PROJECT APN011

Transforming the composites coating process for Australia’s critical industries

Metal matrix composite (MMC) and other metals-based composites manufacturing are an important part of the Australian economy. Yet, new replacement parts from overseas have longer lead times that, for companies in Australia, means an increased downtime of their machinery, processes and so on.

This project aims to build a novel, high-speed laser cladding system that will help repair worn or corroded parts, seeing quicker return times (through less down time) and added value created locally in Australia – including the creation of new parts using the same process.

This is a big step toward in fostering the next generation of fully automated laser cladding technology to design and fabricate multi-functional MMC coatings for wide industrial applications such as marine, mining, defence, and more.

The outputs of this project include development of a fully automated high efficiency laser cladding process and in-house catalogue for the material and process parameters, which will, effectively, provide guidance on the use of laser cladding to create composite high wear and corrosion-resistant coatings.

ACM CRC Research Programs

Project Partners

LaserBond
The University of Sydney

Project Leaders

Prof Anna Paradowska & Dr Li Chang, The University of Sydney
Dr Thomas Schläfer, LaserBond

Year commenced

2024

With project partners The University of Sydney, we are looking to enhance the robustness and competitiveness of our existing manufacturing capabilities through quality monitoring, assessment of the prototype coating, and simulation of the manufacturing process.