A Hybrid Surface Processing Method Using Surface Alloying and Pulsed Laser Micro Melting on S7 Tool Steel

A hybrid surface treatment method is presented on S7 tool steel by alloying the surface layer with boron and following with pulsed laser micro polishing (PLuP). The objective of the hybrid approach is twofold: First, surface alloying changes the properties of the surface layer that are relevant to the PLuP process (e.g. liquid metal density, viscosity, and surface tension). This allows more control over the laser polishing phenomena for better smoothing. Second, surface alloying and laser melting/quenching is proposed as a novel method of creating amorphous surface coatings. In this work, boron was introduced into the surface of an S7 tool steel sample using pack cementation. This sample was then ground on a bias to create a flat surface with a gradient in chemical composition and this surface was laser melted. The effect of this variation in alloy chemistry on the surface features created by pulsed laser melting is presented.