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Reconditioning of worn out molds

2004

I am working in Abrasive Industry, Manufactures of Grinding Wheels. Molds get worn out frequently. We are Reconditioning the worn out molds by Hard chrome plating. Is there any other alternative for it as hard chrome plating is a lengthy process, it involves pre-grinding, Plating and Final-grinding. No vendor is here in Chennai for Hard chrome plating, as it creates environmental Problems. Please give alternatives for plating or Ideas for arresting Wear & worn out.

Vendors with suitable alternatives can contact me immediately.

Regards,

Thiyagarajan.S
Mechanical Engineer - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

There are a number of alternatives. Due to the little information given about your molds (size, shape, material, tolerances and surface finish desired) it is difficult to say which will be practical or economical. Some examples worth exploring: HVOF sprayed tungsten carbide, plasma sprayed ceramics, hardened electroless nickel with or w/o hard particles, PVD titanium nitride, CVD chrome carbide, sprayed and fused cobalt or nickel hard alloys, etc. Most require pregrinding, some postgrinding, some will be very expensive and perhaps longer lasting than needed. Some will have size restrictions.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
2004

Can these metal-additive sprays harden a silicon mold to resist deterioration of the mold when the casting material is epoxy?

Jessica Gurskis
- Irvine, California, USA
2005

It is possible to do hard chrome plating in Chennai and we are doing for other customer. We would also suggest that titanium coating also can be done in Tamil Nadu itself.

JANAKIRAMAN KRISHNAN
- Chennai, Tamil Nadu
2006