When cars brake, they produce harmful particulate matter. This effect increases with the age and wear of brake discs. Brake dust contributes to air pollution and can cause serious health problems such as asthma and bronchitis. It also has a negative impact on the environment by contaminating soil and water and damaging flora and fauna. It is therefore important to take steps to reduce the generation of brake dust.
To address the health risks of particulate matter, the EU has for the first time set specific limits for brake dust emissions in the Euro 7 vehicle emission standard. Modern coating processes can make brake discs sufficiently resistant to comply with these limits.
Brake discs are exposed to an increasing number of environmental influences during their service life. They are subject to wear and corrosion. In order to increase their service life, functional coatings are applied to the base material, among other things, which make the brake discs more resistant and durable by reducing environmental influences through their high resistance to wear and corrosion. In addition, the new Euro 7 emissions standard for the first time specifies a limit for brake dust. New coating systems are therefore in demand, such as the metal matrix composite with hard carbides (MMC) shown as an example.
Laser Cladding or directed energy deposition (DED) can be successfully used to coat large areas of brake discs with wear and corrosion protection. This method ensures that the coatings do not peel off the brake disks and that no corrosion cracks occur. These positive results can be achieved by careful application of the protective coating. It is important that all steps of the coating process are performed carefully to achieve an optimal result. If this method is used successfully, you can be sure that the brake disc will have a long service life and reliable operation.
Our solution is a resource-efficient coating applied using the innovative technology of Laser Cladding. In the process, a powdered filler material is welded to a precise track or surface.
The process is tuned to produce coatings with the following properties
This productive manufacturing technology is suitable for both coating and repairing components in a wide range of industries and is extremely resource-efficient. High application efficiencies minimize material consumption. We also use a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment to monitor the sustainability of our coatings. Our coatings are of high quality. The coating morphology is homogeneous and dense, ensuring reliable coating thickness. The overall coating thickness can be varied by applying thin individual layers in the lower µm range.
The coating adheres by fusion metallurgy, ensuring long-term durability. Even at high feed rates, we guarantee high process reliability and good coating adhesion. Our process allows fast and flexible process control. A wide range of substrate geometries means that different disc shapes can be easily coated. In addition, our process minimizes the heat affected zone in the base body of the brake disc. The interaction time between the laser beam and the disc is short, resulting in low heat input. Mixing and diffusion are also reduced. This means that non-material coating systems can be used without significantly affecting the material and thermophysical properties of the base material.
Overall, laser powder cladding is an efficient and high-quality process for coating and repairing brake discs. It provides precise results with high coating quality and is energy efficient and environmentally friendly. The process ensures that the coating does not peel off the disc and does not crack. Thanks to our precise process control, we are able to achieve reproducible results and offer customized solutions. These positive results can be achieved through careful application of the coating. It is important that all steps of the application are carried out carefully to achieve an optimum result. The successful application of LMD ensures long life and reliable operation of the brake discs.
Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology