Surface Treatments by Laser Technology

Industrial applications require parts of components with specific surface properties such are good corrosion resistance, wear resistance and hardness. Alloys with those properties are usually very expensive and there is a great interest in reducing the cost of components for fulfilling these requirements. In this sense, laser surface processing has been used as a cost-effective technique to improve the surface properties of materials, by use of the laser beam heat for modification of its structure and physical characteristics. Laser surface treatments can be divided into direct processes, which only need the generated heat, such are hardening and melting, and processes which need filler material as alloying and cladding. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to summarize the results of several works based on laser surface treatments, in particular, hardening and melting of hot and cold work steels, and laser cladding of forming tools with nanoparticles. The microstructural characterization and mechanical properties (microhardness, wear resistance) will be described in each case.