As the Forgeweld welding consumables have been designed to complement existing forge die materials, the same principles of selection that are applied to die materials can be applied to welding consumables.

The primary considerations for die blocks in service revolve around achieving the optimum balance between high temperature hardness, and toughness. The variables to be considered include:

Forging process:
Whether the forging dies are to be used on a drop hammer forge or on a press forge will have a significant influence on the selection of the hardness range required, and therefore on the materials that can be used.

Dies can be operated at a higher hardness in a press forge since they are subject to less impact. However, dies in a press usually run hotter, necessitating the use of a steel of slightly higher alloy content.

Base Materials:
As with all welding processes the base material composition is of considerable importance. A high proportion of steels used in forging are weldable, therefore information about base material composition is often more valuable as an insight into the process and potential problems, than purely as a question of weldability.

Die Size:
The dimensions of the die are significant because a number of welding consumables have hardness values that make general milling very difficult, if not impossible. In these cases spark erosion is often the only machining process capable of sinking the required pattern, and there may not be facilities available to work on larger dies.

Pattern dimensions and aspect ratio:
Knowing the pattern’s shape and aspect ratio can often highlight areas in which higher loadings and possible failures may occur, alloying appropriate materials selection decisions to be taken early.

In addition, advice can be offered on the economy of proposed repairs.