August 2025 Volume 7

EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY

worn or damaged without replacing the entire die block. Best for: • High volume runs: If your tooling sees more than 30,000 hits, inserts reduce downtime, simplify replacement, and cut costs for coating and heat treating. • Shallow impressions: Less than 1.25” deep. These are prime candidates for insert tooling. You can use harder materials (46–50 Rc), and refurbishing inserts is quicker and cheaper than resinking full blocks. • Parts requiring benders: In C- or U-shaped forgings, using inserts for finishers/blockers means you don’t have to resink the bender each time. Benders last much longer anyway, so leaving them in the block makes sense. Flood Welding For deeper impressions or lower-volume jobs, flood welding remains a solid choice. By scarfing out worn cavities and rebuilding with lower-alloy filler materials as a base and higher-alloy near the flashland to reduce wear. Dies can be refurbished efficiently but not indefinitely. After three weld-resink cycles in the same area, it’s best to cut down the die face by ½”, resink as new, and protect against carbon depletion. Best for: • Lower alloy dies (FX and equivalents) Although you can weld H13 dies you need to be more strict on the welding procedure as you may see more cracking than you would on the lower alloys during the welding process. Benefits: • Shorter lead times as you are not waiting for materials, most weld materials are in stock. • More controlled hardness. By using multiple materials, you can use softer material where it tends to crack and harder material on the flash land area where you would see more wear.

Considerations: • Layer welding is typically done using robotic welding but can be done manually. • Spot welding is fixing the cracked or worn areas only. • Flood welding is scarfing out the entire cavity and filling it completely with weld. • It is important to choose the correct weld materials . It is important to use proper welding procedures to avoid making the situation worse.

Final Thought: It’s All About the Strategy There’s no universal “right” answer in die wear management only the best decision for your volume, geometry, and failure mode. The smartest companies we work with know tooling is not just an expense, it's a performance lever. By understanding the type of wear you're facing and applying the right mix of inserts, venting, stress relief, and refurbishment techniques you can gain control over die life, part quality, and production efficiency. Want help figuring out the best strategy for your forge tooling? We’re here for that. Dave Mills Senior Account Manager Gemini Precision Machining Email: dmills@geminigroup.net Phone: 248-804-4929

Dan Ullrich Senior Tooling Engineer Gemini Precision Machining Email: dullrich@geminigroup.net

Dave Mills

• Lower machining hours because you’re only machining the cavity.

FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2025 17