Longer Service Life of Gears in Steel Conversion Equipment
CHALLENGE
A large steel conversion plant in Mexico was suffering from short life of transmission gears. Transmissions of nail roller #9 had to be replaced every 4 months with cost in excess of $5,000 per gear set. The plant personnel welcomed the idea of coating several gear transmissions to increase their productivity.
The plant management decided to coat several machines with Rewitec Surface Treatment applying the coating to the gear oil. Nail roller #9 was monitored weekly to evaluate changes in the temperature and amperage draws.
OUTCOME
The reduction of friction was so vital that in few weeks the amperage dropped to unexpected levels. Amperage readings had high variations due to the specific job of the machine, but were measured around 15% lower on average for the same job: from 14.5 down to 11 Amp. Temperature readings were less. On average over 10°C lower than before Rewitec: from 85°C to 75°C, or 12 %.
RESULTS
After 4 months of operation, the transmission of Roller #9 was running better than new. It felt smoother, with lower temperatures and loads. All other equipment coated with Rewitec showed similar results in terms of temperature.
Under the assumption of reaching 4 years lifetime, the savings would be in excess of $15,000 per year with a fraction of this invested in Rewitec Nanocoating.
REFERENCE
DeAcero Monterrey