Gears, pinions and toothed parts
Steel build-up, tooth-profile restoration, machining allowance and inspection planning for local tooth or spline damage.
Materials
Start with the duty, then choose the alloy family.
For LMD, SLM / LPBF and laser cladding, material selection follows the failure mode, substrate, geometry, temperature, corrosion media, wear mechanism and inspection plan.
Material families
Fe-, Ni-, Co-, copper and specialty steel routes cover the main laser-based metal AM discussions.
Material decisions are strongest when they are tied to operating conditions, substrate compatibility, dilution risk, finishing needs and inspection scope.
Fe-based and stainless routes
Often relevant for steels, stainless build-up, selected wear cases and cost-sensitive industrial parts. Public examples include 316L, 4116, H500 and PH-14.
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Ni-based routes
Often relevant for corrosion, oxidation, heat exposure, strength and selected high-performance duties. Public examples include Inconel 625, Inconel 718, C276, C282 and C939.
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Co and tribology routes
Often relevant for severe wear, sliding contact, hot wear and tribological performance. Public examples include Triballoy 400, Triballoy 800, S6 and S12.
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Carbide-reinforced layers
Useful where abrasion dominates and the substrate, dilution, toughness and finishing plan support it. Public drill proof includes a tungsten-carbide-containing final coating.
Open related pageMaterial capability matrix
Use the alloy list as a starting point, then qualify the route against the part.
The names below show material experience and buying-language coverage. They are not a promise that every grade is stocked, qualified or suitable for every substrate. Exact laser spot size, powder feed, travel speed, layer strategy and heat route stay project-specific.
| Family | Named examples | Typical use discussion | Best-fit route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fe-based, stainless and specialty steel | 316L, 4116, H500, PH-14, FeCrV15Ni6 | General stainless build-up, steel repair, selected wear surfaces, corrosion-aware industrial parts and cost-sensitive routes. | LMD build-up, repair, modification, selected cladding and SLM / LPBF review where geometry justifies it. |
| Ni-based and Inconel-class | Inconel 625, Inconel 718, C276, C282, C939, Ni-based alloys | Corrosion, oxidation, heat exposure, high-temperature strength, demanding wear-corrosion combinations and multi-material thermal designs. | LMD manufacturing, cladding, multi-material LMD and compact SLM / LPBF parts after alloy and inspection review. |
| Co-based and tribology | Triballoy 400, Triballoy 800, S6, S12 | Sliding contact, galling, hot wear, valve-seat-type surfaces and tribological performance where cost and machinability are acceptable. | Laser cladding, local surface reinforcement and repair-plus-protect routes. |
| Copper and conductivity | Cu 99.95%, CuNi3Si and copper-alloy coating discussions | Conductivity, cooling function, copper-part repair, copper-substrate coating and compatible material transitions. | Project-specific LMD / cladding review with heat management, monitoring and substrate compatibility planning. |
| Carbide and hard-particle routes | Tungsten-carbide-containing systems, WSC and other hard-particle coating routes | Severe abrasion, cutting or drilling surfaces, mining and tooling wear, and cases where hardness must be balanced against toughness. | Laser cladding and LMD build-and-coat workflows with microscopy, hardness context and crack-risk review where required. |
3-axis Titan LMD4,000 W Laserline LDF 4000-100 route with 4 m3 build space, parts up to 2 m x 1 m x 2 m and public LMD wall-width context from 1.8 mm to 3.7 mm.
6-axis robotic LMD
4,500 W Laserline LDF 5000-60 route with 2-axis positioning, two powder feeders, rotary-table support up to 1,000 kg and zoom-optic wall adjustment from 1.5 mm to 4.5 mm.
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SLM / LPBFTRUMPF TruPrint 3000 with 500 W single laser, 400 mm diameter build platform and 400 mm build height for compact detailed metal parts.
Problem-to-material routes
Start from the damaged surface or part family, then narrow the alloy discussion.
These guides connect material families to practical buyer problems. They are application guides or research topics unless a specific Exafuse customer case is named on the page.
Hot-forming dies and tooling
Heat, wear, toughness, crack-risk and post-machining logic for local die or tool repair.
Rods, shafts and sliding surfaces
Corrosion, scoring, seal-land condition, final grinding and tribology-focused coating routes.
Pump, valve and process-contact parts
Corrosion, erosion-corrosion, cavitation and media-driven alloy selection for local cladding.
Large rollers and cylindrical wear parts
Abrasion, scoring, diameter restoration, heat input, coating uniformity and final grinding.
Research and validation routes
Porosity investigation and graded-material pipe work show how research can support material and quality decisions.
2024 material proof point
More than 1,850 kg of LMD material deposited in one year.
Exafuse's public 2024 material post gives buyers a more concrete view of material breadth: high-volume 316L work plus advanced alloy routes for heat, corrosion, wear, conductivity and specialty steel applications.
