Fabrication as a Source for Replacement Parts

With recent breakdowns in supply chains, the job of finding replacement parts for equipment has become challenging. No longer stocked “on the shelf” and shipped in days, parts can be more expensive and can take weeks or months to arrive. Consider working with a fabricator who has the material knowledge and in-house design expertise to design and produce your ideal replacement parts, resulting in meaningful value for your operations.

Repair vs. Replace

When looking to replace worn or even broken parts, repair might be an option if only a fraction of the part shows damage or wear. Collaboration between a fabricator (knowledge of materials and cost) and the operator (knowledge of a part and its function) are necessary for an informed analysis. For example, our fabrication department worked with a chemical manufacturer to evaluate cooling coils that had wear in certain areas. Instead of replacing the coils, we developed a repair plan to extend the operating life of the coils.

Reverse Engineering

If lead times for replacement parts or equipment are longer than you can wait, reverse engineering may be a good option. Reverse engineering is not about taking dimensions and making a copy. The true goal is to make a suitable replacement that will work. A fabricator must have knowledge of materials and machinery design. One of our customers needed replacement equipment for an upcoming outage. Instead of waiting months on their usual overseas supplier, we were able to reverse engineer and fabricate replacements to meet their outage schedule.

Material Selection

New materials are always being introduced that might make a part better, last longer, or less expensive. A fabricator can help pick the right material for a specific application. One of our customer’s critical parts needed frequent maintenance from exposure to a corrosive chemical in their process. Replacements from an overseas provider were cheap but unreliable. We were able to identify a new material that was a better fit for their process and added an advanced coating for extra protection.

Turnkey Solutions

When the engineering, fabrication, and installation teams are all within one entity, fabrication projects benefit from shorter lead times, better schedule control, earlier resolution of problems during group design reviews, and a faster closeout process. For emergency repairs, the elimination of handoffs between entities also helps reduce the potential for problems.

Upgrades

Review opportunities for design improvements when replacing equipment. We helped improve the design of a conveyor by upgrading chains and adding removable liners, allowing our customer to save the conveyor shell, gears, and drive.