A steel mill roll is a heavy-duty, cylindrical tool used in pairs within a rolling mill to shape, compress, and reduce the thickness of metal stock (like steel, aluminum, or copper) through extreme pressure and rotation.
Heavy-duty operation in steel mills often leads to wear on mill rollers. Using laser cladding and robotic CMT welding, we precisely rebuilt the worn/damaged areas and restored the original dimensions and fit with an enhanced coating.
Before we could rebuild the roll, we first needed to remove all carbide and cracking throughout.
We machined down all existing wear and carbide on the OD of the roll until all cracking was removed as shown below.
PART AND PROCESS INFO
Component: Steel Mill Roll
Weight: 5,000 lbs (approx.)
Overall Length: 144" (approx.)
Max Diameter: 14" (approx.)
Turnaround time: 7 days
Work Performed: machining, CMT welding, wire laser cladding, powder laser cladding
After removing all necessary material, we began the process of building it back up and reinforcing it with enhanced materials.
ADVANTAGES
Cutting-Edge Facility - Our facility is one of the most complete complementary manufacturing partners in North America. Machining, welding, laser cladding and much more all done under one roof. Our work ranges from the microscopic, with parts weighing in grams, to macroscopic full-scale parts - weighing in at 25 metric tons.
Metallurgical Bond - The intense, focused heat of the laser metallurgically bonds the substrate with the overlay. This bond offers minimal dilution of the base material (unlike other arc welding processes) - meaning that minimal substrate material will be present in the surface coating, maximizing the enhanced mechanical properties of the overlay material.
Reduced In-Service Downtime - Improved mechanical properties of the coating ensures maximum wear resistance. This means mill rolls wear down slower, allowing it to stay in service longer.
Restored steel mill rollABOUT US
For more than 40 years, Fusion Industrial Laser Services and our parent company Whitfield Welding Inc. have provided high-value repair, refurbishment, and part enhancement using cutting-edge laser and welding solutions for our customers in the automotive, mining/exploration, oil & gas, energy, aerospace, and defense industries.