As an experienced manufacturer of crawler crane undercarriage parts, I would like to introduce the production process of crawler crane track shoes.

The production process of track plates usually includes the following steps:

1.Mould making: first the mould for the track plate needs to be designed and made to ensure that it is of the required size and shape.

2.Sand casting: Molten steel is injected into the mould and the cast track plates are obtained after the metal has cooled and solidified.

3.Riser milling: Remove risers formed during the casting process to give the track plate a flatter appearance.

4.Polishing: The surface of the cast track plate is polished to remove any burrs and unevenness that may exist.

5.Heat Treatment: The track plate is heated to a certain temperature and then cooled rapidly to increase its hardness and strength. Subsequent tempering is carried out to reduce internal stresses and increase toughness.

6.Hardness test: The heat-treated track plates are tested for hardness to ensure that they meet the design requirements.

7.Mechanical property test: The track plate is comprehensively tested for mechanical properties through tensile testing, impact testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle flaw detection and other methods.

8.Surface secondary quenching: in order to further improve the hardness and wear resistance of the track plate, the surface secondary quenching treatment can be carried out.

9.Painting: finally, the track plate is sprayed with paint to enhance its corrosion resistance and aesthetics.

1.Mould making

Mould making is an important part of the track plate production process, which directly affects the dimensional accuracy and shape integrity of the final product. It is crucial to have professional design engineers in this process.

Firstly, evergrowing's design engineers will formulate mould design plans based on the requirements and specifications provided by the customer and use computer-aided design (CAD) software to carry out 3D modelling of the mould. These design plans will take into account factors such as the shape, size and hole layout of the track plate.

Next, evergrowing's design engineers make the selection of mould materials. Moulds are usually made of materials with high strength and good wear resistance, such as high-quality alloy steel or special steel.

During the mould making process, evergrowing's design engineers will work closely with skilled workers to process and manufacture the mould according to the 3D modelling drawings of the mould. The usual steps include:

- Material Preparation: According to the design requirements, suitable mould materials are selected and pre-treatment processes such as cutting, forging or milling are carried out.

- Machining: Using CNC machine tools or other machining equipment, the mould is accurately machined according to the requirements of the design drawings, including milling, drilling and cutting.

- Heat treatment: The material of the mould may require heat treatment to improve its hardness and strength. Common heat treatment processes include quenching and tempering.

- Assembly and debugging: after finishing the processing of the mould, the skilled workers will assemble and debug the mould to ensure the smooth and stable operation of the mould.

-Inspection and quality control: The finished moulds will undergo strict inspection and quality control to ensure the accuracy of its size and shape.

2.Sand casting

Pouring production is an important part of the casting process, which mainly involves the melting and injection of metal into the sand mould. The following is a detailed description of casting production.

Casting Preparation:

   - Preheat the furnace to the proper melting point to ensure that the metal can be completely melted.

   - Prepare other necessary equipment and materials such as casting tools, pouring materials, etc.

Casting operation:

   - The metal from the preheated furnace is poured into the sprue and guided into the cavity of the sand mould by means of a pouring system. The pouring system usually consists of nozzles, guide pipes and cooling system.

   - When injecting the metal, the pouring speed and pressure need to be controlled to ensure that the metal can fully fill the cavities in the sand mould and avoid porosity and defects.

Monitoring and control:

   - During the casting process, real-time monitoring and control is required to ensure that parameters such as metal temperature, fluidity, and filling are met. Equipment such as thermometers, flow meters and manometers can be used for monitoring, while adjustments and controls are made according to the monitoring results.

   - Real-time monitoring and control of the pouring process is achieved with automated systems and sensors to improve productivity and product quality.

Cooling and curing:

   - After the metal has filled the sand mould, you need to wait for the metal to cool and solidify so that the casting is fully cured. The cooling and solidification time can be adjusted according to specific casting requirements.

Castings Removal:

   - When the casting is fully cured, it needs to be carefully removed from the sand mould. You can use mechanical or hand tools for mould removal and carefully remove the casting.

3.Riser milling

Riser milling pins in the production of track plates refers to the removal of risers and spade ports from a track plate to obtain the final product. A riser is a channel formed during the casting process for the injection of molten metal, while a spade is used for the inlet and outlet of metallic liquids. Risers and spades exist to ensure that the metal liquid flows evenly during the casting process and to avoid porosity and defects.

The production process of riser milling pins generally includes the following steps:

Design of risers and spades:

   - During the design stage of the track plate, it is necessary to design risers and spades that are appropriate to the shape and structure of the product. This involves determining the location, size and shape of the riser and the location and form of the spade.

