Parameter optimization for mould and die recovering using laser cladding

In the last years the laser cladding has become an important technology that has been studied by several industries as automotive or aeronautical. Therefore, although this technology was used initially for coatings, actually it is being used for repairing or even direct manufacturing of high added value parts. In this paper, the application of laser cladding for repairing a GGG70L stamping die is presented. The first step is to present the methodology used to obtain the optimum conditions for AISI 316L stainless steel clads on structural steel (DIN C45). The next section shows a deeper study about the capacity of the process to fill standard geometries on DIN C45 and DIN 1.2379. Finally, a nodular cast iron GGG70L stamping die is repaired using laser cladding process. The parameters and strategy used for the repairing have been obtained on previous sections. Furthermore, in the final section a powder concentration model is presented as the first step to create a complete model that simulate the three stages of laser cladding: interaction between powder and laser beam, creation of melt pool and generation of clad geometry.