Refurbishment of Damaged Tools Using the Combination of Gtaw and Laser Beam Welding

J. Tušek, A. Skumavc, D. Klobčar, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia K. Pompe, TKC-Technology Consulting Center, Ljubljana, Slovenia This paper presents the use of two welding processes for the refurbishment of damaged industrial tools. In the first part the problem is presented followed by the comparison of GTAW and laser welding in terms of repair welding of damaged tools. The macrosections of the welds show the difference between both welding processes in repairing of damaged tools. At the conclusion the main findings are presented. In many cases it is useful to use both welding processes in order to achieve better weld quality and to make welding more economical. The order of the technology used depends on the tool material, the use of the tool and the tool damage.