Cr12MoV has been widely used in the manufacture of stamping and drawing dies. In the present study, an attempt was made to improve the mechanical properties of Cr12MoV by laser cladding Ni60 alloy reinforced by WC. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a microhardness tester, and a friction and wear test prototype were used to analyze the macroscopic morphology, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the coating. The results showed that the coating mainly was composed of Cr-Fe-Ni, γ-(Fe, Ni), Cr₂₃C₆, Cr₇C₃, and W₂C phases. The cladding layer presented the dendritic eutectic structure enriched Cr, Fe, and Ni. Zigzag-shaped dendrites with thicknesses of 50~80 μm of the bonding zone ensured the strong metallurgical bonding. Due to solid solution strengthening, dispersion hardening, and grain refinement, the hardness of the coating reached 745 HV, which was 3.5 times that of the substrate. The wear volume of the coating was 14 × 10⁻³ mm³, which was 48% lower than that of the substrate (27 × 10⁻³ mm³). The coating had the abrasive wear; however, the substrate had the adhesive wear besides the abrasive wear.

Y₂O₃-reinforced Al-Si alloy coatings were prepared on the surface of a Mg alloy by the laser cladding technique. The microstructure, hardness, and wear resistance of the coatings were analyzed using an X-ray diffractometer, a scanning electron microscope, an energy spectrometer, a Vickers hardness tester, and a friction wear tester. The effect of different additions of Y₂O₃ on the microstructure and properties of the coatings was investigated. The results indicate that the addition of Y₂O₃ leads to a significant refinement of the grain size and a denser microstructure of the coatings. Coatings with a high Y₂O₃ content provide superior hardness and wear resistance. With a Y₂O₃ content of 7.5 wt.%, the coating exhibits the finest grain size, highest hardness, and smallest wear volume. Excessive amounts of Y₂O₃, however, cause a reduction in the surface properties of the coating.

Laser cladding is a new method to prepare coatings with good quality. Laser power is one of the main factors affecting the quality of laser cladding coatings. An appropriate laser power helps obtain a high-performance laser cladding coating. In order to obtain coatings with good quality, an experiment with different laser powers was designed in this research. Three Inconel 718 coatings with different laser powers were prepared on the surface of a 316L stainless steel substrate. And the effect of different laser powers (1400, 1600, and 1800 W) on the microstructure, phases, and element distribution of coatings (L1–L3) was investigated by SEM, EDS, XRD, and a wear and friction tester. Meanwhile, the microhardness and friction and wear properties of different coatings were analyzed. The results show that the coatings’ phases were the same and composed of γ~(Fe, Ni) solid solution, Ni₃Nb, (Nb_0.03Ti_0.97)Ni₃, MC_X (M = Cr, Nb, Mo), and so on. The background zones in the L1–L3 coatings were mainly the Fe and Ni elements. The irregular blocks in the coating were rich in Cr, Mo, and Nb, which formed the MC_X (M = Cr, Nb, Mo) phase. When laser powers were 1400, 1600, and 1800 W, the average microhardness of the three coatings was 685.6, 604.6, and 551.9 HV_0.2, respectively. The L1 coating had the maximum microhardness, 707.5 HV_0.2, because the MC_X (M = Cr, Nb, Mo)-reinforced phase appeared on the upper part of the coating. The wear rates were 3.65 × 10⁻⁵, 2.97 × 10⁻⁵, and 6.98 × 10⁻⁵ mm³·n⁻¹·m⁻¹. The wear mechanism of the three coatings was abrasive wear and adhesive wear. When the laser power was 1600 W, the coating had the minimum wear rate, which exhibited the best wear resistance. When the laser power was 1600 W, the upper part of the coating to the bonding zone was mainly composed of equiaxed crystals, dendrites, cellular crystals, columnar crystals, and planar crystals. The fine crystals and compounds caused a decrease in wear volume, and they had the most optimal wear resistance.

Al-Si/7.5 wt.%Y₂O₃ coatings were prepared on Mg alloy with laser cladding to enhance the wear and corrosion resistance of substrate. The influence of laser power on the microstructure and properties of the coating were discussed. The results uncovered that the coatings consisted primarily of Mg₂Si, Mg₁₇Al₁₂, Mg₂Al₃, Al₄MgY, and α-Mg phases. Through calculation, it was observed that the crystal size decreased with the decrease in the laser power. Y₂O₃ gave the coating a better strengthening effect due to the fine-grain strengthening and hard-phase strengthening. The average hardness of the coating with laser power of 1100 W achieved 312 HV, which was approximately 4.2 times that of the substrate. The wear volume of the coating was 22.2% that of the substrate. Compared with Mg alloy, the self-corrosion potential of the coating increased by 1.09 V, and the self-corrosion current density decreased by three orders of magnitude.