Repair & Remanufacturing | Reliability Enhancement & Hardening | Fleet Availability

Mobility & Infrastructure

Gicam technology can use DED laser cladding to repair fleet components exposed to abrasive wear and impact, such as railroad wheels and axles, turnouts, bucket teeth, plow blades, and tracks. It targets only the worn area, without replacing the entire component, to minimize downtime for machinery and rolling stock.
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Reliability Improvement & Hardening

Forestry knives and cutting heads

Complex tools specific to each manufacturer: Resharpening the cutting edge extends their service life, which is crucial during harvest season.
These cutting tools are subjected to repeated wear and impact when in contact with wood, bark, and sometimes foreign objects (dirt, pebbles), placing heavy stress on the cutting edge while requiring good impact resistance in the tool body. DED allows the cutting edge to be locally re-coated with a hard alloy resistant to abrasion and contact fatigue, without weakening the entire part through a full heat treatment.

This hybrid approach extends the service life of costly and complex tools with specific geometries, which are often unique to each manufacturer. It also aligns with the maintenance needs of forestry workshops, where the speed at which a tool can be returned to service is a critical operational consideration during the harvesting season.
Single-edge re-tipped → No overall heat treatment; the tool body remains impact-resistant.
Rapid return to service → A major operational challenge during harvest season.
Forestry knives and cutting heads
Photo: Markus Hagenlocher - Wikimedia Commons — License — modified image

Key Takeaways…
Gicam technology can use DED Laser to deposit a hard alloy—resistant to abrasion and contact fatigue—onto the cutting edges of forestry knives and cutting heads, without weakening the entire part through a full heat treatment. This approach extends the service life of expensive tools with specific geometries.

FAQ

Does recharging weaken the rest of the tool?

No, DED only processes the ridge area, without applying overall heat treatment to the part.

Is this repair suitable for manufacturer-specific tools?