A Complete Reconditioning Program
Before reconditioning any piston or rod, Hi-Tech Compressor inspects the parts to assess their suitability for re-use and to develop a reconditioning plan. Our comprehensive reconditioning program consists of:
- Tagging all incoming piston rods with a shop router that follows the item through all stages of the reconditioning process. All items accompanying rods will be documented, such as nuts, pistons, etc.
- Identify the rod's base material and previously applied coating with our advanced PMI gun. Utilize manufacturer engineering standards (if available), while adhering to specific customer/ company engineering standards.
- Employing our certified MT/PT Level 2 non-destructive testing methodologies to check rods for hidden defects.
- If we find the rod is bent or that the threads at either end are damaged, missing, severely worn or unable to pass our NDT test, we will advise you that the rod is unrepairable and provide a quote for a new rod (which we can manufacture in-house, available with rolled threads and thermal spray coatings).
- We will determine which procedures are needed to correct the piston rod from a simple hone to establish the correct RMS finish or a complete coating of the wear surface to re-establish size and finish.
- We maintain a continuous paper trail, which includes procedures in compliance with API 618 5th edition with a backlog copy in our files.
- At this point, the rod is completed and ready for packaging. The piston (if provided) will be re-assembled onto the rod including new rings & riders and properly torqued.
If there's one thing engineers can agree on, is that it is critical to keep compressor piston rods in optimum condition. Piston rods connect the piston to the crosshead while enabling gas packing seals to seal the cylinder gas. Wiper rings maintain the oil seal while keeping the oil in the crankcase. The importance of rod diameter, finish, and straightness all influence the packing and wiper rings' sealing ability.
Reconditioning to the Highest Standards
If your piston rod is worn, damaged (due to perhaps a liquid upset), or showing irregular rod run-out, these are all indications you may want to either replace your rod with a new one - or a more economical and quicker option is to have it reconditioned.
Our rod reconditioning service completes at least fifty rods per year and enables our shop to provide fast turn-around time while maintaining the highest quality standards throughout. If a piston rod is found unrepairable, we can manufacture a new one for you, thanks to our in-house thread rolling capabilities.
All piston rods will have the base material identified during inspection with our state of the art PMI gun, Positive Material Identification, to assure no errors. Our Magnuflux NDT booth, non-destructive testing, enables us to check rods 20" diameter X 100" L with in-house authorized MT/PT Level 2 operators, assuring the highest quality standards are met in our piston rod reconditioning department.