1,850 kg+Total LMD material publicly reported for 2024.
1,600 kg+316L stainless steel as the largest deposited-material share.
250 kgAdvanced materials across Ni-, Co-, copper and specialty steel routes.
Project reviewNamed materials are proof of breadth, not automatic qualification for every part.
High-temperature and corrosion
Inconel 625, Inconel 718, C276, C282, C939 and Ni-based alloy discussions start from media, temperature, substrate and inspection scope.
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Wear and surface performance
Triballoy 400, Triballoy 800, S6, S12, FeCrV15Ni6 and WSC belong in failure-mode discussions around wear, hot wear, sliding contact or abrasion.
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Copper and conductivity
Cu 99.95% and CuNi3Si are relevant where conductivity, cooling function, copper-part repair or compatible transitions are part of the question.
Open related pageCopper-substrate proof
CuNi2SiCr rotor wedge coating shows material choice and heat route together.
The turbo generator rotor wedge case study gives a concrete copper-substrate coating story: CuNi2SiCr coating context, surface preparation, heat management, monitoring and batch thinking. Treat it as a proof route, not a universal copper coating prescription.
Copper substrateConductivity and laser absorption behavior make heat management central.
Coating route
CuNi2SiCr belongs in a component-specific material and duty review.
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Release logicLayer uniformity, substrate integrity, finish and documentation must be agreed per project.
Tungsten-carbide-containing proof
A 130 mm drill story shows surface function as a material-selection input.
Exafuse publicly showed a 130 mm "Bombenbohrer" drill where LMD was used to fabricate the part and apply a final wear-resistant anti-magnetic coating from an alloy containing tungsten carbide. The value for buyers is not a generic material recipe; it is the link between surface duty, substrate, finishing and validation.
Surface dutyState whether the goal is abrasion resistance, anti-magnetic behavior, sliding contact, corrosion or a combination.
Material boundary
Exact powder blend, coating thickness, hardness and process settings stay project-specific.
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Release logicCoating condition, bond quality and final finish need evidence matched to the part function.
Hard coating proof
A valve seat ring story shows why material choice needs heat and crack-risk planning.
A public Exafuse laser cladding proof story coated valve seat rings with a highly wear-resistant material after oven preheating. The exact material is confidential, so the website should use this as process-chain proof, not as a public alloy prescription.
Material direction
Hard wear-resistant route selected by failure mode and substrate, not by public powder name.
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Thermal routePreheating is part of the shown process, while final heat strategy remains project-specific.
Validation boundary
Crack condition, finishing, bond and surface quality must be agreed per component.
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Impact-wear proof
Forging hammer repair shows why harder is not enough.
Exafuse has publicly described LMD-enhanced forging hammer work using application-specific alloy logic. For high-impact tooling, the alloy route must balance wear resistance with toughness, crack risk, dilution, substrate compatibility and final machining.
Wear resistanceThe surface needs to resist local wear and geometry loss in the working zone.
Impact toughness
Repeated hammer loading makes brittle, hardness-only thinking risky.
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Confidential detailsExact powder blends, hardness values and process parameters stay project-specific unless approved.
Multi-material proof
A 750 mm nozzle story shows material selection by functional zone.
One public Exafuse proof story used Inconel 625 for the inner structure of a water-cooled nozzle design and Inconel 718 for the outer structure and cooling ribs. The value is not just the alloy names; it is the link between material zone, geometry, thermal function and validation plan.
Inner structureInconel 625 was used where corrosion resistance and high-temperature strength were the stated design logic.
Outer structure and ribsInconel 718 was used where mechanical strength and oxidation resistance were part of the requirement.
Review boundaryEvery multi-material route still needs part-specific review of transition behavior, heat input, finishing and inspection.
SLM / LPBF design logic
Powder-bed parts need material choice and geometry planning together.
For SLM / LPBF, the alloy shortlist is only useful when build orientation, support strategy, depowdering, internal channels and finishing access are considered at the same time.
Internal coolingChannels need cleaning access, suitable diameters, generous bend radii and no dead-end powder traps.
LightweightingLattice structures and thin features are relevant when weight, thermal function or high-value geometry justify powder-bed manufacturing.
Qualification boundaryExact alloy approval, surface finish and mechanical evidence are defined per part before quote, qualification or release.
Selection map
Four questions define the material shortlist.
The fastest route to a useful recommendation is a clear description of substrate, failure mode, environment and required evidence.
What is the substrate?Base material and heat sensitivity determine compatibility and risk.
What fails?Abrasion, corrosion, oxidation, impact, fatigue and sliding wear lead to different alloy choices.
What is the environment?Temperature, media, load cycle and lubrication matter more than generic alloy names.
What evidence is required?Layer thickness, bond, dilution, hardness and surface finish are matched to the part function.