Swedish laser surface treatment specialist Duroc Laser Coating makes metal components designed to withstand extreme surface and functional demands, caused by friction, corrosion and wear. Since 2018, Duroc has been using Linde´s LINDOFLAMM® solution for preheating prior to welding, with excellent results.
Duroc Laser Coating is Sweden’s leading industrial laser surface treatment company. It manufactures and renovates industrial components such as rollers, valves, tools, shafts, sleeves and drive wheels, using laser surface treatment technology to maximise product performance in extreme conditions.
“Our customers – many of whom are in the power, mining, steel, paper/pulp, offshore, aerospace and engineering industries – are extremely demanding. The products we deliver have to meet the highest standards of quality, reliability and durability,” says Sören Isaksson, Duroc’s Technical Manager.
New pre-heating process
In late 2018, Duroc left its previous premises and moved to a new facility in Luleå, northern Sweden. This change gave the team the opportunity to review some of its ways of working. One example was the process for pre-heating metal.
Laser surface treatment is typically “hard-facing”, often requiring a hard layer to be welded onto a component. Prior to welding, some components must be pre-heated to 200°C or more to prevent hydrogen cracks from appearing on the welded layer.
“In our old premises, we’d had both an oxygen pipeline and a propane pipeline, so we pre-heated the metal using handheld propane burners,” explains Isaksson. “But, for our new facility, we wanted a more efficient solution.”
No need for oxygen
“We’d seen a demonstration of Linde’s LINDOFLAMM flame-heating solution and it worked well, so we felt confident about making the switch,” he says, adding that what really caught his attention was the opportunity to set up an effective pre-heating process without needing to install an oxygen pipeline.
The team at Duroc worked closely with Linde’s WELDONOVA welding experts to install and implement the LINDOFLAMM technology, along with an acetylene pipeline, at the new facility.
“It was the right solution, in the right place, at the right time,” admits Barry Rautio, an application sales engineer with Weldonova. “Duroc’s move enabled us to present a product that would offer significant benefits in terms of productivity, quality and time – as well as cost.”
Improved productivity and working environment
Duroc has been using LINDOFLAMM for just over a year, with excellent results.
“Apart from avoiding the initial cost of installing an oxygen pipeline, the high efficiency of the LINDOFLAMM burner means we consume less gas and spend less time pre-heating,” says Isaksson. “The time saving has improved our productivity, since we can process more components per shift.”
Another major advantage of switching to LINDOFLAMM is that the flame only heats the material and not the surrounding atmosphere.
“Our operators say it’s far less noisy than a propane burner and also doesn’t heat up the room, since the flame is concentrated on the target material,” continues Isaksson.
“It’s great for the working environment and makes us more efficient, so it goes without saying we’re very satisfied with LINDOFLAMM,” he concludes.
Do you want to know more?
Contact our application engineer Bogoljub Hrnjez for more information. Phone: +46 (0)73-867 62 19, e-mail: bogoljub.hrnjez@linde.com