Metal Stitching

Repair damaged items of industrial plant using specialist metal stitching services.

Metal Stitching or Cold Metal Repair as it is sometimes known can be an on site or workshop based repair process. 

Any items of damaged industrial or marine plant and equipment (such as presses, engines, compressors, pumps etc.) that are too large or difficult to be removed to a workshop can have cracks and missing pieces repaired or replaced by this method.

Basically the item with the break or crack is clamped back together (including any make up pieces) and is then "Stitched" back together again using a sequence of drilling, slotting and then filling these slots with special metal stitches (or locks).

Large cracks may need the inclusion of a "Master Lock" (a larger dog bone shaped insert) to strengthen the repair.

The crack line is then drilled and tapped and special screws are fitted prior to peening over and dressing. The final repair is often not noticeable and the strength is usually better than the original.

Seen below is a compressor casing in Libya that is having a damaged piece repaired.

Damaged Compressor During Stitching

Nicol & Andrew Ltd is a specialist crack repair and in-situ engineering repair services company providing a wide range of stitching repairs, plant alignment and on site repair services.

Where engineers may have traditionally had to replace or attempt to weld cracked items of production plant a cold metal repair can be used instead to get the item back into production quickly. Often this type of repair is stronger than the original.