Laser Surface Additive Manufacturing

In the production system of steel mills, single-toothed rollers, as core components of key equipment such as sintering machines and crushers, have their shaft neck positions constantly subjected to multiple tests including high temperatures, heavy loads, impacts, and wear and corrosion, making them highly prone to failure problems such as wear, scratches, and pitting. Once the journal fails, it will directly lead to equipment shutdown. The average daily loss of each production line can reach tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, bringing a heavy economic burden to the enterprise. Traditional repair methods such as welding and electroplating have drawbacks like large thermal deformation, low bonding strength, and a tendency to develop secondary cracks, making it difficult to meet the strict requirements of efficient production in steel mills. Against this backdrop, laser cladding repair technology, with its unique advantages, has become the preferred solution for the repair of single-tooth roller journal in steel mills.

Laser cladding technology uses high-energy laser as the heat source to precisely deposit alloy cladding materials with specific proportions on the failed surface of the journal. After rapid melting and solidification, a high-performance cladding layer with metallurgical bonding is formed, fundamentally solving many pain points of traditional repair. Its core advantages are particularly prominent: Firstly, the heat-affected zone is extremely small, the laser energy is highly concentrated, and the temperature control of the journal base during the repair process is precise, which can effectively avoid secondary damage such as equipment deformation and cracking, and retain the mechanical properties of the original components to the greatest extent. Second, it has excellent bonding strength. The cladding layer and the substrate achieve a metallurgical-grade bond, with a bonding strength far exceeding that of traditional welding and electroplating processes. Its wear resistance, high-temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance can rival or even surpass those of new parts. Thirdly, the repair accuracy is extremely high. With the aid of a precise numerical control system, millimeter-level precise repair can be achieved, perfectly restoring the original size and surface finish of the journal. There is no need for extensive subsequent machining, significantly shortening the repair cycle.

In practical repair applications, we have provided single-tooth roller journal laser cladding repair services for many large steel mills, and the repair effects have been fully verified. For the severely worn single-toothed roller journal in a certain steel plant, the wear amount reaches 3-5mm. The traditional repair method takes more than 72 hours and is difficult to guarantee the accuracy. After adopting laser cladding technology, the repair was completed in just 24 hours, with the surface hardness of the cladding layer reaching HRC55-60. After three consecutive months of high-intensity operation, there were no signs of wear or deformation on the journal, and the repair effect far exceeded expectations.

In terms of economic benefits, laser cladding repair has more significant advantages. Compared with the cost of replacing a new single-toothed roller, which often amounts to hundreds of thousands of yuan, the cost of laser cladding repair is only 1/3 to 1/5 of that of a new one. The repair of a single piece of equipment can directly save more than 60% of the cost. Meanwhile, the repair cycle is shortened by more than 50% compared with traditional processes, significantly reducing equipment downtime and helping steel mills enhance production efficiency. In addition, the excellent wear and corrosion resistance of the cladding layer can extend the service life of single-toothed rollers by 2 to 3 times, reduce the frequency and cost of subsequent equipment maintenance, and achieve cost optimization throughout the entire life cycle.

Deeply engaged in the equipment repair field of the steel industry, we have a professional technical team and advanced laser cladding equipment. We can customize exclusive repair solutions based on the material, failure types and working conditions of single-tooth roller journal in different steel mills, and provide one-stop services ranging from on-site survey, failure analysis, precise repair to later quality guarantee. Whether it is technical exchanges at industry exhibitions or service consultations on enterprise websites, we look forward to in-depth cooperation with you. With efficient, precise and economical laser cladding repair technology, we will safeguard the stable operation of steel plant equipment and jointly achieve the development goals of cost reduction, efficiency improvement and green production.