The experience of laser heat treatment application in industry of Ukraine

Abstract

Laser Heat treatment is used now at different plants of Ukraine to increase wear resistance of cutting tools and machine parts. Laser hardening of end mills, broaches, gear cutters as well as different dies and punches gives the durability increase up to 2-6 times. Highly efficient is the technology of laser hardening and cladding of long slides (up to 3 m long) for polymer film producing machines, crank shafts and sleeves of diesel cylinders.

Laser heat treatment is usually performed using YAG or CO2 laser industrial systems. For hardening and cladding gear shafts and coupling threads of boring columns the fully automated robotized CO2 laser equipment has been developed. Laser heat treatment is very critical to surface absorptivity and surface temperature control in the interaction zone of the material. Special measuring devices have been developed to deal with this problem with time constant 10-5s.

To increase hardening efficiency through surface absorptivity increase different types of coatings have been developed. This factor was used as well in development of special powder compounds for laser cladding and different types of powder feeders.

To control the value and sign of residual stresses formation different techniques were proposed. One of them -- laser irradiation combined with plastic deformation, is shown in presentation. Some problems of further introduction of the developed laser heat treatment processes into industry are discussed as well.