Slide bearings made of metallic materials are used in many areas of technology, such as general machine and plant construction, the automotive or aerospace industry. They have to fullfill different requirements such as high strength, wear and temperature resistance, sliding and anti-failure properties. However, modern lead-free high-performance alloys with optimal property profiles can no longer be coated or welded onto the typical base material steel using conventional technologies, since intermetallic phases in the transition area cause brittle behavior and reduced lifetime.

As part of the LASERPLATT project, a new process based on the laser roll cladding principle was developed with which, for example, steel blanks can be coated very efficiently by placing the material to be coated in strip form.

In this process, only the joint is heated locally with a laser and the material is bonded through the simultaneous effect of a contact force. The process enables very high coating rates of close to 100 kilograms per hour. By minimising or avoiding the liquid phase, only a part of the energy is needed compared to other coating technologies. The resulting microscopic and macroscopic properties of the coating system are demonstrated using the example of copper and aluminum alloys on steel; in particular, the suitability of the newly developed bearing material AlSnX is discussed. Due to its specific advantages, the process offers great potential for further fields of application, alloy systems and component geometries.