Repairs & Rebuilds

Our commitment to full-service and support of our customers extends to Repairs and Rebuilds of existing equipment. KWS can rebuild your existing conveying and process equipment and return them to the original design specifications for a fraction of the cost of new equipment. We can also provide design improvements to increase efficiency and the life of the equipment. This translates to increased production and cost savings for you.

Case Study No. 1

A hazardous waste disposal company uses specially designed screws to force feed liquid waste into an incinerator. The liquid waste is delivered to the facility in metal drums. The screws are designed to crush and shred the metal drums as the liquid waste is incinerated. The screws are subjected to extreme temperature and abrasion as well as chemical corrosion. Working very closely with our customer, KWS rebuilds the screws using ultra abrasion resistant materials. The repair procedure requires accurate control of the welding and hardsurfacing processes. Complete weld inspection and non-destructive testing are required before the repaired screws can be returned to the customer. KWS has increased the life of the screws by 150-percent compared to the original design.

This screw was rebuilt to original OEM equipment specifications

Case Study No. 2

A major pulp and paper facility uses a wood chip reclaim system as part of the paper making process.  Reclaim screws are located under large piles of wood chips. The reclaim screws rotate in circle under the wood chip pile and draw the wood chips to a belt conveyor system that feeds the pulping process. The wood chip piles can be as deep as 50-feet. Downtime for the reclaim screws is not an option. KWS rebuilds the reclaim screws making them better than the original design. We use abrasion resistant flighting and a chromium-carbide based weld-on hardsurfacing material to reduce abrasion and extend the life of the screws. We also rebuild the internal drive mechanism and replace any worn components such as bearings and gears. KWS has provided complete documentation including assembly drawings, component drawings and a step-by-step assembly procedure to our customer. Plant downtime is approximately $10,000.00 per hour. KWS has saved our customer hundreds of thousands of dollars by reducing and eliminating downtime.

An example of a repair on a screw for the pulp and paper industry

Case Study No. 3

A major recycling company uses specially designed screw conveyors for conveying wet paper pulp as it discharges from pulp presses. The screw conveyors utilize special cut-and-folded flights and are constructed from 317L stainless steel materials. These materials are very expensive and the cost of a new unit can easily exceed $100,000.00. KWS repairs and rebuilds the existing screws for less than a quarter of the cost of a new unit. Typical repairs include resurfacing the shafts in the seal and bearing area and replacing worn or bent screw flights. KWS is the only screw conveyor manufacturer with the machining capabilities to hold run-out tolerances of less than 0.003-inches. The close tolerances ensure that the screws will run true eliminating downtime and increasing the life of the equipment.

Repairs return OEM equipment to original specifications