It took just one bit of debris to damage a shower floor moulding tool and bring a leading composite materials company’s operations to a standstill. But it took Titomic’s D523 low-pressure cold spray system just a few hours – and a staggeringly small repair bill – to get efficiency flowing again.
When a piece of metal debris was left on the base of a resin-transfer moulding (RTM) tool used to create shower floors, it left a hole that would fill with resin and leave behind a raised imperfection.
As a result, the large composite materials company had to halt operations. Searching for a solution, they were quoted almost $40,000 to send the moulding tool overseas for repair – as well as a four-month wait thanks to ongoing shipping delays. Since the tool was essential for production, it seemed to be an impossible situation.
A rapid repair
Rather than send the tool overseas, we proposed bringing the portable D523 low-pressure cold spray system on site to fix the damage. It took just five minutes to fill the hole with nickel – before removing the excess and hand-polishing the tool.
From start to finish, the entire repair job took four hours and cost under $3,000. Not only did the manufacturer save a significant amount off their repair bill, the also avoided at least four months’ lost revenue from downtime.
Tapping into efficiency
Since the tool was made functional again, it has gone on to manufacture over 300 parts. While operations continue, the manufacturer can take the time to decide whether or not to replace it in the future.
Case study snapshot
What:
Repair of resin-transfer moulding tool
Where:
Leading composite materials company
How:
D523 low-pressure cold spray system with nickel
Outcome:
Tool repaired in just four hours for $2,850 – compared to four months and $38,000 to ship overseas
