Category: Damage Repair

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Case Study: Chip Filler Repair to a Damaged £500 Designer Bar Stool Made of SMC

A homeowner uses Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty as a filler to repair a chip in an SMC designer bar stool

Money for the bar – a Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty filler repair to a chip in an SMC bar stool saves a homeowner £222

When a designer bar stool made of a difficult-to-repair compound called SMC suffered a chip after it was knocked over, the owner sought a cost-effective DIY filler repair method after being quoted £222 by a restoration company.

Case Study Data

Repair Type
SMC filler repair
Defect
Chip in designer bar stool

Products Used

Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty
Epoxy putty which bonds to all materials and is easy to shape for use as a filler

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

The homeowner had a beloved set of white designer bar stools worth around £500 each. Their children unfortunately knocked one of the stools over whilst playing, causing a large chip to the edge of the seat made from a difficult-to-repair material called SMC.

SMC is a moulding compound with an inbuilt mould release agent which can be inconsistent, which also meant that reattaching broken fragments was unlikely to be successful.

Each bar stool cost £500. To restore the chip would have cost £220

A professional restoration company quoted £222 to make a repair. The owner therefore decided to try and find a means of making a more cost-effective DIY repair to their damaged stool.

They consulted Sylmasta, who were able to recommend the use of Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty, as although there was little chance of glues or adhesives forming a suitable bond with the SMC, Sylmasta AB would be able to anchor itself into the cavity.

  • Chip in a designer bar stool made from SMC prior to undergoing a filler repair using Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty
Chip caused to the stool when it was accidentally knocked over

Sylmasta AB Original has a two-hour work time, offering plenty of time for the epoxy putty to be moulded, shaped and applied without the threat of premature curing.

Careful application of Sylmasta AB filled the chip in the stool. The homeowner was even able to recreate the pattern of the seat, using a brush to slightly indent the putty before it set.

  • Sylmasta AB Original Epoxy Putty used to repair a chipped bar stool
  • Reapir of a chip in an SMC designer bar stool made using Sylmasta AB Epoxy Putty Filler
Sylmasta AB filled the chip and was then painted to seamlessly blend in with the seat

AB Original sets to off-white as standard, but it can be painted once cured. The owner managed to colour-match a paint to the exact colour of the bar stool, ensuring that the epoxy putty blended in seamlessly with the rest of the seat.

The repair required only one 250g kit of AB Original at a cost of just £12.60 plus carriage – a far cry from the original £222 quote provided by the restoration company.

Plenty of epoxy putty was left over, and it remains reusable when kept in its original packaging – good news in the event of any future accidents involving the £500 designer bar stools.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Repair of Metal Blades in Bakery Flour Mixers Suffering From Heavy Corrosion

Metal blades in a bakery flour mixer were suffering from corrosion until Sylmasta Ceramic Brushable Green provided a repair

Saving a bakery a load of dough – Sylmasta repair metal blades suffering from heavy corrosion in a flour mixer

When metal blades in two flour mixers were found to be suffering from corrosion, a commercial bakery in Puerto Rico was faced with the prospect of a costly shutdown – until a Sylmasta repair saved the bakery a load of dough in more ways than one.

Case Study Data

Site
Commercial Bakery
Location
Puerto Rico
Repair Type
Corrosion protection and repair
Defect
Heavily corroded metal blades in two flour mixers

Products Used

Ceramic Brushable Green
Brushable epoxy coating refurbished the corroded blades and provided future protection from both corrosion and abrasion

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

The mixers in question were used by the bakery to mix together flour and other ingredients to make turnovers and other popular products.

During a regular inspection to the machinery, it was discovered that the blades were suffering from corrosion. Production using the two mixers in question had to be halted until the parts were either replaced or underwent repair.

A flour mixer in a bakery in Puerto Rico which was suffering from badly corroded interior blades
One of the flour mixers suffering from corrosion

New blades for the flour mixer would have cost $3000 per blade, setting the bakery back $6000 on new parts for both machines plus installation costs. There were further complications when it was revealed that replacement blades were not available from stock.

This meant that the parts would have to be built from scratch, a time consuming process that would have meant a long wait for the mixers to be put back into operation. With the two mixers out of use for the foreseeable future, the bakery would have found itself struggling to fulfil existing orders, let alone take new ones.

An old and worn flour mixer in a bakery required protection and repair from corrosion
Wear and tear had taken its toll on the flour mixers

$6,000 to replace the metal blades suffering from corrosion and many weeks of lost production. The bakery was looking at losing a lot of dough, both in terms of money and the delicious baked goods that it made.

