The company was formed by W.G. (Bill) Leake, in May 1973. Initially, work consisted of repairs in the construction Industry, until in 1975 the company was asked to look at the viability of a repair to a forged steel extrusion press main cylinder. At that time none had ever been repaired to the knowledge of either the manufacturer or The Welding Institute, and so the repair was carried out using best practice of the pressure vessel Industry and viewed as a temporary solution until a replacement cylinder could be obtained. The life required was 12 months, but that cylinder is still working today, some 40 years after the repair. Incidentally, the cylinder was only 5 years old when the original failure occurred, so we have achieved a life nearly 800% better than the original design managed.
Since then the company has repaired over 160 cylinders, in places as far afield as New Zealand. Every cylinder has worked perfectly since with no re-occurrence of the original defect.
The company constantly strives to improve its service to the customer by adopting procedures which minimise downtime but do not compromise quality. To that end, the company acquired its own in-situ heat treatment equipment several years ago. There is an in-house capability for 270kW of applied heat load, and the company has close links with the major players in contract heat treatment, making the capability for heat treatment massive.
In its attitude to repairs, the company is always concerned with elimination of the cause of failure, as well as rectification of the failing defect. In the case of the extrusion cylinders, a simple (by our standards) modification of the weld geometry reduced the stress concentration in the failure area dramatically as has been demonstrated in the fatigue life of the repairs.
In addition to the repair side of the business, the company is well known for its design and fabrication expertise in heavy plate and forging fabrications. Fabrications up to 12 tonnes in weight are easily handled, although a 25 tonnes weight cylinder has been repaired in house.
The company is now actively involved in the cement Industry, which has its fair share of fatigue and abrasion related problems. Kiln tyres, kiln shells, support rollers, mill trunnions and mill shells are all familiar to the company, and we have demonstrated our ability to cut downtimes by efficient procedures and dedicated personnel.
Arnway Limited
Unit 24, Burtonwood Industrial Centre,
Phipps Lane, Burtonwood WA5 4HX
Tel +44 (0) 1925 229479
Fax +44 (0) 1925 220865