In the marine industry bigger components can be especially costly to replace. When a ship is in port, multiple repairs may be needed. Remanufacturing is an alternative option to replacing or re-engineering equipment and is worth considering.

Sitting at the heart of the remanufacturing decision is the used part that is at the end of its service life. Remanufacturing of a component should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Different processes, like selective plating, might be used in the remanufacturing process than were used in manufacturing the original equipment or part. Due to the high cost of marine equipment combined with the lead time required to purchase new equipment, remanufacturing with selective plating should always remain an option.

Using the SIFCO Process of selective plating technicians can expect:

  • Das Festfressen Zu Verhindern
  • Surface Hardness
  • Wear Resistance
  • Corrosion Resistance

And typical marine applications include:

  • PUMPS:
    Bearing housings, Impeller bores, Shaft bearing journals, Seal areas
  • VALVES:
    Gates, Discs, Valve stems, Seal rings
  • PROPULSION
    COMPONENTS: Propeller (line) shaft
    journal, Seal areas, Line shaft bearings, Bearing saddles
  • ELECTRICAL
    COMPONENTS: Motor generator bearing
    housings, Rotor journals, Commutators, Bus bars
  • POWER
    GENERATION:  Steam turbine bearing journals, Flange faces,
    Diesel engine cylinder liners, Connecting rod bores, Crankshaft journals, SSTG
    horizontal steam joints
  • STRUCTURAL
    COMPONENTS: Watertight door knife
    edge sealing areas, Hatch covers, Hull inserts, Access doors
  • HYDRAULICS:
    Steering gear cylinders, Steering gear rods

Depending on the application, selective plating can be mechanized or fully-automated. Mechanizing the process minimizes the direct contact the operator has with the tooling and chemicals by using a computer program to control the rectifier performing all of the pre-treatment and plating steps, providing consistent control of the process. While fully-automating the process removes the operator – and the variability- from the entire operation.

The main benefit of customized, fully-automated systems is that they require minimal need for operator intervention. Various pumps, flow systems, and cleaning agents, work together to change, catch, and circulate solution; while a robotic arm holds, oscillates, and changes the anodes needed throughout an entire plating operation.

By automating the selective plating process using a programmable logic controller, operators can review data captured through the human-machine interface to determine if the operation was completed correctly. If any errors do occur, or quality standards are not met, operators can review the data and trace the error to its source and assign the appropriate corrective action, preventing the errors from being repeated – effectively improving traceability and repeatability within the process. Additionally, automation reduces the ergonomic risk to the operator, and also increases the available capacity by allowing skilled operators to focus on the core business processes.

For more information on all of our in-port repair options, contact us today at 800-765-4131 or email us as info@sifcoasc.com.