a robot arm. This enables the time

between the preparation of the surface and the application of the coating to be reduced to 2040 ms, which is ideal for this application.

ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES

Protal can be described as a green process. The elimination of solvent and blasting media makes Protal especially compatible with the environment. In comparison with the traditional processes, it also reduces the consumption of energy: The Protal process operates with a power input of only 3 kW. Since degreasing, surface preparation and coating are carried out simultaneously in a single working operation, it results in an astonishing saving of time together with the high speed of the process an important factor for the total productivity.

4I A complete system: Experience has been acquired with the Sulzer Metco Protal system in Wohlen (CH) since the end of 1998.

MEASURABLE ADVANTAGES
Using a strength test (EN 582), it was established that the adhesive strength of plasma coatings and Protal-treated aluminium and titanium substrates was similar to that of comparative corundumblasted specimens, even though the surface roughness with Protal is clearly lower than that of substrates blasted with corundum (Fig. 3I). The indentation test provides information about the state of toughness at the interface. If we take the length of the cracks under an identical load as a benchmark, it reveals significant differences. With the Protal pretreatment, the

26

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 3/2000

5I A Protal application for the printing industry: Anilox roller; ceramic Cr2O3-coating on an intermediate coating of NiCr20.
20 mm

Cr2O3

NiCr20

50 m

Anilox roller

cracks are much shorter than in the case of the corundum-blasted substrates.

RESEARCH WORK CONTINUES

The mechanisms which are brought into play at the interface substrate/coating with the Protal process and result in high bond strengths have not been completely clarified so far. Up to now, it could be shown that metallurgical reactions also play a part in the adhesion. With the system Copper Coating on an Aluminium Substrate, for example, it has been verified that there is an enrichment of copper down to a depth of about 200 nm. An in-depth knowledge of this metallurgical process will play a decisive role in the development of Protal with new industrial applications, and thus increase the importance of thermal spraying in industry even more.

COATING AND COATING SYSTEMS

A Protal coating unit has been in operation at Sulzer Metco in Wohlen (CH) since autumn 1998. It is employed not only for research purposes, but also for productive assignments (Fig. 4I). It executes customer contracts and also enables us to gain experience, which is then used expediently for working the market and the commercialization of the complete range of coating systems. The potential for Protal is immense; whether it is in conjunction with turbine blades or motor components, applications in the printing, textile or paper industries, in the aircraft industry or the energy sector there are innumerable fields of application in which the benefits of Protal can be used to full advantage (Figs. 5I and 6I).

Al2O3/13%TiO2 Chemical nickel 50 m Steel

6I Example of a ceramic coating with the Protal process: Al2O3/13%TIO2, applied to chemical nickel.

FOR MORE DETAILS

Sulzer Metco AG (Switzerland) Grard Barbezat Rigackerstrasse 16 CH-5610 Wohlen Switzerland Telephone +41 (0)56-618 81 79 Fax +41 (0)56-618 81 99 E-mail gerard.barbezat@sulzer.com

SULZER TECHNICAL REVIEW 3/2000

27