Hamar Trounces Competitor in Engine Bore App

My company, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co., Inc., is a CAT^® dealer providing equipment sales, rentals, parts and service. We pride ourselves on providing a one-stop shop with a strong customer service focus. We recently purchased the L-706 [Bore Laser System] from Hamar Laser Instruments. It’s a fine tool for engine block bores, is extremely repeatable and much faster than other tools we’ve used.

In the Engine Rebuild Center where I work, we tear down and rebuild engines, mainly those used in gas compressor stations. We’re using the Hamar L-706 to check main bore alignment on CAT G3500- and G3600-series engine blocks. These are bigger engines, ranging from 10 to 12 feet in length and can have as many as 11 bores.

We had been using a competing European company’s alignment tool, but we weren’t at all happy with the repeatability. We fought with it from the start and just couldn’t seem to get it to repeat, even when we were confident in what we were measuring. In comparison, the L-706 is simple and easy to use and has great repeatability. It doesn’t take long to set up and the [Bore9] software speeds up the buck-in (laser setup) process and data taking.

We’re super happy with the Hamar’s repeatability, which gives us a lot of confidence. This has been one of the biggest gains for us, since we don’t have to go back through and check the alignment several times to see if we can get acceptable repeatability. I have a machinist background, but I also have quite a few years in Quality Control, so to me, repeatability is everything.

Now with our Hamar, checking the bores takes a fraction of the time it used to. What took half a day with the other tool takes only an hour with the Hamar, which is about 75% faster with the L-706. Time is of the essence here because we’re up against a tight timeframe to roll the block through and get the engine back to the customer.

The Hamar has it all—a fast and easy setup, fantastic repeatability and lots of time saved. We’re very, very happy with this great alignment tool, and the customer service is great, too. I can highly recommend Hamar Laser and the L-706.