Laser Cladding: The "Surface Enhancement Black Technology" for Shipbuilding & Repair

In the marine environment, ship components face persistent challenges such as corrosion and wear year-round. Traditional repair methods either result in excessive deformation or have limited repair thickness, failing to meet the operational requirements of critical parts. The emergence of laser cladding technology has brought a revolutionary breakthrough to shipbuilding and repair, establishing itself as a powerful tool for efficient repair and surface enhancement.

Laser cladding technology melts alloy powder using a high-energy laser beam, forming a reinforced coating on the part surface that achieves metallurgical bonding with the substrate. This process offers not only high bonding strength but also minimal thermal deformation. The system comprises core components including a laser source, powder feeding device, and cooling system, and has now evolved into a robot-assisted processing mode with a precision of up to 0.005mm, enabling accurate response to the complex repair needs of ship components.

The selection of repair materials is highly flexible: commonly used Ni-based and Co-based alloy powders excel in wear and corrosion resistance, while Fe-based powders offer significant cost advantages. Through synchronous powder feeding or pre-placed powder methods, customized coatings can be tailored to the material and operating conditions of ship parts. For instance, cladding Fe-based shape memory alloy on crankshaft surfaces can significantly reduce wear and extend service life by more than 8 times.

In shipbuilding and repair, this technology has been widely applied to critical components such as diesel engine cylinder liners, crankshafts, and stern shafts. Whether repairing carbon ring scratches on cast iron cylinder liners or addressing corrosion on the sealing surfaces of alloy steel valves, laser cladding delivers precise repairs with post-repair performance comparable to new parts. Leveraging numerical simulation technology, process parameters can be optimized in advance, substantially reducing repair time and costs.

However, the technology still faces challenges: low repair efficiency for large components, insufficient equipment portability, and difficulty in controlling repair precision for certain critical parts. In the future, with the development of high-power lasers and portable equipment, coupled with the improvement of industry standards, laser cladding will be more extensively applied in on-site ship repair. It will provide stronger support for quality improvement and efficiency enhancement in the shipbuilding industry, facilitating green repair and long-life operation.