Overview

Enhancing service life by surface treatment and recovering component after post damage could have significant economic benefits. Die tool costs 10% of cast part. Repair and refurbishment are increasingly common practices, seeking to maximize unit lifetime, availability and profitability.

During hot forming of aluminum alloys, dies made up of hot work tool steels get exposed to severe operating conditions that cause significant thermal and mechanical fatigue, high pressure and high hot erosion from flowing molten alloy and result into surface damages like heat checks, erosion and chemical attack in prime locations, limiting or diminishing the service life of the tools. Laser cladding has been successfully used to repair the damaged dies and put to re-use. 

Key Features

  1. Repair is possible without preheating of the components/tools
  2. Low heat input to the component, so less damage
  3. Narrow soft zone created with relatively high hardness
  4. Fully automated and repeatable
  5. Precise deposition and less post processing

Potential Applications

  1. Pressure die casting tools
  2. High Temperature Extrusion tools
  3. Hot Forging tools
  4. Hot forming and Punching tools

Status

  1. Successfully completed testing of repaired PDC tools on real-time conditions (Case study)

Intellectual Property Development Index (IPDI)

Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Description Basic concepts and understanding of underlying scientific principles Shortlisting possible applications Research to prove technical feasibility for targeted application Coupon level testing in simulated conditions Check repeatability/consistency Prototype testing in real-life conditions Check repeatability/consistency Reassessing feasibility (IP, competition technology, commercial) Initiate technology transfer Support in stabilizing production
Status

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