Metal Stitching

Metal stitching is a very well-established repair method. It is applicable to a wide variety of materials such as cast iron, cast steel and many non-ferrous metals. Metal stitching, sometimes also called cold pinning, has been around for over 100 years. It is a very well established and proven technology. It is mostly used on cast (gray) iron components such as engine blocks and casings although the repair of other materials such as aluminium and bronze is possible too. The advantages of metal stitching are many: ✦Usually, little or no dismantling is necessary. Proper access from one side is generally sufficient. ✦Since it is a cold-repair method, no additional stresses, which over time may lead to new cracks, are introduced into the material. ✦The original alignments of the parts can be retained. There is no deformation or blemish due to the application of heat. Re-machining after repair is therefore often not necessary. ✦The repair seam helps to distribute tensile stresses over a larger area ✦If done properly, then the repaired area is liquid and gas tight. QuantiServ has successfully applied water pressure up to 12 bars (174 psi) to a test piece that was repaired by metal stitching. ✦And last but not least, our metal stitching repairs qualify as permanent repairs! The cracked metal is replaced with special metal stitching pins that we install by drilling and tapping to draw the sides of the crack together. This results in a continuous row of interlocking stitching pins to create a strong, pressure-tight repair. To restore the casting to its original strength, we install locks across the joint line of the pins by drilling a precision hole pattern with special drill fixtures. After the hole pattern is created, the locks are driven in, pulling the material together even tighter. Finally, the stitched area is ground to conform to the base metal contour, thus completing the repair. If the component undergoing repair is not only cracked but if a piece is missing, then we prefabricate a new piece and lock it in place in the same manner as described above. We are selling the majority of our crack repair tools and supplies to enable our customers to carry out small and non-complex repairs by themselves. Stitching pins Our metal stitching pins are equipped with special, proprietary threads that exert a radial pulling force during tightening. They therefore pull the crack together and seal it. The majority of stitching pins that we use are made of high-grade steel. Steel pins, being stronger than cast iron, are usually used to repair cracks in cast iron bodies. For special applications, aluminum, stainless and bronze stitching pins are also available. Depending on the application, we offer two different series of stitching pins to choose from: The top-of-the line, very strong C-Series pins that are designed to not create radial spreading forces and the economical L-Series ones that are meant for applications that carry fewer structural loads.