Patent ID: 7605346

Claim:
A powder delivery nozzle for a laser cladding delivery head, wherein the nozzle includes an inner sleeve disposed within an outer sleeve and having an outer surface in contact with an inner surface of the outer sleeve; wherein the inner sleeve defines a central passage which extends from a first end to a second end of the nozzle and which enables a laser beam to pass along an axis through the nozzle, from the first end; the sleeves, along their contacting surfaces, co-operate to define a flow-path system along which fine metal alloy powder is able to pass for discharge at the second end of the nozzle; the nozzle, at a location remote from the second end, has an inlet through which the fine powder entrained in a carrier gas is able to be supplied to the flow-path system for flow to, and discharge at, the second end of the nozzle; the flow-path system has a multi-branched longitudinally extending arrangement of passages extending from the inlet to a plurality of outlets spaced around the central passage at or adjacent to the second end of the nozzle; and wherein the arrangement of passages includes a first set of passages each of which extends longitudinally from the inlet towards the second end of the nozzle and a second set of passages each of which extends longitudinally from the first set towards the second end of the nozzle, with the passages of the first set angularly offset from the passages of the second set and each passage of the first set in communication with two passages of the second set by a circumferentially extending passage or gallery such that powder flow from each passage of the first set is able to pass through to two passages of the second set.