Mold steels - Olofsfors

Significant service life increases with laser impregnation on mold steels

Olofsfors, which manufactures tracks for forest machines, previously had problems with the service life of the mold steel in their most demanding tools.

“The great stresses to which our mold steel is subjected to during the pressing of details previously meant that the steel had to be replaced at frequent intervals. Still, we could not be completely sure that the right tolerances were maintained between the exchanges,” says Caisa Johansson, production technician at Olofsfors AB. “To achieve the desired service life and reduced spare part costs, we turned to Duroc Laser Coating to test laser impregnation on our molded parts.” 

“In collaboration with Duroc Laser Coating and a molded parts manufacturer, a concept was developed by which the molded parts are hardened during manufacture and then surface-reinforced with laser impregnation.”

“The result was that we could use our molded parts twice as long without replacing them with new steels, which of course saves both time and money. This means that we avoid costly replacements of molded parts unnecessarily and that we can plan replacements in a much safer way when it suits our production. We have been given the opportunity to work proactively instead of reactively, which is very beneficial for us,” Johansson concludes.

Press hardening tool - Gestamp Hardtech

Press hardening tools increase their service life with laser impregnation

“The first tool that was laser impregnated has to date completed 380,000 strokes,” says Age Risberg at Gestamp HardTech in Luleå. A tool without impregnation normally does about 20,000 strokes before it must undergo reconditioning.

A growing trend in the industry is thermoforming technology, so called press hardening. The method means that high-strength steel is heated up to over 900 degrees Celsius and then shaped and cooled at the same time in press hardening tools.

The component manufacturer Gestamp HardTech is the pioneer behind press hardening technology. The company supplies safety details to the automotive industry. In 2005, Duroc began a collaboration with Gestamp for laser impregnation of wear-exposed parts in press hardening tools.

Thin high-strength steel places new demands on the manufacturing processes

The background to thermoforming technology is, among other things, the increased environmental requirements. Car details will be lighter and thus more energy-efficient at the same time as they will be harder and safer. The use of thin, high-strength steel is increasing, which places new demands on the manufacturing processes.

In Olofström, Volvo Cars is preparing for an upcoming technology change, even though no formal decisions have yet been made. The method has also become common in other industries, where parts with high strength, low weight, and advanced geometries must be formed.