When Mahipapa in Hawaii contacted Kormax in the last week of October 2023, they had a critical need. One of their Biomass Natural Power Plants on the island of Kauai required a full replacement of customized boiler grates, with no existing supplier or CAD models available. Moreover, the grates required parallel side walls, meaning ordinary 2-part tooling would be unable to achieve the necessary geometry.
With no time to lose, Kormax was engaged to assist.
The Challenge:
- Recreate accurate CAD models from old drawings
- Develop complex investment casting tooling
- Manufacture samples and deliver them to Hawaii for inspection
- Cast grates using a tightly controlled nickel-alloyed steel
- Manufacture 900 grates to strict dimensional standards
- Deliver the product, weighing 20,000 lbs, to the island of Kauai
- Complete all tasks within 20 weeks, including the Christmas/New Year break
The Kormax engineering team quickly developed accurate drawings, reaching the drawing freeze stage in less than one week. Following this, we created 4-part tooling to achieve the specified geometry without machining. Within only three additional weeks, this was completed, and two weeks later, sample items were on their way from our Indian location to Hawaii.
Four weeks later, after a later-than-expected sign-off, we received the all-clear for production. With time running out, Kormax quickly produced the products, with the first unit ready for final inspection in just five weeks. As production progressed, Kormax conducted daily inspection batches and ensured the products were packed appropriately for the planned flights to Hawaii.
To deliver on time from India to Hawaii, it was necessary to charter the freight hold of several cargo liners. Kormax brokered a cost-effective deal with a Japanese airline, and using four different flights, we successfully air-freighted all the products to Honolulu. The cargo was too heavy for the aircraft’s cargo hold flying to Kauai, so the final leg was completed by barge.
The Result
Within 20-weeks, Kormax successfully delivered all 900 boiler grates to the final location in time for the scheduled shutdown. Following installation by the customer, not a single casting was non-conforming. The customer was able to perform the necessary maintenance on the biomass boiler and now has a proven foundry supplier setup ready to deliver for future replacement cycles.
