engineering maintenance solutions - october 2012

Infrared Windows Lead to Better Inspection Page 32

4 & 7

25-27

44

Christer Idhammer – Maintenance best Practice

Heat Exchangers/Heat recovery

Alan France – OEE

October 2012$6.80

£4.16

€5.00

4 & 7 MAINTENANCE BEST PRACTICE

8-11 LATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

13-15 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTS

21-23 CONDITION MONITORING

25-27 HEAT RECOVERY/HEAT EXCHANGERS

32 PAUL SACKER - IR

44 ALAN FRANCE - OEE

Contacts

Publisher

Michael Dominguez

Editorial

editors/contributing: Jon Barret, Christer

Idhammar, Alan France Paul Sacker

Advertising

Paul Clappison

Paul Miles

Brian Simpson

Production

Tom Britten

Email

[email protected]

Website

www.engineeringmaintenance.info

Phone

tel: +44(0)1634 731646

Fax: +44(0)1634 731644

Address

MSL Media LTD, Cobalt House, Centre

Court, Sir Thomas Longley Road, Rochester,

Kent, ME2 4BQ

4 Engineering Maintenance Solutions

Maintenance Best Practise

The Partnership OrganizationChrister Idhammar -Founder and Executive Vice President

IDCON INC | www.idcon.com | [email protected]

In poorly performing mills it is typical that

production, maintenance and engineering

organizations work in silos without much

cooperation. The traditional view in these plants

is that the maintenance organization delivers

service to its customer which is the production

organization and the engineering organization

is called “the black hole” where requests for

drawing and other documentation updates

disappear, and maintenance and operations

input on design are not included when new

equipment is specified and procured. This

traditional view has never made sense to me

because the results of maintenance work are

not service. Services are the resources the

organization has to deliver equipment reliability

and asset preservation.

One common observation in best manufacturing

organizations is that Operations, Maintenance

and Engineering work in a close partnership.

They view Reliable production as their

common goal. The Maintenance organization

delivers Equipment Reliability; The Operations

organization delivers Process Reliability in

an equal partnership and the Engineering

organization design and procure equipment

based on lowest Life Cycle Cost (LCC) instead

of lowest purchase price. LCC includes total

cost of ownership for acquisition, installation,

operations and maintenance, energy,

scrapping etc. Reliability and Maintainability

requirements are included in early specifications

with involvement from the operations and

maintenance organizations.

The picture shows a good example on LCC

design. The portable lifting arm, jacking bolts

for motor alignment, drain valve to drain pump

house and fixed pick up points for vibration

analysis will cost a little more initially but will save

much more during the life of the pump. Good

instructions and a bill of material specifying all

original manufacturers’ data on all components

in pump shall also be delivered. Picture courtesy

of ABS Pump AB.

All organizations I talk with about the principles

of a partnership work system agree but seldom

implement the changes aggressively enough

to harvest the benefits. Most organizations are

under the illusion that they already work as

partners and therefore do nothing to implement

it. Today pulp and paper mills cannot afford not

to implement a partnership work system, the

saving opportunities are too big to be ignored

and the decision to implement a partnership

work system has to come from the mill manager

or above him/her. The rest of the organization is

often gridlocked and protective of their old roles.

The table below summarizes some maintenance

related differences between traditional service

focused organizations and organizations based

on a partnership work system driven by reliability

performance.

The picture shows a good example on LCC

design. The portable lifting arm, jacking bolts for

motor alignment, drain valve to drain pump house

and fixed pick up points for vibration analysis will

cost a little more initially but will save much more

during the life of the pump. Good instructions

and a bill of material specifying all original

manufacturers’ data on all components in pump

shall also be delivered. Picture courtesy of ABS

Pump AB.

ImplementationFirst of all your mill manager must believe that

to implement partnership work practices is the

right thing to do because it improves the mills’

competitiveness and you cannot afford not to

do it.

It is imperative to understand that the change

to partnership practices is not a revolution it is

more of an evolution through implementation

of a lot of common sense. So it does not need

to take long time and it does not cost a lot of

capital dollars.

