Laser Cladding

Challenge

Have you heard of laser cladding? This is a new technique for surface treatment, 3D printing and for carrying out repairs.

The developer of this process is Laser Cladding Venture, a spin-off of VITO. They make this service available to the industry. Their mission: to treat large, wear-sensitive parts. Think of rollers, cutting heads and dredging heads, hydraulic cylinders and turbines. This is how they prepare these components for a long and sustainable life.

But the flexibility of their offer was compromised. The cladding robot weighs one and a half tonnes and was anchored in the ground. As a result, the installation was very static. In order to handle larger parts, the robot had to have freedom of movement. That’s how we made our move.

Solution

In order to make the activities more efficient, LCV came to us to develop a custom-made machine. So that their existing robot could move more freely. There was a need for a robot track, a product support chassis and of course a perfect user interface. The goal: a longer range and a constant layer thickness for the lasercladding process.