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An Inside Look at Cat® Reman Fuel Injectors
What does it take to remanufacture a high-precision component like a fuel injector? In this article, we’ll go inside the Cat® Reman process to learn how Caterpillar remanufactures products. From design to initial inspection, through intense quality testing and final assembly, we’ll see what makes Cat Reman injectors operate like new.
Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Cat® Reman parts are not rebuilt parts. They are transformed components that recapture and reclaim the potential of your equipment. And when a Cat fuel injector is remanufactured, Cat Reman customers can expect like new performance.
Not only do fuel injectors go through a rigorous cleaning, inspecting and quality check process, they get any number of updates that have been developed since the original part was made. “If you have a design that's been in production for many years, the specifications for those old designs can be enhanced again to deliver more value to our customers,” says Cat Reman Product Manager Danny Simon.
Let’s look at how a fuel injector goes from used to like new.
FROM START TO SALVAGE
Following receipt from the customer and an initial inspection, a Cat dealer sends used core — in this case, an end-of-life injector — to a Cat Reman processing facility. If the team at the processing facility determines the fuel injector can be remanufactured, it is then sent to a remanufacturing facility, where it is disassembled into its individual piece parts. Those parts get an initial wash so that they can be properly inspected prior to remanufacturing.
Sudhindra Ayanji, engineering manager and tech steward for Cat Reman engine systems, explains that the initial wash is essential. “The piece parts come with carbon deposits. So, the first thing we do is wash them. When those components come back after washing, they are clean and we can inspect them,” Ayanji says.
Next, Cat Reman quality checks go into full force. Every bit of a fuel injector is thoroughly inspected and, when needed, measured.
For a fuel injector, meeting specifications can be a matter of microns — one micron being one-tenth of human hair thickness. Ayanji describes what happens with something as small as a plunger, a piece that moves back and forth in a barrel or body. “Because there is high-pressure fueling involved, if we don't match it to a specific clearance, fuel can leak through,” he says.
Only after these measurements can techs determine how to bring components back to acceptable specifications. If an injector doesn’t meet the appropriate standards, it will go through Cat Reman’s proprietary salvage process. That can include further cleaning, simple machining, metal deposition — anything that gets the components back to performance specifications.
ADVANCED SALVAGE TECHNOLOGIES
At this point, remanufactured parts receive the latest engineering designs. Then their imperfections are addressed. This is done through machining and metal deposition. Machining involves processes like grinding, lathing, milling, radial drilling and multi-axis machining.
“We have all the available machining processes and specifications. That includes a thin cut process where we are just going to take off a layer of the surface, depending upon what we need to machine to meet the required specifications,” Ayanji says.
Metal deposition technologies include laser cladding, a technique for bonding one material to the surface of another. A laser beam serves as the heat source for melting a metallic material. A coating of that melted material is then deposited onto the part’s surface.
"Cat Reman has developed very advanced laser cladding technologies and has successfully implemented the technology on many components. We deposit the material and then machine the component back to like new specification,” he explains.
Even relatively basic processes, such as grinding a metal surface, call for a high level of quality control. Ayanji says, “We do a rollscan inspection process post grinding. It is a nondestructive process to check for grinder burns. Not only do we implement a cutting-edge technology, we add cutting-edge detection to make sure that the process is conforming with the requirements.”
ASSEMBLY AND END-OF-LINE TESTING
After salvage, the individual parts move to assembly. First, though, the parts must be cleaned again. “Cleaning is critical for fuel systems,” Ayanji explains.
Assembly adheres to the same rigorous quality control criteria as new Cat parts. Ayanji says that final assembly is based on the same assembly requirements for new parts. “The same process is followed. Then, Cat Reman parts get tested to make sure the performance is like new,” he says.
“That testing is what is giving us the assurance that the part is meeting all the functional aspects demanded by our customers. In the case of fuel systems specifically, we have multiple critical performance parameters with every Cat Reman injector receiving the same performance testing as a new Cat injector,” he says.
Those parameters include fuel delivery, timing, peak injection pressure and assembly leakage. Every Cat Reman injector receives the same performance tests as a new Cat component.
A CULTURE OF QUALITY
Ayanji is proud of the like new quality and performance of Cat Reman parts. “When the customer receives a Cat Reman product, the first expectation they will have is about the quality. And the Cat Reman culture is centered around quality. We continuously add, maintain and improve quality control initiatives.”
At the end of the line, it doesn’t matter whether you’re testing a Cat Reman injector or a brand-new injector, Ayanji says. “They receive the same inputs, and the outputs are measured in the same way. The engine will perform like new, no matter what the injector combination. The power and torque will be like new. It will meet strict emissions and performance standards.”
In the end, he says, the focus is on giving Cat Reman customers the most value for their investment.
Check out the range and variety of available Cat Reman parts.
Cat Reman
The Cat Reman thought leaders and subject matter experts involved in the design, development, distribution and marketing of Caterpillar’s remanufactured, like new products.