Capital Equipment News June 2015

RAIL

METRIC EXPANDS ITS ENGINE COMPONENT remanufacturing facility for diesel locomotives

I n a strategic move to increase its diesel locomotive engine component remanufac- turing offering to the railways sector, Metric Automotive Engineering has made a substan- tial investment in gearing up its facilities with new technology. This provides the company with the ability to remanufacture and repair crankshafts, cam shafts, connecting rods, cylinder heads and cylinder blocks as well as ancillary bushings and housings. Metric Automotive Engineering has always remained abreast of new technology and has an operating philosophy of upgrading its equipment suite to ensure that latest technol- ogy is implemented. “This ensures that we are able to meet or exceed OEM specification on remanufacturing dimensions. This is im- portant as it influences the overall quality of the work undertaken and can affect the oper- ational life of the component and the engine itself,” says Andrew Yorke, operations director at Metric Automotive Engineering. The acquisition of one of the largest crank- shaft grinders put into service in Africa allows the company to service the growing trend towards larger diesel engines. Capable of grinding shafts of up to 4.7 m long and with weights of up to 5 tons, this crankshaft grind- er enables grinding of crankshafts from in- dustrial compressors right through to the V16 locomotive diesel engine. Significantly, the machine is paired with a set of compensa- tors which dramatically improves the grinding tolerances achieved by helping to eliminate ovality and taper.

would otherwise be rendered unserviceable.

“There has not been a new machine of com- parable size brought into the country for over 35 years. In addition to the crankshaft grinder which is now in service, a unique custom built crankshaft polisher, with a shaft capacity of 8 m, will be commissioned during the third quarter of 2015. This custom built machine will allow us to offer a quicker turnaround time on crankshaft polishing as well as an improvement on journal surface finishes,” says Yorke. The company also recently commissioned a new generation three axis CNC machining centre. This is the only machine of its kind in Africa and is capable of line boring, surfacing and blue-printing blocks up to 6 m in length. Offering one of the most comprehensive re- manufacturing capabilities in Africa, the com- pany is currently mid-way with the expansion of its facility. This will allow it to accommo- date the increased demand for its services. “We are able to refurbish large diesel engine components and offer services such as cyl- inder head remanufacture, cylinder block line boring, milling, honing and boring, cam- shaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing,” Yorke points out. In addition to standard remanufacturing pro- cesses, which are undertaken by a core of experienced skilled personnel using the latest technology to produce a high quality reman- ufactured end product, the company also has the ability to salvage major components that

Metric Automotive engineering’s in-house ISO 9000:2000 accredited repair and re- manufacturing processes have been tried and tested over the past 40 years and on- going technician training allows the company to stay abreast of the latest developments in the sector. “We believe that our service levels are directly influenced by the capabilities and technical expertise of our team and as such we subject our employees to the latest trends in the market to provide our customers with best practice in terms of remanufacturing,” says Yorke. All repairs and remanufacturing are comple- mented by an extensive testing programme that includes non-destructive crack testing, crankshaft inspection, pressure testing of cylinder heads and dyna testing of all engines rebuilt by Metric Automotive Engineering. “Metric Automotive Engineering might be a family owned and run company, but it has invested the resources and commitment of three generations over a period to be- come South Africa’s most comprehensively equipped diesel engine and component re- manufacturer. Leveraging our experience in similar markets has allowed us to gear up and provide an uncompromisingly high qual- ity remanufacturing service to the diesel rail- way locomotive sector,” Yorke concludes. b

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JUNE 2015