Hopper Auger Repair
Customer found large pieces of steel in screen of plastic extruder and did not know the source. Upon inspection, it was found the auger in the material hopper had failed at a joint. The damaged shaft end was removed, and a new end was made and welded on. Equipment was down for two days, and customer was able to start up with first shift when they got in in the morning.
This emergency service started about noon. The broken auger shaft was removed, and it was found that the union and sleeve bearing mating to the gear box were out of position and damaged. A design was drawn for the shaft repair, and a piece of steel was procured and brought to the machine shop. While the repair part was being machined, work continued on the hopper late in to the night. The gearbox was removed and the union and sleeve bearing were repaired on site and secured back in their proper positions. The last step for the night was to get the newly machined shaft end and drop it off for welding in the morning. After picking up the repaired shaft, it was fit back to the hopper and the gearbox was reinstalled. Everything was finished early that evening ready to start up with first shift the next morning.
(Due to the emergency nature of the repair, there are limited images of the project.)
Project Log
