Shaft & Journal Machining

Shaft journal and journal repair form a large part of In-Situ Machining Solutions (UK) Ltd’s on-site machining portfolio. It has helped us achieve a global reputation as industry-leading shaft journal and journal machining specialists. In-Situ have supported clients on many repairs to rotating equipment including repairs to main bearing journals, fan shafts, alternator shafts, crusher shafts, ladle trunnion shafts, turbine journal shafts, drive shafts, mixer blade shafts, vacuum dyer shafts, compressor shafts and gearbox shafts to name a few.

Journal Repair

Rotating equipment can sustain damage due to oil starvation and major seizure. In-Situ have purpose-built orbital equipment and machining techniques to provide a quality and professional service, and thanks to our speciality in on-site journal repair, we can deploy it worldwide. In addition, our on-site machining engineers are highly trained, skilled and experienced in journal turning, grinding, superfinishing and polishing on-site.

The advantage of utilising specialist teams of Engineers deployed by In-Situ and our orbital turning, grinding, superfinishing and polishing systems designed and developed in-house alleviates the necessity of removing the rotating component from its housing casing or stator to repair damage to the main bearing journal or the separate bearing or journal surfaces.

In addition to the renowned diesel engine crankshaft repairs that In-Situ Machining Solutions (UK) Ltd offer, the company also provides customers with the facility to refurbish large damaged rotating components to OEM standards on-site and anywhere in the world

Journal Machining Process

Machining

A specially manufactured machine is utilised to machine the Journal to remove any damage or wear and restore OEM specified tolerances to the diameter, radii and any seal/wiper areas

Superfinishing

A process in which a specialist piece of equipment holding a carborundum stone oscillates from side to side around 30 times a second to flatten off the surface of the Journal after the machining process

Polishing

Machine polishing process is the final process to ensure flatness and other geometric tolerances are maintained whilst producing the OEM specified surface finish.

Additional Services

Journal Turning

During the journal machining process, in most cases, the shaft journal cannot be rotated. This is due to numerous factors including lack of lube oil, swarf/debris ingress or the journal be repaired being the support bearing journal. In these instances, In-Situ can utilise our orbital machining technology as a solution to the issue but if the shaft is available to rotate and space allows, In-Situ offers a Journal turning service in which the Shaft can be rotated and the shaft journal turned in a conventional manner.

The shaft can be rotated by the equipment it is housed in or by a variable speed bearing gear that can be designed and supplied by In-Situ. In-Situ can design and manufacture specialist fixtures to mount a tooling slide alongside the journal and conduct the journal machining and polishing as it rotates at the desired speed.

Heat treatment

Annealing the journals can be undertaken to reduce heat-induced hardness within the journal above OEM specification. This service is undertaken via a resistance heat treatment method in which a process of controlled heating, soaking and cooling of the affected journal with ceramic blankets is undertaken.

If you feel your machine maintenance could be assisted with any of these services, please use the enquiry form below to get in touch with our team today. We can also answer any questions you might have about how our on-site machining can help your business.

Relatable Industries

We at In-Situ, are proud of our services, supporting a broad range of industries and providing vital on-site machining needs for our clients 24/7. Below is a range of the various sectors of industry that our services are utilised.