Prepare the milling machine and tools:

   - Based on the size and shape of the risers and spades, select the appropriate milling tool and milling machine for the riser milling and pinning operation. Ensure the sharpness and accuracy of the tools to obtain high quality results.

Perform riser milling and pinning:

   - Place the track plate on the milling machine and use the milling cutter to remove the risers and spades gradually according to the design requirements. This process requires precise control of the milling cutter trajectory and depth to ensure that the riser and spade are completely removed and no other damage is caused to the track plate.

Inspection and trimming:

   - After the riser milling pin has been completed, the track plate needs to be inspected to ensure that the riser and spade have been completely removed and that there is no residue. If there are any defects or non-conformities, they need to be trimmed or repaired.

4.Polishing

The polishing process in track plate production is to improve the smoothness and surface quality of the track plate to increase its service life and reduce friction loss. Below is a detailed description of polishing in track plate production:

Preparation:

   - Prior to polishing, the track plate first needs to be machined and trimmed to ensure that it is of the required size and shape. This may involve cutting, milling, stamping and other processes.

   - Prepare the equipment and materials required for polishing, such as polishing machine, abrasive grinding wheel, abrasive solution, polishing agent, etc.

Polishing operation:

   - Place the track plate on the working table of the polishing machine, adjust the position and tilting angle of the working table, so as to facilitate the polishing liquid and abrasive grinding wheel to fully contact and polish the surface of the track plate.

   - Switch on the polishing machine and adjust the rotating speed of the polishing machine, the flow rate of the polishing liquid and the selection of the grinding wheel according to the size and shape of the track plate to obtain the required polishing effect.

   - Spray the polishing liquid onto the surface of the track plate and keep the abrasive grinding wheel and the surface of the track plate under proper pressure and movement mode, such as rotating, vibrating and so on. This removes unevenness and oxidation from the surface of the track plate and improves the surface finish and smoothness.

   - Depending on the need, it may be necessary to carry out multiple polishing processes with different grinding wheels and polishing fluids to progressively improve the surface quality of the track plate.

Monitoring and control:

   - During the polishing process, real-time monitoring and control is required to ensure that the polishing results meet the requirements. Equipment such as spectrometers, microscopes and surface roughness measuring instruments can be used for monitoring, while adjusting and controlling according to the monitoring results.

   - It should be noted that the monitoring and control during the polishing process should take into account factors such as surface smoothness, dimensional accuracy and shape accuracy in order to obtain the best polishing results.

Cleaning and protection:

   - After completing the polishing, the track plate needs to be cleaned to remove impurities such as polishing solution and abrasive wheel residue. It can be cleaned with water and cleaning agent and dried with drying equipment or natural air drying.

   - In order to protect the surface of the polished track plate, it can be treated with anti-rust treatment or plating, etc., to increase its wear resistance and corrosion resistance.

5.Heat Treatment：

When heat treatment of track plates is carried out, the following steps are usually experienced:

- Pre-treatment for heat treatment: before heat treatment is carried out, it is usually necessary to pre-treat the track plate, such as removing oxides, grease and other impurities from the surface. This can be done by pickling, sandblasting, mechanical cleaning, etc.

- Heating (heat treatment): The track plate is placed in a furnace for heating. The heating temperature and time are determined according to the nature and requirements of the material. Usually, the track plate needs to be heated to the appropriate temperature to change its crystal structure and increase its hardness.

- Hardening: Once the tracked plate has reached the required heating temperature, it needs to be cooled quickly to rapidly solidify the structure of the material. Quenching is usually achieved by immersing the track plate in a cooling medium such as water or oil. Rapid cooling allows the material to form martensite, which increases its hardness and wear resistance.

- Tempering: In order to reduce the brittleness and increase the toughness and strength of the track plate, the quenched track plate needs to be tempered. Tempering is the process of heating the quenched track plate to a suitable temperature and then holding it for a period of time before cooling.

- Surface treatment: Heat-treated track plates may produce some surface oxides and residual stresses. In order to eliminate these problems and improve the surface quality, surface treatment processes such as shot blasting, grinding or polishing can be carried out.

6.Hardness test/ Mechanical property test:

When heat treating a track plate, a variety of tests are usually performed to ensure its quality and performance. The following are some of the common testing methods for track plates:

Hardness testing: Hardness is the ability of a material to resist localised deformation and scratching. Commonly used hardness testing methods are Rockwell hardness, Vickers hardness and Brinell hardness. The hardness value can be determined by applying a certain pressure on the surface of the track plate and measuring the size of the resulting impression.

