COLOR MATCHING
COLOR MATCHING BY SKILLED WELDING TECHNICIANS
Meeting Your Business' Color Matching Needs
Welding Class A mold finishes is just part of the daily routine for the highly trained Class A mold welding technicians at MPD Welding Grand Rapids Inc. From large auto body plastic molds to diamond polished crisper pan molds for the refrigerator industry, MPD Welding guarantees color matching on all AISI P-20 molds.
What Is Color Matching?
Back in 1975, color matching was done by eye with welding equipment/torches as that was the tech at the time. Welders quickly realized that type of welding service was a very difficult task to execute in that fashion. Applying MIG and TIG welding techniques and using a controlled atmosphere furnace quickly became necessary and the norm.
Color matching is a heat-treating procedure. This heat treatment procedure involves three separate regions in a cavity of welded mold steel. The parent metal, the HAZ (heat affected zone), and the weld deposit of welded AISI P-20 mold steel. Color matching is when these regions are processed in order to achieve perfectly uniform texturing and/or diamond polish.
How Does Color Matching Work?
Color Matching can be used to get rid of weld marks or weld lines from showing up on finished parts created in a mold. The process of color matching provides a uniform surface texture or grain pattern so that the part looks cohesive.
In order to consistently accomplish a perfect color match, three fundamental components must be in place. Carefully calibrated steel treating furnaces, preferably nitro vacuum; highly skilled technicians; and properly selected tool steel filler metals.
Hardness variations and grain growth are created by the arc welding stream ranging from 5,000° to 10,000°. Combined with rapid quench, these must be precisely re-tempered and quenched in order to restore the welded cavity surface. This is done to restore the welded cavity surface to post welded consistency and must be done prior to etching or diamond polish.
Summary
Manufacturers of all kinds will always make a mold and die changes when possible as opposed to making a new mold or dies. Shortcuts don't work when you need to color match and restore a welded cavity surface to pre-weld consistency. The experienced welding specialists at MPD Welding Grand Rapids Inc can provide the services you need to get your parts back up and running like new.
Our Color Matching Welding Services Include:
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Guaranteed color matching on AISI P-20 molds
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Calibrating steel treating furnaces
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Highly skilled technicians
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Tool steel filler metals
