For piston rods, two critical factors determine resistance to wear after reconditioning:

  1. Surface hardness and
  2. Roughness

In addition to the commonly used submerged arc welding method, KIMI applies also the laser cladding technique as a premium repair option which gives high surface hardness and thus ensures high load capacity and longer lifespan of the reconditioned piston rod.

Regardless of the welding method to be applied, initially, the entire piston rod is subjected to inspection- dimensional measurement, chemical analysis, hardness test and NDT by the PCN Level II certified personnel of our quality control department and a detailed report is submitted to the customer presenting the status of their rod.

Also, independently of the welding method, after welding, machining takes place on high-end CNC turning and grinding machines to ensure very good cylindricity and straightness of the entire working surface.

KIMI ensures, with both methods, final roughness between (Ra) 0.4-0.8μm and can achieve high surface roughness when requested with the laser cladding method.