Archive for the ‘Sandblasting and Coating’ Category
One Truck Out, Another Truck In
Posted by: Tracy Gath in Metal Fabrication, Sandblasting and Coating, Welding on March 10th, 2010
As you can imagine, winter in Western New York makes quick work of even the sturdiest of industrial vehicles. Erie County puts tens of thousands of miles on its trucks every year. They plow, salt, haul asphalt, and are pushed hard to keep up with the ever-changing road conditions that come with road upkeep in snow country. Erie County has been bringing their hard-working trucks to Maple Grove Enterprises for body work (sandblasting and metal fabrication) and our advanced 3-coat system paint job. As you can see from the before and after pictures, the once beat-up trucks now look like they just came off the assembly line.
Extreme Trailer Makeover: Final Episode!
Posted by: Tracy Gath in Metal Fabrication, Sandblasting and Coating, Welding on November 10th, 2009
The drop deck trailer is finished! As you can see from the “before” photo, it has come a long way. The trailer was sandblasted, cross members were cut off, and new cross members were added. The trailer required custom fabrication of the tool boxes and modifications for the addition of the head rack, and it received a full 3-coat system paint job. Now our customer will be proud to take it on the road!
Extreme Trailer Makeover (Part 4): Fabricating Head Rack, Sandblasting
Posted by: Tracy Gath in Metal Fabrication, Sandblasting and Coating, Welding on October 22nd, 2009
The drop deck trailer is nearing completion! Maple Grove Enterprises fabricated all new cross members and a head rack. We’ve also sandblasted the entire trailer. The trailer is nearly ready for our full 3-coat system paint job. Compare the photos from our first posting to see how far it’s come!
Extreme Trailer Makeover! (Part 1)
Posted by: Tracy Gath in Metal Fabrication, Sandblasting and Coating, Welding on August 13th, 2009
At Maple Grove Enterprises, we love a challenge! It’s a darn good thing, because the 53-foot drop deck trailer that limped into our parking lot today is in the worst shape that we’ve ever seen. Aaron “Reggie” Mayer, whose jobs at Maple Grove Enterprises include outside sales and industrial coating, described what we’ll have to do to resurrect the trailer:
“Initial sandblasting, repair, and then painting. It’ll need custom fabrication of tool boxes and modifications to add a head rack, while at the same time replacing all of the cross members. It also requires a full sandblast and a full 3-coat system paint job.”
We’ll post regular updates on our progress. While our “extreme makeover” will take quite a bit more than a week to accomplish and is unlikely to draw cheering crowds, it will be a thing of beauty when we’re done. Stay posted!
Increasing Pump Efficiency
Posted by: Tracy Gath in Fluid enhancement, Pump Rebuilding, Sandblasting and Coating on March 24th, 2009
We are fortunate in the United States that we can rely on having clean and safe municipal water pumped directly to our homes and businesses.
Much of the infrastructure for this water delivery system, however, is getting old. Unlined iron pumps and pump casings become corroded over time, often developing extensive tuberculation (knob-like mound byproducts of corrosion) on the interior casings of the pumps. While cement linings have been applied to the inside of iron pipes for the past 50 years to prevent corrosion, older systems suffer from decreased efficiency due to hydraulic drag.
The Monroe County Water Authority (MCWA) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) are running a 5-year study on the effects of refurbishing their pumps. The surprising results are that by sandblasting and applying ceramic-filled epoxy coatings to the pump casings, the overall performance of the pumps was more or less restored to original manufacturer’s pump curve specifications.
This is an excellent way for municipalities to deal with their aging water systems. Instead of incurring the cost of replacing entire systems, they could simply have their pumps sandblasted and coated.
Maple Grove Enterprises has worked on a number of similar projects. Our customers noticed a drastic improvement in the efficiency of their pumps that resulted in reduced energy costs and substantial savings.
Pump Housing with ceramic-filled epoxy coating
