Effects of Laser Treatment on WC-12%Co Cermet Coating Deposited by Air Plasma Spraying Technique

Tungsten carbide powder with 12% Co was deposited on AISI 321 stainless steel substrate using Air Plasma Spraying (APS) technique. The coating was produced at 80 mm standoff distance. The coated samples were treated with CO2 Laser under the shroud of nitrogen gas. A series of experimentation was carried out in order to optimize the laser parameters. After laser melting, the modified surfaces were characterized and compared with as sprayed surfaces.It was observed that the laser melting process produced defect free surfaces compared to conventional coating