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EZEFIT® blast wheel upgrade provides reduced cycle time

Product News Wednesday, September 16, 2009: Wheelabrator

In 2006, a leading Midwestern foundry approached Wheelabrator Plus to upgrade their old non-Wheelabrator tumble type blast machines. The foundry was experiencing longer cleaning cycles due to the deteriorating performance of their four (4) older blast machines.

Wheelabrator Plus personnel recommended upgrading the old equipment with new Wheelabrator® blast wheel technology. Wheelabrator Plus Service technicians inspected the blast machines and the Wheelabrator Plus sales representative brought in an EZEFIT® wheel display unit, allowing the maintenance department personnel to examine and familiarize themselves with its design and function. “After I toured the customer facility to see their current operation, I could see that the EZEFIT wheel could easily be justified by savings in operating and maintenance costs”, said Mr. Pete Bortnichak, Wheelabrator Plus. The foundry eventually made the decision to replace the existing single wheel systems with two (2) EZEFIT wheels on each of the four (4) tumble type blast machines. During the 2006 summer shutdown period, all the machine rebuilds and wheel upgrades were completed in 9 days by contract personnel (under Wheelabrator guidance) minimizing down time.

The new EZEFIT wheel upgrades resulted in immediate benefits. With the new wheel installation, blast cleaning cycles for each batch of parts were reduced 30 to 35 percent. High wear wheel parts (blades, control cages and impellers) lasted longer in the new wheels. This improved part life reduced the maintenance labor and downtime requirements to replace worn parts. The combination of higher productivity and lower overall operating costs represented a cost effective upgrade and a satisfied customer.

Wheelabrator is a global provider of surface preparation and finishing solutions. Committed to offering the broadest array of technologies, products, replacement parts, services and technical know-how, the Wheelabrator works closely with customers to deliver the best solutions for their specific requirements. The company's strategically located and electronically linked offices allow Wheelabrator to provide unrivalled customer service and support worldwide.