Bisalloy Steels is proud to announce the start of a collaborative PhD-based project with the University of Wollongong’s Steel Research Hub.

The Project (2.1.6) is focused on the additive manufacturing of welded overlay and will investigate and trial automated/robotic wire arc additive manufacturing to fabricate welded hard-facing overlay on Q&T steels.

Bisalloy’s Technical and R&D Manager Dr Dake Yu, and Technical Manager (Armour) Dr Willy Pang, will be working closely with UOW’s Project Team. Together, they bring significant experience in advanced steel-related research and industrial research experience related to Q&T product development. They will also jointly supervise and train a new PhD candidate

Hard-facing is a process where one or multiple layers of different materials with unique properties are deposited on the base metal to significantly improve its surface performance, such as wear and corrosion resistance, or to repair the worn components. In industrial sectors, equipment is routinely subjected to extreme working conditions such as severe wear, impact, and high temperature, which requires component materials with enhanced performance. However, it is not efficient to manufacture the entire component with these more costly materials. Hard-facing enables a superior price-performance manufacturing process by depositing hard-facing consumable materials on surfaces or in critical positions of the less expensive base material.

Through experimental design and trials, Project (2.1.6) will develop an optimised methodology for high hardness (wear) and toughness (impact, blast) of welded overlay which has significantly improved performance. It will then focus on the development of an automated hard-facing solution for which a robot operator can easily program and which does not require a high level of welding skill and knowledge.

For steel consumers, the benefit is a product with improved performance while also having the potential to reduce maintenance, repair, and operational costs via prolonged service life. This is due to the ability to repair and restore components via hard-facing overlay.

For Bisalloy, the anticipated outcome of this research is the potential to appreciably improve market share, product quality and reputation through technology development, which will ultimately enhance Bisalloy’s competitiveness in the international market. Sophisticated automated processes will also enable a higher level of product quality consistency, reduced labour, and an improved health/safety environment for operators.

Bisalloy Steels is excited to continue the long-standing collaborative relationship with the University of Wollongong and work closely with the team at The Steel Research Hub.

For more information, visit UOW – Steel Research Hub