A customer needed to strip coating from heavy wire ropes used on bridges and other structures. The Bristle Blaster® could not reach between the strands, but the MBX® brush could. Because the customer was far away, MontiPower Japan filmed the test in its Tokyo showroom and sent the video, and that was enough for the customer to choose MBX®.
Heavy wire rope is used on bridges and in many other structures, and it is coated to protect it. When that coating has to be renewed, the old layer must come off and the steel must be prepared, all the way into the grooves between the strands.
Choosing the right tool
The obvious first choice was the Bristle Blaster®. On this rope, though, its accelerator bar got in the way and the tool could not reach into the strand profile. The MBX® brush could: its bristles follow the fine contours between the wires. The trial gave a finish suitable for the customer's Grade 2-equivalent (2種ケレン) preparation requirement.
| Task | Coating removal and surface preparation of heavy wire rope |
| Requirement | Grade 2-equivalent preparation, into the strand grooves |
| Tool | MBX® brush (the Bristle Blaster® accelerator bar could not reach the strand profile) |
| Demonstration | Filmed in MontiPower Japan's Tokyo showroom and sent to the customer |
A demonstration that travelled
The customer was far from Tokyo, and a site visit would have taken days. Instead, MontiPower Japan prepared a length of the customer's type of wire rope in its Tokyo showroom, filmed the MBX® at work, and sent the video. The customer could see the brush working into the strands and the result. That was enough to choose MBX® for the job.
Why it matters
Wire rope carries load, and corrosion inside the strands is hard to see until it matters. Recoating it on a properly prepared surface is prevention rather than cure. Choosing the tool that fits the geometry, rather than forcing the familiar one, gets the job right first time (Power). And a video instead of a long trip saved travel for everyone involved (Planet) and gave the customer an answer in days, not weeks (People).
Awkward profile to prepare? Send us a sample or a photo, and we will show you on video what the right tool does.
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