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Mechanical Technology — August 2015
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Proactive maintenance, lubrication and contamination management
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M
etric Automotive Engineering is positioning itself
as a “world class remanufacturing centre” says
Andrew Yorke, operations director, at Metric Au-
tomotive Engineering.
“Some companies believe that diesel engine component
repair or remanufacture can only be done properly in Europe or
America. This is not true. We have facilities and competencies
that are comparable to anywhere in the world. In addition, it is
far more cost effective to carry out such repairs or remanufacture
locally due to the exchange rate,” he explains.
The company is South Africa’s most comprehensively
equipped diesel engine component remanufacturer. Established
as a family business in 1969, Metric Automotive Engineering
has an operating philosophy of investing in the latest technol-
ogy and quality equipment. Yorke says that it is critical to stay
abreast of changes in industry – such as the move towards
much larger heavy diesel engines.
“Larger engines mean larger components and two of our most
recent investments in new equipment are the largest crankshaft
grinding machine in Africa and a state-of-the-art new generation
three axis CNC machine,” Yorke says.
The crankshaft grinding machine is capable of grinding shafts
of up to 4.7 m long and with weights of up to 5.0 t. It will allow
the grinding of crankshafts from industrial compressors right
through to the V16 locomotive diesel engine. Improved grinding
Metric Automotive Engineering invested in a new state-of-the-art CNC machining centre.
The largest crankshaft grinding machine in Africa is hard at work at
Metric Automotive Engineering.
Andrew Yorke, operations director, at Metric Automotive
Engineering, talks about this companies ability to cost
effectively remanufacture diesel engines to world class
standards.
Investment in latest diagnostic equipment
The CNC machining centres is the
only machine of its kind in Africa. This
machine is capable of line boring,
surfacing and blue-printing blocks up
to 6.0 m in length, and has boosted
Metric Automotive Engineering capacity
to handle the huge engine blocks that are
found in the railways, marine and heavy
equipment sectors.
Metric Automotive Engineering has
an established reputation for the quality
remanufacture of diesel engine compo-
nents and offers services which include
cylinder head remanufacture, cylinder
block line boring, milling, honing and
boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft
grinding, engine assembly and dyna-
mometer testing.
On the fuel injection side, Yorke says
that the technological focus is on fuel
economy and emissions levels. “There
have been huge advancements with
this technology and it is important that
companies offering services in this field
stay up to date with the latest interna-
tional trends.
South Africa has a distinct advantage
tolerances will be achieved as the machine is paired with set of
compensators, which will help to eliminate ‘ovality’ and taper.