During the preparation of W18Cr4V cladding layers, laser-induced defects such as holes, unfused particles, and cracks can hinder the extensive application of laser cladding technology in manufacturing and processing. This study aims to identify optimal parameters for W18Cr4V cladding suitable for grinding by conducting an orthogonal experiment with four factors at four levels. The cladding efficiency, aspect ratio and surface roughness after grinding were used as the performance characterization indexes of the cladding layer to study the laser cladding technology. The performance data of cladding layer were obtained by orthogonal experiment method, and the signal-to-noise ratio method was used to process the performance data. Then range analysis method was used to observe the main and secondary effects of laser cladding process parameters on the properties of the cladding layer, and analyze the most influential factors. Finally, the three performance indicators are transformed into a single grey correlation degree by grey correlation analysis for optimization. The results show that optimal comprehensive performance is achieved with laser power set at 1 900 W, scanning speed at 8 mm/s, gas flow at 10 L/min, and defocus at 9 mm, yielding a cladding efficiency of 15.613 mm³/s, an aspect ratio of 0.641, and a surface roughness of 0.734 μm.