Wear and Hardfacing

Wear and Hardfacing

Wear is one of the most encountered industrial problems leading to replacement of a wide variety of expensive machine components, the other two being fatigue and corrosion.?It arises whenever there is load and motion between two surfaces.?

The Costs of Wear

Regardless of the amount of material lost, the system is usually temporarily or permanently shut down.?Lost through wear, the missing metal means extra expense - the value of production lost to downtime, the production lost to inefficient operation, and the value of increased energy to run worn machinery.?These extra costs, plus the cost of repairing the equipment, usually add up to a sizeable annual bill.?

Wear is an important engineering consideration, as it is often the factor governing the life expectancy and performance of machine components and equipment.?It is not surprising then that the prevention of wear has become a major topic of importance.?Hardfacing offers a means of reducing equipment and operating costs by making parts last longer and work more efficiently.

Not only will OEM’s benefit by hardfacing their equipment, but end users will also.?OEM’s can demand more money for a higher quality and longer lasting part.?End users will benefit from reduced downtime and the need to purchase as many replacement parts.

Reasons for Hardfacing

Armed with knowledge of hardfacing processes, types of consumables, causes of wear and properties of wear-resistant alloys helps one determine the best course of action required for a new or worn part.?A planned program of hardfacing maintenance returns to the plant operation considerably more than it costs in equipment, staff, etc.?Substantial savings can be realized because parts no longer have to be scrapped, spare part inventories can be reduced, and repaired parts can outwear original equipment.

Companies use hard surfacing products to:

1.??????Reduce costs - Hard surfacing a worn metal part to put it in a like new condition is usually 25-75% of the cost of a replacement part.

2.??????Prolong equipment life - Surfacing extends life 100% - 800%, depending on application,?as compared to that of a non-surfaced part.

3.??????Reduce downtime - Because parts last longer, fewer shutdowns are required to replace them.?Equipment operates more efficiently.

4.??????Reduce inventory of spare parts - There is no need to keep numerous spare parts when worn parts can be rebuilt.

In summary, when armed with the correct hardfacing alloy, dollars can be saved in labor, downtime, and replacement parts.?Please feel free to contact Postle Industries to have one of our Hardfacing Specialist help you evaluate your application and learn how you can save