Vancouver Wire EDM
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Vancouver Tel: 604-307-6437 Fax: 610-862-6920
Calgary Tel: 403-217-7641 Fax: 403-217-7651
Toll free from anywhere in Canada or the US 1-866-379-8625

Mold repair and laser welding

Our combination of laser welding, CNC machining and EDM allow us to repair, restore and refurbish components for molds, including molds made of hard materials (tool steel, P20, H13, D2, stainless, etc..) by restoring mold surfaces machined or worn out of specification.

Typical reasons for repairing, restoring or refurbishing molds are to eliminate fabrication of a new part or parts affected by:

  • engineering changes,
  • wear,
  • water leaks,
  • damage from equipment malfunction,
  • metallurgical defect.

Sample Laser Weld

(Microwelding on stainless steel) Click on the image to see why it is called microwelding

Typical mold repairs

Our most common repairs to molds include:

  • add features (laser or TIG weld, then machine conventionally or with EDM)
  • fix chips, cracks, divots from material failure, dropping, contact with other equipment
  • rebuild holes and fix wear to ejector pin holes
  • enlarge ejector pin holes, manufacture larger custom ejector pins (typically .005” larger than original)
  • repair ejector sleeves (bore out (mechanically or EDM, sleeve, weld (laser) and recut)
  • add material to worn section of ejector sleeve (laser weld)
  • move location of holes (fill by laser welding and cut hole in other location (CNC mill or EDM)
  • rebuild parting, splitting surfaces or worn surfaces
  • manufacture custom seal off pins
  • abandon part and build new part

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    Laser welding advantages

    Advantages of laser welding in tool and die repairs (microwelding)

  • thin wire allows deposit of very small amounts of material;
  • operator can lay a bead in the precise location, eliminating the need to rework or refixture;
  • low thermal transfer greatly reduces 'sink' and risk of cracking in heat affected zone;
  • little or no heat distortion;
  • ability to weld in deep holes and cavities.

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    Repairing molds reduces cost and reduces lost time compared to making new mold components.

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