Repair, don't make new! In terms of economical and ecological sustainability, this appeal is absolutely relevant and future-oriented. When it comes to repairing molds and components instead of making new ones, Laser Metal Deposition/LMD is a proven key technology – with growing potential for new fields of application. The “reFORM” workshop at the Chiron Group Open House 2022 focused on the automation of LMD repair processes. And one thing became clear: it's not that easy. But if you are able to implement it, you will gain time, save costs and – operate extremely sustainably. In reality, it is similar to machining, only that the LMD works the other way around. Instead of removing material, it applies it. Using powder or wire, or both in combination. What is feed rate and cutting depth for one is deposition rate and layer thickness for the other. Where one cools the workpiece, the other heats it up. Either way, at the end of the day, the component must be produced to the required quality and cost efficiency – with the increasingly weighty additional criteria of energy sustainability and low use of resources.
