Lincoln Electric enables Chevron to accelerate refinery maintenance
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, reports that it was able to utilise its proprietary large-scale metal Additive Manufacturing solution to deliver parts to Chevron USA, San Ramon, California, to help bring a refinery back online. Chevron’s Additive Engineering team worked with the company to get back on schedule using Additive Manufacturing to produce critical replacement parts that would meet production and quality standards.
“Our planned maintenance schedule was in jeopardy due to current supply chain issues,” stated Robert Rettew, Materials Technology Engineer, Chevron. “We realised this supply crunch could impact operations and our bottom line. We worked with Lincoln Electric to explore how parts could be created faster so we could resume operations as planned.”
The two teams worked together, along with industry experts from Stress Engineering Services, headquartered Houston, Texas, to additively manufacture eight nickel alloy replacement parts that averaged approximately 90 cm in length and over 226 kg each in a total of thirty days.
“We are pleased to work with Chevron and showcase the value of just-in-time production using Additive Manufacturing, and its ability to prevent facility downtime,” stated Christopher L Mapes, Lincoln Electric’s Chairman and CEO. “Metal 3D printing for large-sized metal parts, moulds, tooling and prototypes is a game-changing solution for various end markets, including industrial manufacturing, energy and aerospace. When speed-to-market, design flexibility and reduced costs take priority; our printing technology provides the ultimate answer.”
Reputedly the largest wire metal Additive Manufacturing factory in the world, Lincoln Electric’s Additive Manufacturing solution for high-mix, low-volume applications is capable of producing metal-based parts up to 2.1 m in length and weighing in excess of 2,265 kg. The company’s proprietary and patented metal Additive Manufacturing solution utilises its own SculptPrint™ software, robotic cells and welding wire to control quality and enable supply chain reliability.
