Laser cladding: Aluminium cylinder head (automotive)

The aim is to replace a traditional architecture of inserted (press-fit) valve seats with a direct deposition solution on an aluminium cylinder head. This approach seeks to simplify design, improve engine performance and eliminate assembly constraints, while integrating dissimilar materials with a high level of industrial reliability.

IREPA LASER has developed a powder-fed laser DED process enabling direct deposition of a copper-based alloy onto aluminium to produce the valve seats. Specific work was carried out on material formulation and process parameters to ensure manufacturing stability and reproducible metallurgical quality compatible with industrialisation.

The main difficulty lies in controlling a particularly sensitive material pairing, where control of dilution between copper and aluminium directly determines final performance. It is also essential to stabilise the melt pool to obtain homogeneous, repeatable deposits, while validating thermomechanical behaviour under real engine conditions.

The solution improves engine performance and the thermal management of the valve seats. It also offers greater design freedom by removing press-fit constraints, while extending component service life thanks to optimised material integration.