Their refurbishment projects portfolio holds many examples of expertise, carried out on rudder stocks, propeller shafts, electric motor shafts, pumps and engine components, they also support the manufacture of components by reverse engineering.

Currently being accommodated in Atlantic's 17.5m lathe are two propeller shafts from the water craft maintenance division of the US Army. The work, which is part of a scheduled refit, is being approved by the American Classification Society. It involves the application by spiral welding of inconel cladding to the bearing areas of the shafts and the application of GRP wrap to the non-bearing areas.

Also in the workshops for refurbishment are a propeller shaft and rudder stock with a combined weight of 25 tonnes.

The propeller shaft, which sustained damage during the grounding of the ship, was recovered by controlled thermal straightening followed by machining to the satisfaction of the German classification society. The shaft and stock have been transported from a dry dock in North Africa where the ship in question is undergoing repairs.

Although used extensively for repair and refurbishment, Atlantic's welding expertise is incorporated into the manufacture of many components.

The recent manufacture of a ship's rudder stock combined conventional MMA welding to join the stock and palm with semi-automatic spiral welding to apply a hard coating to the bearing areas. Again this work was carried out under class approval, in this case by DNV.

MJ Information No: 21137