Optical monitoring of high power direct diode laser cladding

Laser cladding is one of the most advanced surface modification techniques which can be used to build and repair high-value components. High power direct diode laser (HPDDL) offers unique quality and cost advantages over other lasers (CO2, Nd:YAG). Especially its rectangular laser beam with top-hat intensity distribution makes HPDDL an ideal tool for large area cladding. In order to utilize this technique successfully, the development of on-line monitoring and process control is necessary. In this study, an optical monitoring system consisting of a high-speed CCD camera, a pyrometer, and an infrared camera was used to analyze the mass- and heat-transfer in the cladding process. The particle transport in flight was viewed by a high-speed CCD camera; the interaction between powder flow and laser beam was observed by an infrared camera; and the thermal behavior of the molten pool was recorded by the pyrometer and the infrared camera. The effects of the processing parameters on the laser attenuation, particle heating and clad properties were investigated based on the obtained signals. The optical monitoring method improved the understanding about mutual interrelated phenomena in the cladding process.