Metal replacement with high-performance polymers keeps heavy machinery running

In the maintenance of heavy machinery, the failure of critical components such as valve blocks can lead to costly repairs and significant downtime. This case study explores how miniFactory's advanced manufacturing technology provided a cost-effective solution for a customer facing a malfunctioning valve block in a truck's hydraulic system.

The damaged valve block, which originally required replacement or costly fabrication, was repaired using high-performance polymer Kimya PEKK-A. The replacement part was optimized for 3D printing and then produced by miniFactory. 3D printed high-performance parts met all necessary specifications. This process not only reduced repair costs significantly but also minimized the downtime from weeks to days. This blog delves into the specifics of the material selection, design improvements, and the printing process that made this efficient repair possible.

The challenge

The customer does maintenance on heavy machinery and common component found in majority of the machines is a valve block. In this case they had a malfunctioning valve block from a tow truck’s hydraulic system. The valve block was malfunctioning due to damaged tensioners for the spring of the valve body.

The current market suppliers do not offer replacement tensioners for this type of a valve block and therefore, the customer would need to either fabricate the tensioners or replace the whole block with a new one. Which would increase the price of this repair by thousands of euros.

 

 

The description

The valve block tensioners are originally made of aluminium. Over time the harsh use environment causes corrosion which eventually leads to the damage. The original component had threads and an inch sized jig for a socket. The tensioner would need to withstand the pressure caused by the spring.

 

The solution

miniFactory technology enables the possibility of choosing the right material for each application. In this case the requirements highlighted that the material needs to be strong enough to replace the original component, enable the possibility of post processing by machining, and withstand harsh environment (especially harsh chemicals). Based on these requirements, high-performance polymer PEKK-A was selected. 

The set of six (6) parts was printed using miniFactory Ultra 2 in 10 hours and total material consumption was 240 grams. To ensure consistent part performance and quality, the printing temperatures need to be optimal for the material. With PEKK-A the optimal chamber temperature is 150C. With miniFactory Aarni process monitoring system, the whole manufacturing process is being measured and the detailed after-print report verifies that the part has been made using correct parameters.

 

 

After printing each part were placed in a lathe for cutting the thread. Which was possible due to the high density of the print, such post processing is possible.

 

 

After post processing the parts were ready to be installed to the valve block. With this optimized design the installation of these parts was smooth and easy.

 

With miniFactory’s technology the repair of this valve block was possible and cost effective. The repairing process was also done in just few days instead of multiple weeks which would have been the reality in case the customer would have decided to order replacement valve block from original supplier.

Thanks to the high-performance polymer PEKK-A, the replacement part is now able to withstand harsh use environment and therefore, improve the lifespan of the whole valve block and reduce the risk of downtime for the tow truck.

 

Statistics about the parts

  • Material: Kimya PEKK-A.
  • Weight as printed: 240 grams total (40 grams per part).
  • Size of the part: Diameter 38mm x Height 56mm
  • Total price for 6 parts: 120€

In case you have similar applications in mind, contact us for more information.