Flextrack: Wide-field laser cladding with variable track width

Laser cladding is becoming a standard process in industrial applications, particularly with high-power lasers using round or rectangular spots. For specific applications, the ability to adjust the cladding track width and laser power distribution offers valuable technical and economic advantages. An advanced system has been developed using a 1D laser scanning technology called "Lassy" and a coaxial laser cladding head (COAX11) that can accommodate rectangular spots up to 45 mm wide, was developed. This setup enables cladding tracks ranging from 10 mm to 45 mm to be produced in motion. It allows for various scanning frequencies from 1 Hz to 300 Hz to assess their effect on the cladding results. Additionally, the speed of the scanning beam can be varied to influence the power distribution. An integrated camera system monitors the temperature and size of the melt pool, providing insight into laser power distribution during cladding process. These advancements increase the flexibility of laser cladding, useful for wear-resistant coatings on conveyor screws and tailored patches for agricultural tools.