Repairs on Difficult Materials
Not every weld is structural steel. Cast iron, alloy castings, hardfaced wear parts and heavily worn components each need different preparation, and getting that wrong usually shows up as a crack beside the weld rather than in it. At Radial Engineering, we handle specialised welding in Hobart, including build-up of worn surfaces, hardfacing, cast repairs and rebuilding of components that are expensive or slow to replace. Preheat, filler selection and cooling rate do most of the work on repairs like these. Where a repair needs machining back to size afterwards, horizontal boring or turning finishes the job in the same workshop. Call 0408 008 610 to talk through the component and what it's made of.
Welding Work We Take On
Most of what comes in is repair work rather than new fabrication.
Build-up of worn surfaces. We rebuild worn shafts, bores, keyways and seats with weld, then machine them back to size. On large components that usually costs less than replacing the parent part.
Hardfacing. Buckets, wear plates, augers and ground-engaging components take a harder overlay to slow down abrasion, and the overlay has to match the type of wear it's facing.
Cast and dissimilar metal repairs. Cast iron and alloy castings crack easily under uneven heat, so these repairs need controlled preheat and slow cooling rather than a quick run of weld.
Structural and general fabrication welding. We weld frames, brackets, guards and structural assemblies as part of wider fabrication work in the same workshop.
FAQs
01Why does cast iron crack when it's welded?
Cast iron has very little ductility, so the stress created as a weld cools has nowhere to go and the parent material cracks beside the weld. Controlled preheating, low heat input and slow cooling keep that stress within what the casting can take.
02What is hardfacing, and when is it worth doing?
Hardfacing is a wear-resistant overlay welded onto a surface exposed to abrasion, such as a bucket lip or an auger flight. It's worth doing when the component is otherwise sound and the wear is predictable, because rebuilding the surface costs less than replacing the part repeatedly.
03Can a worn shaft be built up with weld and reused?
In many cases yes, provided the shaft isn't cracked and the material responds well to welding. The built-up surface then needs machining back to the finished diameter, so the repair is really a welding and machining job rather than welding alone.
Send Us the Details
Send through the component details, along with photos and dimensions if you have them, and we'll tell you whether it's work we can take on.