In addition to wire used to coat piston cylinder bores in engines and welding consumables for special applications, Schweißdraht Luisenthal GmbH, a Saarstahl Group company, will now be focusing on a third product group.

The new product in the portfolio is a metallic powder used in laser cladding of brake discs.

Background details: The Euro 7 emissions standard will begin taking into account all emissions from new vehicles – not just pollutants from the exhaust but also particulate matter caused by tire wear or braking. This therefore also applies to electric vehicles.

“Brake discs are made of cast steel and must therefore now be coated with stainless steel to prevent abrasion. This means they must be coated with a suitable powder. With this product offer, we are opening up a completely new business segment that fits in very well with our production,” explains Managing Director Marc Philipps.

Patented atomization

Various processes are used to produce metallic powder. The most common is vertical atomization. The relevant feedstock material is melted and atomized in a vertical container. The disadvantage here: the result is a powder with varying particle sizes, which must then be processed in a powder plant.

Schweißdraht Luisenthal has chosen a different technology for its system. “We melt and atomize the wires diagonally. This allows us to extract the undersized particles (particle sizes below 35 µ) during the process, and the oversized particles (larger than 70 µ) are removed using a sieve,” Philipps explained. This way the powder can be filled or used in premium quality without further post-processing.

SDL has acquired the system and the patent for diagonal atomization and will primarily market the system as such in future. “We are also happy to sell our powder, of course,”  Philipps said. “But powder is hygroscopic, which means that it tends to become moist and segregate easily during prolonged transport. Wire is easier to transport and store. And that’s what makes it interesting for customers to purchase the system, buy the wire from us, and produce the powder themselves ‘on demand’.”

Schweißdraht Luisenthal is already working intensively with a company that will build the systems. There are already prospective buyers from the automotive industry, especially as the system requires little space and fits into a 40-foot container. It is also exceptionally flexible and can be quickly converted to a different type of metal, and can even atomize small quantities.

Author: Ruth Müller, Referentin für Presse- und Unternehmenskommunikation, SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA

Foto: Brake discs are made of cast steel and must therefore in the future be coated with stainless steel to prevent abrasion. This means they must be coated with a suitable powder.

 Foto 2 Marc Philipps

Geschäftsführer Marc Philipps vor der Anlage.

Managing Director Marc Philipps in front of the system.

Fotos: © Dirk Martin/Saarstahl AG