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.

In order to meet the mechanical property of the die steel, this study used laser cladding to prepare a high-entropy alloy coating on Cr12MoV. A finite element method using a double ellipsoidal heat source model is proposed to simulate the evolution of the temperature field in laser cladding. The simulation results showed that with the increase in the power, the peak temperature of the molten pool increased from 2005.5 °C to 2357.4 °C, and the depth of the molten pool increased from 1.60 mm to 2.04 mm. The coating with the laser power of 1600 W had a good macroscopic quality and high lattice distortion (2.43 × 10⁻²). Due to the increase in laser energy density, the size of equiaxed crystals gradually increased from 1400 W to 1700 W. Under the comprehensive effect of the solution and fine grain strengthening, the coating with the power of 1600 W had a higher average microhardness (600 HV), which is 150% higher than that of the substrate. The experiment results further confirmed the accuracy of the simulation.