New Coating Technology Extends Rolling Tool Lifespan

The seamless tube hot rolling industry has achieved a key technological breakthrough in wear-resistant tooling manufacturing. The newly developed laser cladding high-entropy alloy composite coating technology has been successfully applied to guide shoe plugs, piercing plugs, mandrel bars and plug rods, drastically lifting the high-temperature abrasion resistance of core rolling consumables.

Traditional rolling tools suffer severe oxidation, thermal cracking and steel sticking under 1000℃+ continuous hot rolling conditions. Guide shoes and piercing plugs need frequent replacement, which cuts production efficiency and raises overall operating costs for pipe manufacturers.

Our R&D team optimized laser cladding parameters and adopted FeCoNiCr high-entropy alloy powder with tungsten carbide hard particles to form a dense gradient protective layer on tool surfaces. The coating boasts strong bonding force with the base metal, effectively blocking thermal fatigue cracks and isolating direct friction between tube blanks and tool surfaces.

Core Technical Advantages

1. 3-5 Times Longer Service LifeCompared with ordinary casting tooling, laser-clad guide shoe plugs and piercing plugs withstand far more piercing cycles. Tool replacement downtime is reduced by over 60%, directly boosting mill output.

2. Excellent Anti-sticking & Anti-oxidation PerformanceThe composite coating forms a uniform self-lubricating oxide film at high temperatures, eliminating surface sticking steel defects and improving the surface finish of finished seamless pipes.

3. Lower Comprehensive Production CostLonger tool service cycles slash spare parts procurement frequency. The technology also supports repair & remanufacturing of used mandrel bars and guide shoes, cutting material waste and carbon emissions.

4. Wide Compatibility with Full Rolling Line PartsThis coating process fits our full product portfolio: all series guide shoe plugs, plug rods, mandrel bars, as well as roller assemblies. Matching hot centering machine parts can also adopt this surface strengthening craft.

Industrial Application Feedback

Multiple OCTG and boiler tube manufacturers in Central Asia and domestic special steel plants have completed trial production with the upgraded laser-clad rolling tooling. Test data shows tube wall thickness tolerance is stabilized within ±0.08mm, and finished tube reject rate drops by 42%.

Industry analysts comment that surface strengthening alloy coating technology will become the standard upgrade solution for new and revamped seamless tube rolling lines. Moving forward, our technical team will further upgrade coating formulas and launch customized laser cladding solutions for high-alloy, high-pressure pipe production lines.