Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt: with 3D metal printing to wear-resistant coatings for technical applications

Abstract

The mechanical protection of component surfaces sliding on each other against wear, as in mechanical seals, can typically be achieved by the deposition of hard coatings. Depending on the kind of application suitable material combinations and deposition techniques have to be selected. In case of cobalt-based tungsten carbide coatings usually physical vapor deposition (PVD) is used. However, a promising approach uses 3D printing to produce such coatings with enhanced adhesion and extreme wear resistivity. Characterizing those coatings in tribological tests under severe wear inducing conditions, it can be found that the coatings are extremely wear resistant. The measured coefficient of friction against tungsten carbide-cobalt highly depends on the surface topography. It is obtained that different surface properties strongly influence the tribological behaviour.