The Problem
During a bi-annual planned outage, a Missouri customer consulted MCE company Lone Star Machine Works, for assistance with cylinder repairs. Six hydraulic cylinders needed to be fixed and two needed to be returned quickly to get back into production as soon as possible.
The Solution
As part of the preparation, Lone Star Machine Works had supplied spare v-packing for these units previously, reducing the repair time by four weeks. During that time, Lone Star supplied a modified print package as well as upgraded v-packing for these units.
The company had a different seal design and v-packing than they had been using in the unit, but it was not durable enough for their cylinders. Lone Star supplied the company with seals made of a more durable material, as part of a complete print package on their packing flange.
Lone Star supplied the company with Viton seals, high-heat seals compatible with water glycol. We re-trained the customer to install the seals effectively to minimize downtime.
Installing new v-packing is a great way to extend the life of your unit during planned downtime to better address the issue. Contact us to learn more about this.
Why You Should Consider Spare Repair Kits
If emergency repair is needed for your seals, waiting for seal replacements to arrive can take eight weeks or more to deliver. In an emergency, the lead time for repairing your cylinders can be significantly reduced by keeping spare seal kits in-stock.
For a small issue with your hydraulic cylinder, seals are easy to replace if you have a spare seal kit on-site.
Lone Star repacks or supplies new re-packing kits and can train you on how to install the v-packing properly.
If you’re uncertain what seal kit would best fit your cylinder, Lone Star will look at your cylinder for free and determine which seal kit works best. From there, we can supply and implement the correct seal kit; we can also match any kit you may already have in stock.
Lone Star’s team repaired the two units within ten days and returned the other four within six weeks.
The Results
The company decided to have Lone Star provide v-packing for their units twice a year, which is about ten percent of the cost of repairing a cylinder. By having MCE repack their cylinders, the company had the opportunity for major savings in their future working with Lone Star.
The customer was happy with the results, as the seals had arrived not just on time but early to meet their needs. The customer now keeps multiple kits in-stock and repacks on their regular preventative maintenance schedule. Having these spare seal kits in stock has helped them avoid any unplanned downtime.