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Maintenance describes any activity that is undertaken to preserve a products' function, whereas repair is required to recondition a product or correct any production deficiency.
In support of the manufacturing process, a number of procedures are used to recondition components. Welding may give rise to weld imperfections that must be repaired. For example, flame gouging, one of the flame processes, is used to remove the imperfection, which is then rewelded using one of the arc processes such as MIG, MAG, TIG or Plasma welding. If larger areas are affected, it may be necessary to remove and replace a larger part of the product. The flame process, flame cutting, provides a versatile tool for this purpose.
Distortions are a problem in the manufacturing process, since metallic products carry stresses, among other things from welding procedures. Large distortions are generated during thermal treatment of the component, such as welding or cutting. A flame process, flame straightening, can be used effectively to correct these distortions. Straightening distortions instead of producing a new component can save a substantial amount of money.
Other areas of product reconditioning may involve surface treatments. Wear or corrosion may have deteriorated a metallic surface, requiring the application of coatings through another flame process, flame spraying. For minor surface requirements, flame brazing can be applied to smooth edges and fill gaps. Flame cleaning can be used to remove layers from almost any surface - steel, concrete, asphalt, etc. |
