Refurbishment saves money.

Yacht chain winch refurbishment.

Marine parts, especially in the luxury yacht department are notoriously expensive.  When a replacement anchor chain had been sourced, it turned out the link size didn’t quite match the winch pocket size and pitch exactly, causing wear and slipping.  We were tasked to re machine the pockets in the winch drum to fit the chain.  Unfortunately the diameter of the drum needed to be larger for the pitch of the chain, so we machined away the old pockets and inserted new material.  When finished, to be sure, as the yacht was in warmer seas and the chain not practical to move, we printed some links of the chain to try for fit.

Two halves showing where the original worn pockets were machined away to fit two aluminium bronze ring inserts which were then 3D milled using CamWorks.