EHLA is a patented and multi-award-winning process developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT in Aachen. toolcraft AG is a medium-sized family business and one of the most active German pioneers in 3D metal printing.
Because toolcraft had already had experience in the post-processing of 3D parts since 2005, everything spoke in favor of entering into additive manufacturing. According to the company, its 13 additive production machines are now working at full capacity. Customers come from a wide range of industries such as aviation, medical technology, the energy sector, mechanical engineering, the semiconductor sector and the automotive industry. In addition to its large machine park in the areas of machining (precision components, toolmaking) and plastic injection molding, the company has an enormous range of AM systems for metallic materials based on the laser-based powder bed fusion process LPBF, laser metal deposition LMD and extreme high-speed laser metal deposition EHLA.
EHLA is used, for example, to repair damaged areas on rotationally symmetrical components and to coat them. The EHLA system has proven itself in the Netherlands and China, where it applies corrosion and wear protection to offshore cylinders several meters long. EHLA coating with metal-bonded hard coatings is also in demand as an alternative to hard chrome plating with carcinogenic substances containing chromium (VI), which are only permitted in many areas after special authorization due to legal guidelines such as the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive and the RoHS Directive.
Contract work: Thanks to an additional A-axis, the EHLA application head can coat components up to 1,490 mm long with a maximum diameter of 320 mm.
