Sustainable Restoration of a Worn & Rusted Component Using Laser-Assisted CSAM

Given the compelling challenges that our planet is currently facing, sustainable manufacturing concepts & processes that can contribute to the circular economy are more critical than ever. In this context, there is a growing interest for fast, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly methods meant to restore and/or repair components that have been damaged or worn, as opposed to simply replacing them.

In this work, the goal was to develop a sustainable approach for the repair of a worn and rusted steel component. The deposit buildup is preceded by laser ablation to clean the rusted surface and expose fresh metal. Then, 1025 steel is deposited using an optimized buildup strategy that minimizes the feedstock waste and optimizes surface profile. A proprietary online sensor approach is used to achieve dynamic standoff control as well as to provide a real-time estimate of the deposit thickness. Finally, deposits are characterized in terms of adhesion, microstructure, deposition efficiency, and surface roughness.