Mechanical properties testing:

   - Tensile Test: Tensile test is used to measure the strength and ductility of the tracked plate under force. In tensile testing, the sample is stretched while its force and deformation are recorded. By analysing the stress-strain curve, parameters such as yield strength, tensile strength and elongation at break of the tracked plate can be determined.

   - Impact testing: Impact testing is used to evaluate the toughness and impact resistance of tracked plates under impact loading. Common impact test methods are impact specimen notched impact test (Charpy V-notch test) and notched impact test (Izod test). By measuring the fracture energy of a sample subjected to an impact load, the impact resistance of a track plate can be assessed.

   - Ultrasonic Inspection: Ultrasonic inspection is used to detect internal defects such as cracks and porosity in tracked plates. By transmitting ultrasonic waves into the track plate, detecting and analysing the echo signal, the location, size and shape of the internal defects can be determined.

   - Magnetic particle inspection: Magnetic particle inspection is a commonly used non-destructive inspection method for detecting cracks and defects on and near the surface of the track plate. In magnetic particle inspection, by applying a magnetic field to the surface of the sample and then spreading magnetic powder on the surface, the aggregation of the magnetic powder at the defects can be observed, so as to determine the location and morphology of the defects.

In addition to the above inspection methods, metallographic analysis, chemical composition analysis and microstructure observation will be carried out to detect the quality and performance of track plates.

7.Surface secondary quenching

Secondary hardening of track plate surface is a common heat treatment method used to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance of track plates. The following is a detailed introduction to the secondary hardening of track plate surface:

Concept: secondary quenching is to reheat the surface after the initial quenching treatment of the crawler plate and cool it rapidly to improve the surface hardness and wear resistance.

Process:

   - Heating: after the track plate is initially quenched, the organisation of the surface usually changes, but the hardness may not be high enough. In order to improve the surface hardness, it is necessary to place the track plate in a heating furnace to reheat the surface.

   - Holding: After heating, the tracked plate needs to be held for a certain period of time to allow the heat to penetrate to the surface and achieve the re-alteration of the organisation.

   - Cooling: At the end of the holding time, cooling needs to be carried out quickly so that the surface of the tracked plate can be cooled quickly and martensitic organisation can be formed so as to increase the hardness.

Features and advantages:

   - Increased hardness: Secondary hardening can significantly increase the hardness of the track plate surface. The formation of martensite results in a surface that is more resistant to wear and abrasion.

   - Improved wear resistance: Due to the increased surface hardness, the wear resistance of the track plate is significantly improved. This enables the track plate to cope better with friction, wear and external impacts.

   - Organisational improvement: Secondary hardening improves the organisational structure of the track plate surface, eliminates residual stresses that may have arisen during the initial hardening process and improves the overall properties of the material.

8.Painting

Crawler plate painting is the process of applying a coating to the surface of a crawler plate, designed to provide protection, aesthetics, and labelling. Below is a detailed description of Track Plate Painting:

Concept: Crawler plate painting is the process of spraying a specific coating or lacquer onto the surface of a crawler plate in order to form a thin film that provides functions such as corrosion protection, rust prevention, decoration and marking.

Process:

   - Prepare the surface: Before painting, the surface of the track plate needs to be cleaned and treated to remove substances such as dirt, grease and rust. Usually use cleaners, rust removers and polishing to prepare the surface.

   - Spray Coating: Suitable paints or lacquers are selected and applied uniformly to the surface of the track plate using spraying equipment. The choice of spray coating depends on the desired function, e.g. corrosion, abrasion and heat resistance.

   - Drying and curing: After spraying, the coating needs to be dried and cured. This can be done by natural air drying or by using drying equipment. The drying time and curing process required depends on the type of coating used.

Features and benefits:

   - Corrosion and Rust Prevention: Sprayed coatings provide protection against corrosion and rust by blocking air and moisture from attacking the surface of the track plate.

   - Abrasion resistance: Some special coatings have excellent abrasion resistance, which extends the life of the track plate.

   - Aesthetics and labelling: Sprayed coatings can improve the appearance of track plates and increase the aesthetics of the product. At the same time, tracked plates can be marked and identified by applying specific colours, logos and markings.

9.Inventory display:

If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.

Mail: info@crawlercranesparts.com

Whatsapp: +86 17853553781

Follow us: Facebook, Twitter, Ins, Youtube.