The cost of docking a vessel or ship for repairs is extremely expensive. Not only are the docking (layup) fees to be considered, but the cost of qualified repair staff along with the various other consumable costs, and the potential loss of income is something to be noted, therefore a multitude of criteria must be considered before deciding to dock a vessel for repairs.
There are however several reasons why a ship would be docked for building maintenance, a specific reason is that ships have anti fouling paint to reduce the number of algae and barnacles that attach themselves to the vessel. Over time the anti-fouling efficacy is reduced, and it must be removed and repainted.
Local Manufacturer: Grinding Techniques Pride
Being a proud local manufacturer and supplier of specialised abrasive products, we can offer a wide range of cutting and grinding tools for almost every kind of application – actively, objectively, and reliably. When choosing abrasives for a vessel at hand requiring maintenance, it is important to obtain the best value for money and minimise the amount of time spent on each operation to return the vessel back to service in the shortest time possible.
Learn more: Grinding Techniques Cutting Products
Maintenance starts with cleaning
The Superflex 115×22.23mm rough cleaning disc will quickly and efficiently remove algae and barnacles from the hull with little to no stock removal from the original base material.
Once this operation is complete, our range of Velcro discs – available in various grits will remove and sand down any remaining anti fouling paint left on the surface of the hull, ensuring the surface is prepared and ready for a fresh coat of anti-fouling paint to be sprayed on in no time.
Steel hulls can and will inevitably become damaged and will rust during its operational life. For severe rust, our range of Superflex flap discs can remove the rust quickly and efficiently. This will ensure that the surface is correctly prepared for further operations.
Where there has been severe damage to the steel hull and a portion of the metal must be removed to weld new metal replacement plates in, our full range of Superflex 115mm to 230mm steel cutting discs (dependent on the thickness of the material) may be utilised to efficiently cut away the damaged portion.
Once the damaged section has been cut out, our Superflex range of steel grinding discs will quickly and efficiently remove any burrs and prepare the hull for the new plate to be welded into place. Our grinding discs or flap disc range are ready to clean up the weld and blend it into the rest of the material.
Building Maintenance Procedure
For damaged aluminium hulls, the same procedure of preparation on steel hulls will be followed except the abrasives used would be our Superflex Non-Ferrous range specifically designed for use on aluminium.
To cut out the damaged aluminium portion, our range of Superflex aluminium 115mm to 230mm cutting discs will be used. These discs are specifically designed to cut aluminium without contaminating the metal. Our Superflex line of Premium Non-Ferrous flap discs is used to effectively integrate the weld once the plate has been welded into position. Once more, velcro discs can be used to even out the surface before painting.
Final Thoughts on Sea Vessels Maintenance
It is always important to ensure your required abrasives are task specific to fully take benefit of the product optimisation to obtain value for money. Contact us for the latest innovation in specialised abrasives. Training and technical assistance is available from our product specialists who are ready to provide solutions to all your questions and processing issues.
Tel: +27 11 271 6400 | info@grindtech.com | www.grindtech.com
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