Infastech’s LD40 tool, developed with CRRC, promises to transform rail maintenance in tight spaces, addressing common challenges of efficiency and accessibility.
Rail maintenance is a field marked by tight spaces and tough challenges. Traditional pneumatic tools, while powerful, often require bulky compressors and generators, adding to downtime and labour costs when manoeuvring within confined spaces like bogies. Infastech’s new LD40 lockbolt and monobolt tool offers a solution by pairing high power with mobility, designed to streamline maintenance without the need for heavy supplementary equipment.
“The rail industry faces significant challenges in maintenance and repairs, especially in confined spaces like bogies,” explains Matt Wood, Infastech’s Engineering Manager. Wood continues, “With traditional pneumatic tooling, positioning a tool properly in these restricted environments often requires the usage of compressors and generators, which increases downtime and can escalate labour costs.”
In response to these limitations, Infastech introduced the LD40, a battery-operated tool created in partnership with CRRC, the world’s largest rolling stock manufacturer. Weighing just 4 kg, the LD40 delivers 40 kN of pulling force, enabling operators to install up to 1,000 lockbolts per charge. “Historically, achieving such power necessitated large pneumatic tools tethered to air lines. The LD40 changes all of this,” Wood adds, highlighting the LD40’s unique capability for power and portability across rail, mining, and trucking sectors.
Infastech’s approach goes beyond hardware, focusing also on exceptional customer service. “To prevent downtime, we provide a loan tool so operations can continue uninterrupted,” says John Belayiannis, Sales and Marketing Director, noting that this policy applies regardless of how damage occurred. “It’s a cradle to grave methodology we have with our tooling, ensuring we support our customers at every stage of their operational needs,” Wood adds.
Infastech’s long-term commitment is also evident in its parts strategy. “We stock spare parts for ten years after a tool becomes obsolete,” Belayiannis notes. This extensive service approach supports clients throughout the tool’s lifecycle, ensuring reliable access to parts and repairs.
Infastech’s dual role as both manufacturer and distributor provides added resilience against supply chain disruptions. “With factories worldwide, we ensure a steady supply of products,” says Belayiannis, explaining how this structure allows for rapid adjustments in production as needed.
As the rail industry demands ever more portable, powerful, and reliable tools, the LD40, supported by Infastech’s robust tooling services, meets these needs head-on, keeping rail operations moving efficiently.
