Wear, abrasion, and pitting are major challenges in mechanical engineering and other metalworking industries. Rolling bearings, camshafts, and gearwheels are constantly exposed to stress, which means that the hardness of the surface material is decisive in terms of the component’s durability. Marginalized layer hardening increases the strength of the respective workpiece without making it brittle.

Laser hardening uses a powerful diode laser to heat the surface layer to be hardened to the austenitizing temperature. Martensite – a very tough metal – is created through the heat-induced rearrangement of the carbon atoms in the metal grid. 

After the marginalized layer has hardened, the pinpoint and rapid heat increase is abated by the temperature of the remaining component volume. The so-called self-quenching effect renders external coolant unnecessary for the hardening to take place. 

Laser-based surface layer hardening with the flexible laser hardening system AL-ROCK generally facilitates hardening depths of 0.6 - 0.8 mm, with some materials permitting hardening up to 2 mm. The laser machine can quickly and effortlessly process track widths of 5 - 30 mm (depending on the material).