With over 70 years of steel and metals experience, Dennen Steel Corporation is a steel brokerage firm in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With its mill direct relationships, Dennen improves quality and reduces cost and lead-times to improve performance through a fully integrated supply chain.
A suspected bearing issue with the flywheel on a 600-ton stamping press
The team from Dennen reached out to us about a wobbling, unnatural vibration happening on the flywheel of their 600-ton stamping press.
We partially disassembled the drive, removing the clutch, flywheel, and quill from the crown. But as we qualified all the parts — measuring and inspecting for proper size and tolerance — we discovered issues with previous repairs. Some critical surfaces were not to spec.
HEL’s emergency repairs and machine shop adjusted to curveballs
At HEL, we re-machined the quill bearing surfaces and fabricated a new, one piece retaining cap and eliminated multiple shims. We worked with our vendors and suppliers to replace, purchase, and install all new bearings critical to the drive unit.
We began this project on a Wednesday, but quickly discovered those two curveballs: the quill bearing surface and the bearing retaining cap. Over the weekend, we designed and machined all the parts. And by Monday we were ready to install.
“We’ve worked with HEL before, and greatly appreciate their expertise and professionalism in the industry. They have an amazing ability to get things done right the first time, saving us from more downtime and production loss,” said Dan Schoonmaker, of Dennen Steel Corporation.
Dennen’s production volume and demand dictated a tight timeline, and we were thrilled to meet their needs!
