In house
Weld, grind, and rebore together
Welding, hard facing, metalizing, grinding, keyway cutting, and barrel honing all happen here in Houston. Your screw and barrel are never handed off to a third party shop between steps.
Houston, TX ยท Screw and barrel repair for plastics and food
Screw and Barrel Repair for Plastics and Food in Houston TX
When the flights on a screw wear down, output falls, melt quality drifts, and you lose the pressure that fills the mold or feeds the die. Solution Gear Co. rebuilds injection mold screws and barrels, single and twin screws, meat processing shafts and cages, and band berry mixers in house in Houston. We weld, hard face, metalize, grind back to the original diameter, recut keyways, and rebore the barrel so the screw and bore run at the right clearance again. Free shipping, free inspection, and an up to 24 month warranty on every job.
Solution Gear Co. is a Houston, Texas screw and barrel repair shop serving plastics, rubber, and food processing plants, family owned and operated for over 20 years. We rebuild injection mold screws and barrels, single and twin screws, meat processing shafts and cages, and band berry mixers by welding and hard facing the worn flights, metalizing and grinding the screw back to its original diameter, recutting keyways, and honing or reboring the barrel to restore the clearance between the screw and the bore. Everything is done under our own roof, with free shipping, free inspection, and an up to 24 month workmanship warranty.
The difference is in the flights
Worn flights, then ground back to spec.
Drag the handle. The same screw, with rounded and undersized flight lands before our process, then welded, hard faced, and ground to the original diameter after.
Before
After
Screw and barrel as a matched pair
Output lives in the clearance.
A screw and a barrel wear together, and the number that decides your output is the clearance between the flight land and the bore. We weld, hard face, and grind the screw, then hone or rebore the barrel, so the pair runs at the specification your process was built around. Fixing one side alone rarely brings the output back.
20+ years
Proven on plastics and food lines
For over two decades Houston plants have trusted us to rebuild the screws, barrels, twin screws, and processing shafts that run their plastics, rubber, and food lines.
To spec
Original diameter and clearance
We grind the screw back to its original outside diameter and flight profile, then match the bore so the running clearance is right, not just close.
How a screw and barrel rebuild works
Our screw and barrel process, step by step.
This is exactly what happens from the moment a worn screw and barrel arrive at the shop to the day they ship back, rebuilt, ground, and matched to clearance.
01
Inspect and measure
We measure the flight diameter along the full length of the screw, check the bore of the barrel for wear and bell mouth, and read the clearance you are running now. The inspection is free and tells you the real condition before any work begins.
02
Straighten and check the core
The screw is checked for runout and straightened if it has bowed. A screw that is not true will keep wiping the barrel no matter how well the flights are rebuilt.
03
Weld up the worn flights
The rounded, undersized flight lands are built back up with weld so there is enough material to machine a full, correct profile.
04
Hard face or metalize the lands
We apply a wear resistant hard facing alloy or a metalized coating to the flight lands so the rebuilt screw resists abrasion and lasts longer than a plain weld repair.
05
Grind back to the original diameter
The screw is ground back to its original outside diameter and flight profile so it feeds, melts, and pumps the way the design intended.
06
Recut keyways and drive features
Worn keyways, splines, and drive shanks are recut so the screw seats and drives without backlash at the gearbox or motor coupling.
07
Hone or rebore the barrel
The barrel bore is honed or rebored to clean up wear and scoring, and the screw is matched to it so the running clearance is back to the specification your process needs.
08
Final inspection and up to a 24 month warranty
Every dimension is checked one last time before the screw and barrel ship. The completed work carries an up to 24 month workmanship warranty.
What we rebuild
Built for the screws that move your product.
From injection presses and extruders to meat grinders and ribbon mixers, the screw is what moves the product. We rebuild all of it for plastics, rubber, and food processing.
Injection Screws & Barrels
Injection mold screws welded, hard faced, and ground to the original diameter, with the barrel honed or rebored so pack and hold pressure come back. Check rings and tips handled as part of the rebuild.
