EHLA: Extreme high-speed laser material deposition

Special coatings protect components against corrosion and wear. However, standard processes such as hard chrome plating, thermal spraying, laser material deposition or other deposition welding techniques have drawbacks. For example, as of September 2017, chromium(VI) coatings will require authorization. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen as well as the RWTH Aachen University have now developed an extreme high-speed laser material deposition process, known by its German acronym EHLA, to eliminate these drawbacks in an economical way.