Repair Welding of ISO-B Tool Steels

Mat. No. 2714ISO-B, 2343ISO-B/mod, 2344ISO-B, 2367ISO-B, 9966 s.C. General Information: Uniform pre-heating is an essential preliminary for repair welding to avoid stress cracking and substantial differences in brightness. In order to reduce stress and colour differences between the welding zones, this should be followed by relieving, at least in the case of alloyed tool steels. In the case of minor repairs and in the case of unalloyed tool steels, slow cooling of the packed mould and local relieving with a low-oxygen gas flame could be sufficient. It is essential to note that heat treatment can give rise to discolouration and distortion. Distortion is related to mould geometry and to previous stressing (machining, erosion, etc.), and is therefore unpredictable and to some extent inevitable. If relieving has already been carried out in the course of mould production, distortion is likely to be minimal. It is possible to minimize the formation of fine tempering scale by treatment in a protective atmosphere. I II III I Information on preparing and carrying out contract welding Recommendations on temperature control Suggestions for material-specific selection of welding fillers Preparation and welding

The areas to be welded must be completely free of dust, aluminium residue or other contamination. The weld must be free of oxides, grease and moisture. The minimum machining depth if applicable should be 2.5 - 3 mm. Cracks should be machined out and the area checked for defects using a surface crack test procedure (e.g. dye penetration or magnetic particle inspection). Minor repairs are generally carried out by TIG welding, major repairs by electro welding; TIG welding should be carried out subsequently to improve transition and ensure there are no pores at the joints. In order to avoid coarse structures and unnecessarily high susceptibility to hardening in the welding zone, the lowest possible current should be used, and electrodes/bright rods that are as thin and homogenous as possible. The weld beads should be hammered to reduce stress (manually or with a compressed-air hammer).

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Temperature control

a) Preheating The moulds or dies should be adequately soaked. Holding times corresponding to tempering times (depending on material, see also data sheet) are advisable. The temperature should be well above Ms depending on the extent of welding; in the case of the above materials therefore around 400C. Before starting welding, the mould must be covered with insulation mats (e.g. glass wool lined with aluminium) to extend the possible welding time. It is also advisable to apply bonding thermometer. b) Intermediate re-heating It is essential to ensure the workpiece temperature does not fall below Ms (in the case of the above materials, 300C approx.) before the welding repair is completed. Otherwise significant transformation stresses occur that can lead to crack formation. Therefore homogenous reheating is necessary. In order to avoid frequent delays because of re-heating, work times can be extended by continuous heating, e.g. using a circular gas burner under the mould during welding. c) Temperature reduction When welding has been completed, the mould should be covered and slowly cooled to around 150C, enabling the austenitic welding material to be converted into martensite. When 150C has been reached, the mould must be heated up directly to stress relieving temperature. d) After-treatment Stress relieving serves to reduce the transformation stresses arising as the temperature drops. The martensitic microstructure is tempered. As high a temperature as possible is advisable to achieve small differences in microstructure and therefore also in hardness between the parent metal and the welding material. It is advisable to stay at least 30C below the hardening tempering temperature to prevent the tools hardness falling. Holding time corresponds to tempering time. III Welding fillers

Homogenous fillers are usually used to avoid serious differences between the parent metal and the welding material. Base on our experience, we can recommend for repair works the EBW fillers listed in the enclosed table. Note If the material is subsequently to be surface treated, the person responsible for this treatment should be told about the welding in good time. The welding process requires extensive experience and knowledge of the materials. This is a manual activity that we cannot guarantee. We are however pleased to provide advice, and can recommend welding companies with specialist experience in the field to carry out repairs to diecasting moulds and die steels using their own facilities or with the assistance of ours. Tool Steel Quality Planning

Customer Information Welding fillers for repair welding of tool steels

Buderus designation Lava K 70 Welding process * E Dimensions (mm x mm) 2.5 x 350 3.2 x 350 4.0 x 450 3.2 x 350 4.0 x 450 2.0 x 1000 around 1.6 1.6 x 1000 1.6 x 1000 2.0 x 1000 2.0 x 1000 1.6 x 1000 2.0 x 1000 2.4 x 1000 2.5 - 6.0 Item No. (Order No.) 2360 8589 8590 8628 8629 3304 1344 2767 8104 8109 8113 8094 8095 8098 Parent metal (Selection) Unalloyed tool steels e.g. Wst. 1.1730

Lava Atrix 15

E TIG MAGF

1.2311 1.2312 1.2842 1.8050 1.8519 1.7735 1.2738 (possibly suitable) 1.2767 1.2764 1.2711 1.2343 1.2344 1.2080 1.2316 1.2083 1.2709

Lava WZ 55 Lava WA 4 Lava RNOM Lava RHF 105 (Lava RHF 33) 64 KBS (e. g. repair welding of cracks)

TIG TIG TIG TIG

E+ wire

1.2714

Further qualities on request Because of the special aspects relating to each welding repair work, we recommend you contact us to discuss each particular case. * E TIG MAGF = = Arc welding with fluxed stick electrodes = Tungsten inert gas welding Arc welding with cored wire electrodes under inert gas