The demand for quality large diesel engine component remanufacturing has increased significantly, and in a move to accommodate this, Metric Automotive Engineering recently commissioned its second Rottler F109 extra heavy duty multi-purpose CNC machining centre.

The two machining centres at Metric Automotive Engineering's facility in Johannesburg, Gauteng are only two of 18 operating worldwide and place the company clearly in a category of its own when it comes to diesel engine component remanufacturing.

Andrew Yorke, operations director of Metric Automotive Engineering, says this increased demand is as result of companies placing greater emphasis on scheduled refurbishment programmes in an attempt to mitigate against unscheduled downtime which can have catastrophic results.

“The trend where operations wait for engines and their components to reach the point of failure before attending to much needed repairs or refurbishment is starting to wane,” Yorke says. “This is apparent across the earthmoving, construction, mining, power generation and railway sectors as we see more accurate condition monitoring starting to be implemented.”

Operating two of these massive three axis computer numerical controlled machining centres will enable Metric Automotive Engineering to offer a faster turnaround to its customer base. Yorke, however, cautions that the nature of block repair is a significant remanufacturing process as at this stage of repair it is no longer simply a skim.

“These are not light repairs which take only a few hours, and this type of machining, which will see the block being returned back to specification, is done over a number of days depending on the condition of the block,” he says.

What is important is that the machining centres provide consistent accuracy levels resulting in a superior quality remanufactured engine block. Each centre has the capacity to handle 6,5 metre long blocks with ease.

This equipment is complemented by the company’s almost 50 year track record in remanufacturing diesel engine components. Yorke says this capability has long been acknowledged by all engine manufacturers and their distributors who work closely with Metric Automotive Engineering.

Metric Automotive Engineering’s service offering also includes cylinder head remanufacture, cylinder block line boring, milling, honing and boring, camshaft grinding, crankshaft grinding, engine assembly and dynamometer testing