Single & Twin Screws
Extruder screws, single and intermeshing or counter rotating twin screws rebuilt to profile so feed, melt, and mixing return to spec for plastics and rubber lines.
Food Processing & Mixers
Meat processing screws, grinder shafts and cages, and band berry mixer agitators and ribbons welded, metalized, ground, and rekeyed for food processing plants.
A worn screw rarely shows up alone. The same wear that rounds your flights often hits the drive train, so we also handle the matched extruder gearbox repair that turns the screw and the broader gearbox repair behind it, keeping the whole line in one shop.
Straight from the floor
Welded, ground, and ready to feed.
Not stock photos. These are screws we welded, hard faced, and ground back to size in our Houston shop, the same quality that goes back into your line.
No risk to you
Why there is no reason to scrap a worn screw.
Restore
Rebuild, do not replace
A rebuilt screw and reground barrel come back to the original diameter and clearance for a fraction of a new set, and far faster than an OEM lead time. No screw is beyond repair.
Free
Shipping and inspection
Free shipping both ways and a free inspection on every job, plus free pickup and delivery in the Houston area including crating and rigging for heavy barrels. You see the real wear before you commit.
Backed
up to a 24 month warranty
An up to 24 month workmanship warranty on the weld, the hard facing, and the grind. Built to feed and melt the way the original did, and to save up to 50 percent versus OEM.
24/7
Emergency turnaround
Screw galled at 2am? Our 24 hour emergency line answers at 832 270 2009. Rush rebuilds in days, not weeks, so the line gets back to running.
More from the same shop
One shop for the whole line.
A screw and barrel rarely fail in isolation. The same crew that rebuilds your screw also keeps the gearbox, the cylinders, and the pumps around it running, so you place one call instead of five.
When the flights wear, the drive often takes the abuse with them, so plants pair a screw rebuild with our extruder gearbox repair to bring the whole feed train back to spec. The hydraulics that clamp and inject wear too, and we rebuild the hydraulic cylinder repair that drives the carriage and the ram. For the wet end of a process line, our pump rebuild work restores the pumps that feed and cool, and our broader gearbox repair covers every reducer in the plant. Send us the screw, the barrel, and the gearbox together and the whole assembly ships back ready to run.
Questions, answered
What plants ask before they ship us a screw.
Can you rebuild a worn injection mold screw instead of buying a new one?
Yes. When the flight lands wear down, output drops, melt quality suffers, and you lose pack and hold pressure. We weld up the worn flights, hard face them with a wear resistant alloy, then grind the screw back to the original outside diameter and flight profile. A rebuilt screw comes back to spec for a fraction of the cost of new, and it carries an up to 24 month workmanship warranty.
Do you repair the barrel and the screw together to restore the right clearance?
Yes. The screw and the barrel wear as a pair, so the number that matters is the clearance between the flight land and the bore. We measure the bore for wear and bell mouth, hone or rebore the barrel, then grind the screw to match so the running clearance is back to the specification your process needs. Repairing only one side rarely fixes the output problem.
Can you repair twin screws and the food processing shafts in meat grinders and mixers?
Yes. We rebuild intermeshing and counter rotating twin screws, meat processing screws, grinder shafts and cages, and band berry mixer agitators and ribbons. We weld, metalize, grind, and recut keyways on shafts for plastics, rubber, and food processing plants. Shipping and inspection are free both ways and we can rush the work when a line is down.
How long does a screw and barrel rebuild take in an emergency?
Standard rebuilds turn around in days rather than the weeks an OEM replacement can take, and our 24 hour emergency line at 832 270 2009 answers when a line goes down overnight or on a weekend. We offer free pickup and delivery in the Houston area, including crating and rigging, so a heavy barrel does not slow you down.
Get a fast quote on your screw and barrel.
Free shipping, free inspection, free pickup and delivery, and an up to 24 month warranty on every rebuild. Tell us about your screw, barrel, or processing shaft and we will reply fast, often the same day.