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Case Study: Roll Chock ID Repair

A roll chock is a specialized component within a rolling mill that provides stable housing and support for the bearings of the rolling mill's rolls, maintaining their precise position and transmitting forces during the metal rolling processes. These processes are responsible for shaping steel, aluminum, or other metal products during hot or cold rolling operations.

Roll chock arrives in our shop in need of repair

Heavy-duty operation in steel mills often leads to wear on bearing surfaces. Using laser cladding repair, we precisely rebuilt the worn areas and restored the original dimensions and fit.

Upon arrival in our shop, the ID or bearing surface was badly damaged, which likely occurred during bearing extraction.

Damaged roll chock ID

The ID was also covered in 0.060" per-side of a thermal spray coating, which we removed along with enough material to smooth out the gouges. Then we build it back up using laser cladding.

To watch the process: click here

Roll chock, after pre-machining​

PART/PROCESS INFO

Component: Roll Chock

Weight: Approx 5,200 LBS

Diameter: approx. 25" 

Turnaround Time: 7 days

Work Performed: pre machining, laser cladding, TIG welding

Material Added: 410SS

ADVANTAGES 

Metallurgical Bond - The intense, focused heat of the laser metallurgically bonds the substrate with the overlay. Laser clad coatings offer minimal dilution of the base material (unlike other arc welding processes) - meaning that minimal substrate material will be present in the surface coating. They also offer superior mechanical properties compared to thermal spray coating methods such as HVOF - which relies on a weaker mechanical bond to adhere the overlay to the substrate. 

Reduced In-Service Downtime - Improved mechanical properties of the coating ensures a strong and stable bond compared to thermal spray coatings. This means the roll chock spends less time in our shop and more time in the field.

The small holes on the inner diameter (bore) of a rolling mill roll chock are typically lubrication holes or grooves. What couldn't be properly laser cladded we built up using tig welding in-house. 

ABOUT US

For more than 40 years, Fusion Industrial Laser Services and our parent company Whitfield Welding Inc. has provided high-value repair, refurbishment, and part enhancement using cutting-edge laser and welding solutions for our customers in the automotivemining/explorationoil & gasenergy, aerospace, and defense industries. ​

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