**4. Conclusions**

To investigate the influences of process parameters and powder formulation on microstructure, element distribution, and wear behavior, a series of laser cladding experimental runs was conducted on the AISI 1045 mild carbon steel with the cladding powder of Ni35A/TiC based on full factorial design. The correlation between process parameters and the wear resistance was then established after ANOVA of experimental results. Based on the results, the following conclusions can be obtained:


• The microstructure at the top region of the cladding layer can be controlled by scanning speed. At lower speed (5 mm/s), the dendritic crystal of TiC transforms into near sphere fine grains for the top area. This refines the microstructure to reduce stress concentration at grain tips and improves the wear properties.

**Author Contributions:** Methodology, X.H. and C.L.; experiment, C.L.; analysis, X.H., C.L., H.Z., C.C., G.L., J.J., M.F., and M.Z.; writing—original draft preparation, X.H. and C.L.; writing—review and editing, C.C. and H.Z.; supervision, X.H. and C.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by Fujian University of Technology, Grant No. GY-Z18163; Fujian Innovation Center of Additive Manufacturing, Grant No. ZCZZ20-04; and Fujian Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social A ffairs, Grant No. GY-Z19045.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from the Public Service Platform for Technical Innovation of Machine Tool Industry in Fujian Province at the Fujian University of Technology.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
