Repair & Remanufacturing | Reliability Enhancement & Hardening | Manufacturing & Prototyping

Energy & Environment

Gicam technology can use DED laser cladding to repair critical components in the energy and environmental sectors, such as wind turbine shafts and hubs, turbine blades, wellheads, and process valves. It enables targeted cladding and anti-corrosion coatings on expensive equipment with long manufacturing lead times.
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Manufacturing & Prototyping

Subsea Fittings and Connectors

Perfect sealing is required in corrosive marine environments: a localized, controlled coating that is more reliable than conventional cladding or thermal spraying.
These massive forged steel components operate in a corrosive marine environment and must ensure a perfect seal at their contact surfaces, which justifies applying an anti-corrosion coating only to the functional areas.

DED allows this coating to be applied in a localized and controlled manner, with a more reliable metallurgical bond than conventional cladding or thermal spraying—a crucial factor given the consequences of a failure in a submarine.

This hybrid manufacturing process also enables the production of near-net-shape blanks for these complex geometries, reducing machining time on thick-walled steel parts. Finally, repairing existing connectors avoids costly underwater recovery operations that would be required for a complete replacement.
Reliable metallurgical bond → Potentially more durable than conventional cladding or thermal spraying.
Underwater recovery avoided → Repair possible without a complex replacement operation.
Subsea Fittings and Connectors
Photo: Peter Southwood - Wikimedia Commons — CC0 1.0 — modified image

Key Takeaways…
Gicam’s technology can use DED laser deposition to apply a localized anti-corrosion coating to the functional areas of subsea connectors, with a more reliable metallurgical bond than conventional plating or thermal spraying. This hybrid manufacturing process also produces a near-net-shape blank, reducing machining time on thick-walled steel parts.

FAQ

Is DED coating more reliable than conventional plating on these connectors?

Yes, the metallurgical bond achieved through DED is more reliable than conventional cladding or thermal spraying, which is a crucial factor given the consequences of a failure in a submarine.

Can an underwater connector that has already been installed be repaired?