TO REPAIR OR REPLACE, THAT IS THE MAINTENANCE QUESTION Plant managers are often faced with a difficult issue and have to weigh up repair costs, often uncertain, against more known replacement costs. They then have to factor in downtime both for replacement, lead time for supply and the cost of having a major plant out of action for weeks, and suddenly fixing it up is the only viable option. A true ‘no-brainer’. Metal spraying, the technology of spraying metal in wire or powder form onto a parent metal has been around for a long time. The Auckland Harbour bridge had 50 tonnes of zinc spray applied in 1954. What is not so well known are its engineering applications. Triple R Engineering is expert at metal spraying having been using this technology for 30 years both for corrosion and engineering. Mark Delport of Triple R says, “We often rebuild shafts and pump sleeves with metal and ceramic materials, but it really comes into its own for fixing up large equipment that can’t be moved easily. It’s essentially a cold process so it doesn’t distort the parent material. METAL SPRAY REPAIR SAVES $1000s DO YOU HAVE ANY MAINTENANCE OR MACHINERY PROBLEMS? We have been in this game a long time, and have worked in a huge range of industries and plants. There’s not much we haven’t seen before, and often find that a solution to a power plant problem can also be applied to a dairy factory. SAVE $1000s: Repair. Metal spraying. Consider the options before you flush cash on replacement 24 November 2016 “In Kawerau we assisted another engineering company by rebuilding the inner surface of a turbine housing that had worn past allowable tolerances. It was a big unit, (see image) which meant we could get an operator inside to use the metal spray equipment. After preparation it was built up with 0.4mm of Iconel 625 and then sealed. A very cost effective and timely solution compared with replacement.” Metal spraying is not the only option Triple R has up its sleeve. Recently Triple R was involved in a routine maintenance shutdown at a pulp and paper plant and the plan was to extract a piece of plant, repair it in a workshop, then reinstall. Mr Delport suggested an alternative repair method which was carried out successfully. Marc Roolvink of OJI says: “The new repair techniques saved us thousands in equipment removal and transportation as the repairs could be conducted in-situ”. For information on how metal spraying technology can help with your maintenance needs, contact Triple R Engineering on 06 354 7480 or visit www.triple-r.co.nz. P R E V E N T A T I V E M A I N T E N A N C E Operator inside turbine housing coats surface with 400 microns of Iconel 625 AVOIDS REPLACEMENT COSTS • We go the extra mile – whatever it takes to get the job done • No need to move your equipment, we come to you with portable equipment Give us a call and lets see how we can help. Phone: 06 354 7480 | Email: mark@triple-r.co.nz | Website: www.triple-r.co.nz EN119
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