Vo-Tech CNC Modular Boring Bar Systems are fully automated, single-setup tooling platforms for the in-situ refurbishment of large industrial valves — anchored by the MSIV Repair Tool, an INPO-recognized system that has eliminated MSIV LLRT failures at the plants where it has been deployed. The product family extends the same proven architecture to F-032 control valves and RHR valves, consolidating inspection, machining, welding, and finishing operations into one fixed setup that reduces outage duration, personnel exposure, and total repair cost.
Single-Setup Valve Refurbishment
Vo-Tech CNC Modular Boring Bar Systems are fully automated, single-setup tooling platforms engineered for the in-situ refurbishment of large industrial valves. Built around interchangeable process heads and a common cage, boring bar, and plug architecture, each system consolidates inspection, machining, welding, and finishing operations into one fixed setup — reducing outage duration, technician exposure, and overall repair cost.
The product family is anchored by the MSIV Repair Tool, the only fully automated valve refurbishment system on the market with interchangeable process heads, and extends the same proven architecture to F-032 control valves and RHR valves. Once installed and aligned, the system remains in a fixed position through completion of the repair cycle. Coordinated motion control across all axes delivers precision and repeatability across every operation, while a remote station extends technician standoff up to 85 feet for safety in high-radiation and high-temperature environments.
Flagship Product
Engineered jointly by Vo-Tech and Liburdi Automation, the MSIV Repair Tool was designed to solve a problem the commercial nuclear industry had carried for years: persistent local leak rate test (LLRT) failures on Y-pattern Main Steam Isolation Valves caused by inadequate disc guidance.
The conventional repair approach — manual welding, repositioning between operations, and multiple equipment setups — produced inconsistent results, accumulated significant personnel dose, and consumed critical-path outage time. The MSIV Repair Tool consolidates the complete repair sequence into a single setup. Once mounted to the valve flange, the system performs valve bore laser mapping and data acquisition, packet milling, additional body guide pad welding, seat machining, and valve bore weld buildup to nominal design dimensions — without removing the tool from the valve between operations.
Industry Recognition
The MSIV Repair Tool was featured in INPO Insight (September 2017) as a positive equipment reliability success story. After years of MSIV LLRT failures across both units at Duke Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant — including leakage rates so high that valves would not pressurize — the tool was used to weld additional body guide pads above the in-body seat, restoring proper disc guidance.
The valve guide pad modifications were completed on the last of sixteen Brunswick MSIVs in 2010, and there has not been an LLRT failure of an MSIV due to seat leakage since. INPO documented dose and outage resource savings as direct outcomes of the tool’s single-setup workflow.
See It in Operation
The MSIV Repair Tool performing flange machining as part of the integrated single-setup repair sequence. Single-point machining heads in dual-attachment configuration deliver simultaneous cuts across critical valve surfaces — all without removing the tool from the valve between operations.
This is one of six discrete operations the tool performs from a single fixed setup. The same machining cycle that traditionally required multiple equipment changes, repositioning, and re-qualification is consolidated into a continuous, programmed workflow.
Capabilities
A modular process-head architecture allows the MSIV Repair Tool to perform six discrete operations without repositioning or reconfiguring the work envelope.
Cross-Platform Architecture
The same single-setup workflow demonstrated on the MSIV adapts directly to RHR valves and F-032 control valves. The video shows the system in operation on a Residual Heat Removal valve.
The architectural continuity across the product family lets a single tooling platform — and a single trained operator team — serve multiple valve families across an outage program. The cage, boring bar, plug, and FireView™ control system carry over; only the process-specific configuration changes between valve types.
Control Technology
The FireView™ control console runs on an industrial PC with a touch-screen interface and provides operation-specific control layouts for every process the system performs.
Product Family
The MSIV Repair Tool architecture has been adapted to two additional valve families, delivering the same single-setup workflow to control and heat-removal valve refurbishment.
A purpose-configured CNC system that automates the refurbishment and rebuilding of F-032 control valves. Like the MSIV Repair Tool, the system reduces personnel exposure and total repair time by consolidating multiple operations into a single setup. The F-032 configuration performs three integrated functions without repositioning:
A CNC system configured specifically for the refurbishment and rebuilding of Residual Heat Removal (RHR) valves, delivering the same single-setup workflow that defines the product family. The RHR configuration performs three integrated functions without repositioning:
System Configuration
Every system in the product family is built on a common mechanical architecture optimized for rapid installation and stable, repeatable performance throughout the repair cycle.
Field-Proven Results
Applications
CNC Modular Boring Bar Systems are deployed across the nuclear power generation industry for the in-situ refurbishment of large isolation, control, and heat-removal valves. Typical applications include Main Steam Isolation Valves (MSIVs), Residual Heat Removal (RHR) valves, and F-032 series control valves. Custom system configurations are available for additional valve families on request.
The MSIV Repair Tool is engineered jointly by Vo-Tech and Liburdi Automation. All systems in the product family are manufactured and supported at Vo-Tech’s Crystal Lake, Illinois facility, with engineering consultation, on-site technical support, operator training, and corresponding training mockups available for fleet deployments and outage programs.
Contact Vo-Tech to discuss a valve refurbishment program, evaluate a custom system configuration, or request engineering consultation for the MSIV, F-032, or RHR application.
