Shot peening can enhance the toughness of almost any metal and drastically lengthen its lifespan, saving your company money and keeping your business running smoothly.
This process is useful for mechanics, engineers, and essentially anyone who relies on metal parts, though it is especially lucrative for people in the oil and gas industry. Consider three ways that giving your parts a peened finish will keep them strong and operational for years to come. First, let’s review what shot peening is — and what it is not.
What is Shot Peening?
Shot peening is very different from abrasive shot blasting, though the two are sometimes confused. Shot peening is a cold working process in which the surface of a metal machine part is hit with metallic, glass, or ceramic shot to increase durability and performance.
Abrasive shot blasting is more like giving your parts an intense cleaning to address rust and corrosion. Comparatively, shot peening is a more intense process designed to alter the makeup of the part. Metal parts are sprayed at a high velocity with tiny metal balls, creating hundreds of small indentations across the surface. These indentations spread out the metal and increase stress resistance, making them able to withstand much more wear and tear.
Why Shot Peening?
Consider three ways that shot peening will improve the material make-up of your metal parts.
Shot Peening Prevents Cracking
One of the most important aspects of shot peening is decreasing the risk of parts cracking and breaking. This means that you’ll be able to use the same parts for years in your heavy-duty equipment without having to replace the parts.
Shot Peening Increases Lubrication
Not only does shot peening better your pieces in the long run, but it also improves their performance in the short term. Shot peening, for example, helps keep your parts lubricated as the lubricant accumulates within the indentations, ensuring effective use in industrial equipment.
Shot Peening Allows You to Use Softer Metals
Best of all, shot peening allows you to turn cheap, brittle metals into durable and strong pieces. This means with shot peening, you can save money on equipment while still getting strong parts.
Schedule Shot Peening for Oil and Gas Support
Oil and gas companies are dependent on metal equipment. Sucker rods, for instance, are so critical to day-to-day operations that many oil and gas companies make it a point to shot peen all of their rods before being placed in the field.
We understand the pressures of keeping product flowing and maintaining production schedules. There just isn’t time for shutdowns. That’s why we are committed to a 24-48 hour turnaround on our shot peening service, while still upholding our promise of the highest quality service in the industry.
To schedule shot peening service for your company, contact us today. We’d appreciate the opportunity to deliver a peened finish for your vital oil and gas parts.
