Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) enables the fabrication of wear-resistant coatings with tunable microstructures through controlled adjustment of material composition and process parameters. In this study, the tribological performance of three coating systems—Stellite 6, Stellite 6 reinforced with TiC, and Stellite 6 reinforced with WC—was investigated. Depositions were performed using two nozzle configurations characterized by different powder mass flow capacities (5–15 g/min and 15–35 g/min), allowing evaluation of the influence of deposition rate on microstructure development and wear behavior.

Microstructural analyses revealed differences in carbide diffusion and distribution, and matrix microstructure as a function of both reinforcement type and nozzle configuration. Preliminary tribological testing under sliding conditions with a 6 mm WC ball, 10 N load and 0.5 Hz frequency. Results showed measurable variations in coefficient of friction and wear rate among the three material systems. The tribological properties were analyzed in both parallel and perpendicular directions to the deposition. The reinforced coating systems exhibited, on average, higher hardness (up to 48.3 HRC for the WC 5% wt reinforced) and higher coefficient of friction (up to 0.75) than the unreinforced Stellite 6, whose average hardness was 45 HRC and CoF 0.64. On the other hand, the unreinforced Stellite 6 achieved the lowest average wear rate.