Recommended implementation steps

If most of what you have read in this article

makes sense you need to sell these ideas to

key people in your organization. Often you can

speed up this process by assemble operations,

maintenance and engineering to present and

discuss these ideas. Because the principles are

common sense there is a very good chance that

acceptance will be very high.

Mission statementIt will help you to first agree on a joint mission

statement between operations and maintenance

for your production organization. Key operations

and maintenance leaders must together work

out this statement. You can start by listing some

key words that should be included in statement

E.g. Reliable Production, Safety, Partnership.

Split up in a couple of groups to work out the

statement. Review the statements you come

up with a couple of times and you will most

probably come up with a mission statement you

all agree to. An example could be;

“In a partnership between operations and

maintenance we shall safely deliver continuously

improved production reliability through long term

implementation of best practices”

Belief.

Improved production reliability will decrease

manufacturing costs.

The mission statements for maintenance

and operations must be tied with the above

statement. For the maintenance organization the

mission statement could say;

As an equal partner with operations we shall

safely deliver continuously improved equipment

reliability through long term implementation of best

practices”

Belief.

More On Page 7

5Engineering Maintenance Solutions

Page Header


Maintenance Best Practise

Constituent Service Focused Organization Partnership Work System Comments

Key Performance

Indicator

Maintenance Cost/ton Prime Quality Tons/Manufacturing

Cost

Drives the organization to focus on

competitiveness and total results. The

focus must be on what drives cost, not

cost alone

Engineering Specification and procurement of new

equipment done without reliability

and maintainability specifications and

enough

involvement by users. Procurement

primarily based on lowest cost to

acquire.

Procurement based on lowest Life

Cycle Cost. Specifications include

reliability and

maintainability requirements.

To be successful investments must

change from short term cost focus

to long term total cost of ownership.

Privately held companies can be more

successful to implement this strategy

than public companies.

Reliability Seen as a maintenance responsibility

and deals with equipment only.

Sometimes related solely to predictive

maintenance.

Reliability is the total performance

measurement for the whole

organization.

Encompasses process and

equipment reliability.

Improved manufacturing reliability drives

down cost. One common performance

indicator helps build the partnership

work system.

Production Reports Documents lost production per

department. E.g. Mechanical

Maintenance, Electrical, iinstrumentation

and Operations.

Describes the problem, selects

problems to be solved, assign

problem owner, eliminates the

problem and train rest of

organization in solution.

A change from asking who? To asking

Why? strengthen partnership work

practices

Root Cause Analysis Often called Failure Analysis. Called Problem Elimination The term “Failure” often relates to

equipment and thus maintenance. The

term “Problem” includes everything and

supports the partnership work practices.

Flexibility Operators operate and maintenance

people maintain.

As a minimum operators do basic

inspections of equipment and

process. They are trained in how to

do inspections.

Operators can often do 50% of all

basic equipment inspections. This will

significantly lower costs for preventive

maintenance. It is the first step towards

expanded operator and maintenance

work flexibility.

Priorities of

Maintenance work

Priorities are decided by the requestor

which often represents the operations

organization. Priorities are often

emotional.

A priority guideline is agreed upon

and respected by both operations

and

maintenance.

The most common reason why planners

do not plan is frequent interruptions by

emotional priorities. A service focused

maintenance organization will encourage

a “Yes Sir” mentality. In a partnership

the priorities will be set on basis of

what is most important for the whole

organization.

Planning and

Scheduling.

-Shutdown work

Maintenance and Operations work

scheduled in separate schedules.

Schedules can easily be changed.

One schedule for all work. Schedule

changes are done jointly between

operations and maintenance. Shut

down project manager represents

operations.

A partnership will easier overcome old

and very costly practices. Improves

reliability and

Production throughput.

Planning and

Scheduling.

- Daily work.

Work frequently added to schedule in

the morning of the day it is requested

to be done. This practice is accepted

by maintenance because operations is

the customer.

