Applying Carbide To Extend Machine Life and Improve Gripping

The New Rocklinizer® Model 950

For a large portion of the company’s 84-year history, Rocklin Manufacturing Co. (Sioux City, IA) has manufactured and sold the Rocklinizer® Carbide Application Equipment. Through a proprietary electronic spark deposition process, the Rocklinizer deposits Titanium Carbide (80 Rockwell C), Tungsten Carbide (70 Rockwell C), and Rockhard electrode (60 Rockwell C) onto and underneath the surfaces of metals, tools and dies. This process alleviates metal-on-metal wear, enhances gripping, maintains dimensions, and ultimately extends the useful life of machinery to delay or even avoid new equipment purchases.

The newest Rocklinizer® Model 950 deposits as little as .0001” to .010” and higher onto the base material, all controllable within .0001” by digital machine setting for a precise application. The higher settings combined with the Rockhard electrode produce a rough surface well suited for gripping applications, specifically tube bending dies, collets, clamps, feed fingers, and even forklifts and non-slip flooring. Medium deposits are best for restoring tolerances on bearings and shafts and for die casters seeking to prevent heat checking, soldering, and seizing of cores. The lower deposits are ideal for preventing slug pull in punching and stamping operations and extending the life of cutting edges and tooling.

As the electrode is deposited over the same area via the rotary applicator, the Rocklinizer® is merely filling in gaps but not adding more materials to existing deposits. Only by changing the machine setting or the electrode type is additional wear-resistant material added. This feature results in a truly uniform coating.

Unlike welding, no appreciable heat is generated, and the electrode material will not separate or flake off of the workpiece. Once the process is completed, no heat treating, grinding, or other surface treatment is necessary.

The new Model 950 offers a much faster application speed than previous Rocklinizer® models, a feature that is ideal for coating larger parts and dies. A 5 square inch coating takes less than 1 minute via high speed settings, while the process can be slowed for more delicate operations. A continuous duty air pump is embedded inside the unit to deliver cooling at higher settings and ensure full portability of the 16 kg unit.

The end results of the Rocklinizing® process are reliable, precise carbide coatings that prolong machine life and boost productivity while reducing wear, downtime, inventory, and costs. With the new Model 950, customers can now realize these results faster with a wider range of deposit capabilities.