A better solution than replacing the blades was needed and the bakery started looking for repair methods. That led them to Sylmasta, who were able to recommend the use of Sylmasta Ceramic Brushable Green for the job.

Sylmasta Ceramic Brushable Green epoxy coating used to repair and refurbish metal blades in a flour mixer which were suffering from heavy corrosion
The repaired metal blades inside the flour mixer coated with Ceramic Brushable Green

Ceramic Brushable Green is a toughened, solvent-free, water-resistant coating that is used to reinforce and strengthen machine parts. It offers protection against corrosion and its ultra smooth, low friction finish reduces abrasion.

Coating the blades with Ceramic Brushable Green therefore not only allowed the flour mixer to be put back into service, but it lengthened the lifespan of the parts by making them less susceptible to wear and tear.

An epoxy repair coating used to protect metal machine parts from corrosion
Ceramic Brushable Green will protect the blades from corrosion and abrasion

The ease with which Ceramic Brushable Green is used enabled the bakery to carry out a quick and easy repair. It is brush applied and simply painted onto the area requiring repair. Several coats were used and within 24 hours of the application, both the flour mixers in question were put back into operation and the bakery was operating at full capacity once again.

After completing the repair, the bakery contacted Sylmasta to say how happy they were with the solution and that the blades now looked as if they were brand new. Ceramic Brushable Green is reinforced with hard-wearing, high purity, green silicon-carbide, which means it will be a long time before the blades require servicing again.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: contact@sylmasta.com

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Case Study: Heavily Damaged Metal Machinery Repair Saves a Puerto Rico Ball Mill $60 million

A repair carried out to machinery in a Ball Mill which helped to save a company around $60 million

Having a Ball – The metal machinery repair which saved a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico $60 million in lost revenue

A three week lead time on replacing heavily damaged metal machinery at a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico looked set to cost a company $60 million in lost revenue – until Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade carried out a repair in under 24 hours

Case Study Data

Site
Ball Mill
Location
Puerto Rico
Repair Type
Metal Repair
Defect
Heavily damaged metal machine part

Products Used

Ceramic Supergrade
Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste filled in the significant crack in the metal machine for a hard wearing surface repair

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Review

Ball Mills are used for mixing a wide variety of materials together by grinding particles down in size, often with the aim of turning them into powders.

A rotating shell is filled with balls or beads alongside the materials which are to be turned into powder. As the shell rotates, the balls and beads drop from near the top and impact on the materials towards the bottom, which grinds them down.

The process is hard wearing and the balls and beads have to be regularly replaced as a result. Whilst this maintenance work was being carried out, a part had been forced, causing significant damage to a metal part.

Metal machinery in a Ball Mill in Puerto Rico suffering from a heavy crack after being accidentally damaged during maintenance work
The cracked metal part in the machinery which required repair

It was not until a few days after the maintenance work had been completed that the Ball Mill noticed there was a problem. Water which ran between the liner and the outer wall of the machine was now leaking into the tank through a visible crack.

The cost of a replacement part was $200,000 with a three week delivery time from Germany. A specialist installer would also have to be flown over to Puerto Rico to fit the new part.

More pressing a concern for the Ball Mill was that daily production was worth $4 million. A three week wait would therefore have cost the Mill approaching $60 million in lost revenue.

Rather than replace the part, the Mill instead sought out a means to carry out a repair to the metal machinery. Sylmasta recommended the use of Ceramic Supergrade, a two-part epoxy paste designed to repair heavy damage to industrial machinery including silos, chutes, pumps, impeller blades, valves, fan blades, metals castings and tanks.

Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste used to repair heavy damage to metal machinery at a Ball Mill
Ceramic Supergrade applied to the damaged machinery

The ease with which Ceramic Supergrade can be applied enabled the Ball Mill to carry out the repair themselves. Prior to application, the surface of the metal machinery undergoing repair was prepared by roughening it up. The epoxy paste was then spread over and pushed into the crack with a trowel, filling in the damage before it hardened.

Ceramic Supergrade is reinforced with silicon carbide for ultimate surface hardness, offers excellent protection against future wear and corrosion, and is moisture tolerant which would prevent any water leaking into the shell.

Repair to a metal machine part using Sylmasta Ceramic Supergrade epoxy paste saved a Ball Mill $60 million in lost production
The completed repair saved the Ball Mill $60 million in lost revenue

The repair was carried out whilst the Ball Mill was shut for business on a Sunday. Ceramic Supergrade has a full cure time of 24 hours. By the time the site reopened for business on Monday, the Ball Mill was able to operate at full capacity with tens of millions of dollars saved.

If you have an application you would like to enquire about, then please get in touch

Call: +44 (0)1444 831 459
Email: sales@sylmasta.com