Nimonic is a nickel-based, high-temperature, low creep superalloy, with very high Nickel and Chrome content. In 1978, MWH was the first company to bring this material from aerospace to the manufacturing of exhaust valve spindles for extreme performance internal combustion engines. Nimonic has a remarkable ability to withstand high temperatures and corrosive attack, enabling a significantly longer lifetime compared to a conventional stainless material. Today, Nimonic is the standard in most modern engines.

With the aim of reducing running costs and downtime for our customers’ 4-stroke engines, MWH invented and patented Turnomat technology in 1983. Controlled distribution of temperature around the valve head is difficult to achieve, particularly at low engine speeds. The forced rotational movement of the Turnomat causes a defined rotational energy for the valve during seating during the closing stroke. This yields the desired polishing effect, removing combustion deposits between valve spindle and valve seat while eliminating the “seat hammering”, often leading to blow-by. The Turnomat ensures a precise and dependable rotation of the valve spindle during the entire stroke, making it an ideal tool to ensure the rotational speed meets the actual requirements.

Imagine taking a standard or Nimonic valve spindle that is at the end of its life and making it as good or better than new – that is the result of MWH’s “Nimalike” invention.  The Nimalike process involves rebuilding valves by welding a super-alloy material onto their surface, rendering them more resistant to high-temperature corrosion. Years of development and testing together with field experience have ensured that we can more economically upgrade new or used standard valve spindles to Nimalike spindles. 

Titanium Aluminide (TiAl) –based alloys are intermetallic alloys of Titanium and Aluminum which exhibit exceptional specific strength and stiffness up to 800°C. TiAl is lightweight, strong, oxidation- and heat-resistant, making it ideal for high temperature and high speed (reciprocating and rotational) applications in aerospace and automotive industries. MWH first introduced TiAl intake and exhaust valves for F1 engines ahead of the 1997 season and we patented our TiAl valve manufacturing process in 1998. Over 20 years of R&D and manufacturing excellence with TiAl alloys have made us the leading valve train solutions supplier for customers looking to reach the next level of performance.

Cold corrosion can form on the inside surface of cooled exhaust seat rings, dramatically reducing time between overhauls (TBO) – in many cases cutting it in half. To reduce cold corrosion and normal wear and tear, MWH engineered an innovative new technology called MWH Cold Corrosion Coat (MW-C³). This unique coating effectively combats corrosion and acts as a stable protective barrier. MW-C³ provides numerous benefits, such as increased component lifetimes, fewer in-service component failures, predictable maintenance intervals, upgraded engine performance and engine efficiency.

The ReliaValve, with its Sentry Rotator, is a mechanical valve rotation system for 2-stroke engines. The ReliaValve prevents deposits on seating surfaces of the valve spindle and seat ring (bottom piece) while continuously polishing those surfaces during the closing stroke. The result of this patented MWH innovation is to extend the component’s normal 3-year lifecycle to 5 years, saving you time and money by increasing the time between overhauls (TBO).

The Sentry Rotator is our patented valve rotation mechanism and a key component of the ReliaValve. The Sentry Rotator sits on the spindle and rotates the valve during the valve’s closing action, reducing wear and preventing deposits from forming on the valve spindle’s seat. It can be retrofitted in existing exhaust valves units with minor reworking, transforming a standard exhaust valve into a ReliaValve.

Combustion chamber components in large engines operate under extreme thermal and mechanical loads. In addition, hot corrosion is often a problem when aggressive elements are present in the fuel (e.g. residual fuel or biogas). Only MWH can offer you MW-C², our innovative coating system designed to protect metal engine components. This unique product has superior mechanical properties to withstand the harsh environment, yet provides excellent chemical and thermal protection. By protecting engine components against hot corrosion, MW-C² can significantly extend the service life of components and allow your engines to operate at peak efficiency for a longer time. MW-C² is effective on various components, such as valves, piston crowns, cylinder heads, and exhaust ports.

Experience shows that sufficient valve rotation is essential for the longevity and performance of the valve spindle and seat ring. With an improved ball-and-spring rotation mechanism and higher quality materials, the BSR is a durable, reliable and efficient valve rotator for 4-stroke engines. MWH BSRs are specially designed and rig-tested to fit on your engine without any modification to your existing set-up.

The continuous trend towards higher efficiencies and reduced emissions is one of today`s major technical challenges for large bore engines. New concepts are necessary to find sustainable solutions for high-end engines with alternative fuels, new combustion concepts or increased power densities. MWH developed a new and unique test rig to identify patterns of premature valve wear leading to potential failure and to validate new concepts.

To push highly loaded combustion engines to the Next Level of Performance ™, cooled and non-cooled hollow valves are an excellent choice to reduce valve masses or to lower valve temperatures. MWH uses cutting-edge manufacturing and inspection technology to design and manufacture hollow stem and hollow head valves. A broad range of materials, including Iron-based, Titanium and Nickel-based superalloys and even intermetallic Titanium Aluminide, enable valve train designers in every race series to extract the maximum performance from their engine.

Development and market introduction of proprietary hard facing materials especially for use in gas and low sulphur fuel applications.

Making valve wear predictable – by using a holistic approach of analytics, component testing and numerical simulation, it is possible to closely approximate valve wear.  MWH’s simulation tool enables us to shorten product development processes while at the same time pushing the limits of technical performance. Simulating wear before the first component has been machined saves an incredible amount of time and money for MWH’s customers.