General motors moves through the gears with wheelabrator

GENERAL MOTORS MOVES THROUGH THE GEARS WITH WHEELABRATOR PEENING MACHINES

Renowned automotive company General Motors is sending the strength of its components into overdrive thanks to a new suite of shot peening machines from Wheelabrator Group.

Four CFX600 machines from the market leading surface preparation company’s Sisson Lehmann product range will be used at General Motors’ Powertrain factory in Aspern, Austria.

One of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, General Motors’ Powertrain division manufactures parts for the company’s many different brands, including Chevrolet, Saab, Vauxhall, Opel and Cadillac.

The Wheelabrator machines will treat gears and shafts, including imparting a high internal stress on the gear teeth to increase their strength.

Shot peening is a cold working process, which enhances the fatigue life of parts and is usually associated with the aerospace, medical, auto-sport and other critical product industries.

The enhancement is achieved by propelling a stream of media at components, at high velocity and under fully controlled conditions. Each impact acts as a tiny peening hammer, causing a thin layer of exposed surface to deform plastically, with high magnitude compressive residual stress, at or near the surface, balanced by a small tensile stress at the deeper core.