While construction machinery is made to exert significant force and carry hefty loads, it can still suffer from wear and tear that impacts performance and job site safety. Fortunately, you don’t always have to transport your equipment back to the shop to get it fixed. In many cases, a mobile welder can come to your work area to provide reliable on-site machinery repairs. To better illustrate the welding repair process, here are a few steps metal fabricators will take to restore your construction equipment.  

4 Steps Welders Take to Perform On-Site Machinery Repairs

1. Remove the Faulty Component

When the welder arrives, they’ll inspect the damaged equipment to figure out which part needs to be removed. For example, they may need to take off a bad bucket on an excavator or deconstruct a tilt cylinder on a bulldozer.  

Next, they’ll direct a special device—such as a plasma or oxyfuel torch—to cut through the metal with a stream of extreme heat. Once the faulty piece is removed, the specialist will then grind out any rough edges or cracks to ensure the replacement part will fit properly.  

2. Fabricate the Replacement Part

Using the broken component as a guide, the welder will create a fitted replacement part using the appropriate materials. The selected metal should carry the same properties as the original component—including tensile strength, thickness, ductility, and resistance. Matching these characteristics will ensure the repaired equipment will work as intended and cause no unexpected downtime.

3. Prepare the Joint

After the new part is cut and shaped, the metal fabricator will bevel the edges to form a joint. This joint should fit precisely against the edges of the metal it will be welded onto. Thorough preheating and cleaning will prevent contaminants from interfering with the welding process.

4. Weld the Joint

To fasten the joint to the machinery, the fabricator will use either a flux or stick welding tool to manipulate the metal surfaces. First, the welder will strike an electric arc between the tool and the metal pieces. Next, the arc is carefully applied to melt the adjoining metal surfaces to form a bead. This molten bead is then gently manipulated to bind both metals together with reliable integrity.

When your construction equipment fails, M & M Welding & Fabrication offers the comprehensive machinery repairs you need. Serving clients in the High Point, NC, area, these experienced fabricators are equipped to provide swift and reliable on-site welding repairs to keep your operations moving. Familiar with all types of commercial equipment, this team also offers farm machine work for agricultural businesses. Visit this local shop online to learn more about these custom metalwork capabilities. For questions about repairs, call (336) 885-9353.