Cylinder Reconditioning

The repair process starts with a methodical disassembly of each cylinder - no matter how large or small. BARI METAL’s repair divisions maintain heavy overhead cranes and large and powerful disassembly rigs and benches enabling our facilities to handle large cylinders with ease.

The disassembly procedure should be highly practiced. Cylinders should be correctly prepared and secured. High-quality equipment is necessary not only to cope with large cylinders but also to ensure the disassembly process is controlled. Damage during disassembly should be avoided. Not only does it increase the cost of repair, it makes it harder to diagnose the actual cause of hydraulic cylinder failure. Making it more difficult to distinguish between damage caused during disassembly and damage as a result of normal operation. Correct rigs, tools, and meticulous procedures are an important first step to a high-quality repair.

Every cylinder is treated the way a forensic scientist would conduct an investigation. An experienced technician examines the failed cylinder for clues such as fractured, glazed or swelling seals, scored or asymmetrically worn piston rods, ballooned barrel tubes or cracked welds.

Referencing manufacturers information and drawing on years of experience, the technician also measures each component with highly accurate digital and manual devices to assess cylinder condition including bore, piston, gland and rod wear, crack detection, chrome hardness and thickness, and surface finish. Each part is checked to confirm that it is within spec for tolerances.

Any part that exceeds the tolerances for the cylinder type or the manufacturer's specifications will be sourced or machined from scratch in our fully equipped machine shops. BARI METAL maintains appropriate stock levels of common cylinder components. We also maintain excellent OEM relationships and regularly source components direct from the manufacturer where required.

In some cases, improved parts and seals may be selected and sourced to ensure better performance and cylinder life. For example, seals with a higher heat or duro rating may be chosen if the cylinder presents symptoms of excessive seal fracturing.

In the case of unusual or uncommon parts that are hard to find, too expensive to procure from other sources, or take too long to arrive, BARI METAL’s engineering team can custom-design components to ensure performance and longevity. This ensures that the re-engineered component will be as good - and in some cases better than the original part.

BARI METAL’s cylinder repair divisions around the country feature advanced CNC milling machines as well as lathes, large scale boring machines, honing stations and other devices capable of manufacturing and restoring all components to factory specifications.

Any part that cannot be sourced from the manufacturer or other sources cost-effectively can be manufactured on-site. For example, barrel tubes are often manufactured in this way, which drastically cuts down on cost and turnaround times.

Welding processes, including aluminum bronze overlay and submerged arc welding, are employed to reclaim worn clevis eyes, pistons, spigots, and other components, before machining to original specifications.

At all times, meticulous repair procedures and quality standards must be upheld to ensure each reconditioned component conforms to manufacturers specifications and design tolerances.

Large sandblasting facilities can accommodate barrel tubes, clevises and joints, and other components - stripping flaked paint and rusted surfaces and stripping the unit back to bare metal in preparation for painting.

Piston rods are ground and restored to original specifications using advanced surface engineering processes, including industrial hard chrome plating.

BARI METAL operates a fully equipped industrial hard chroming facility with 12 large hard chrome plating tanks, 9 grinding machines, 2 finishing machines. This facility can accommodate components of many different sizes and dimensions - including very long cylinder rods upto 10mtrs and large diameter upto 2000mm. The staff of this facility have decades of experience and are well-versed in the craft and science of hard chroming, which is a highly technical and very difficult process that requires a skilled pair of hands and an experienced eye at every stage.

This in-house chroming capability ensures access to consistent high-quality chrome products and contributes to the fast turnaround of cylinder repairs. It also adds to the cost-effectiveness of all repairs.

Experienced technicians make use of the cranes and benches to reassemble each reconditioned cylinder. The same rigorous procedures and high-quality equipment is employed in reassembly to ensure correct installation of parts that must fit together very tightly. It is important to avoid damage or incorrect installation at this point, as this would severely impede performance and lead to rapid wear and failure. Maintaining cleanliness levels to prevent internal contamination, following correct assembly taking care not to damage or incorrectly install sensitive components such as seals and glands.

Testing is extremely important to ensure that the cylinder performs to the required specifications and can develop the correct pressure without failure. Bari Metal operates sophisticated testing stations and customer-specific testing procedures are performed for immediate verification of cylinder integrity. An improperly machined or reassembled cylinder will be quickly discovered at this point in the process.

Once assembled and given the OK after testing, the last step in the process is to give the newly restored a fresh coat in our in-house paint shops. With a protective layer of hard-wearing industrial paint, the outside now matches the inside, signaling that the cylinder has completed its journey.