Schedule for next day’s work is

closed at 11.00 a.m. day before

execution. Work is assigned to

crafts people end of day before

execution of schedule. Less than 5%

changes in schedules.

Drives a change in behavior. Increases

maintenance productivity.

Maintenance cost

Responsibility.

Operations request 70% of work.

Maintenance manager is blamed For

budget over runs.

Joint responsibility for Manufacturing

costs.

Drives partnership work practices

Maintenance craft

People on shift.

Many people on shift to cover For

possible break downs. Craft People

often poorly utilized.

Very few or no maintenance craft

people on shift.

Fewer maintenance craft people on shift

will result in more maintenance work

done by operators.

What good look like and how good your organization is

You might also want to do

a structured educational

evaluation of your

maintenance performance

in order to increase

awareness and to let your

organization discover the

gap between best practices

and your actual practices.

This evaluation should

describe your new work

practices in such a way

that improvements, or

the lack thereof, can be

measured.

Improved equipment reliability will

decrease maintenance costs.

The application and true use of this

statement will drive very different

work practices than if the statement

would say as following actual

statement from a maintenance

organization;

“As a service organization to

production we will safely provide

effective services at lowest cost.”

This organization became very cost

driven. The maintenance manager

focused on cutting the cost of

maintenance over many years. He

had done exactly what was asked

by his manager and followed the

mission statement. The easiest

way to cut maintenance costs is

to defer maintenance work and

that was what he did, so after two

years maintenance costs started to

go up drastically and reliability was

decreasing so he was fired.


to view both concise and detailed information about

the component in question.

With the on-going technical advancements in

switches and sensors and the ever-escalating levels

of legislation faced by so many applications, the

need to evaluate material specification, design and

application criteria are now important factors for

engineers to consider. The new UK website for Gems

Sensors & Controls makes this task a little easier.

The new Gems Sensors & Controls website is

online now at www.gemssensors.com.

Latest News

Water in an oil system can mean trouble. Leading

to corrosion, ineffective lubrication, friction and

eventually serious damage. So it is good news

that sensor market leader ifm electronic now

offers a new diagnostic tool in the form of a solid-

state oil condition monitor.

The new LDH monitor will detect water

contamination and indicate the relative

percentage of moisture content via the analogue

output. This allows an external alarm to set if the

water content gets too high, and will also provide

data for trending over a period of operation.

Oil temperature is of course also a commonly-

measured parameter, and the LDH will also

measure this in parallel to the water content and

signal this on a second 4 to 20mA output; two

devices combined as one.

The LDH will operate over a wide range of

oil temperatures, from –20 to 120 °C from a

standard DC power supply (9 to 33V).

ifm is committed to working closely with its

customers to develop products which precisely

match their needs, and the company provides

expert, readily accessible technical support to

help users maximise the benefits they gain from

ifm products.

For further information, contact Gemma Castle,

Exhibition & Communications Coordinator

ifm electronic | Tel: 0208 2132234

IFM electronic Ltd., Efector House, Kingsway

Business Park, Oldfield Road, Hampton,

Middlesex, TW12 2HD.

Keep Your Oil in Condition

New oil condition monitor from ifm electronic

Gems Sensors & Controls has launched a new,

user-friendly UK website offering ease of navigation

and increased functionality that will assist engineers

in the specification and use of sensors and miniature

solenoid valves. The UK site now provides

design, production, manufacturing and process

engineers with a wealth of information about Gems’

comprehensive range of products and services,

and is set to become a valued resource of technical

advice and information.

The website contains a host of features, news items,

case studies and product information that can be

located via logical pathways and clear directions,

enabling the user to browse quickly to the required

destination with the minimum of mouse clicks. In

particular, the product section has been thoughtfully

laid out with information divided into bullet-pointed

product summaries, in-depth product instruction

bulletins for download, and useful explanations of

operating principles, offering the user the opportunity

Gems UK Web Relaunch Aids Sensor And Valve Specification

J D Neuhaus – ‘Engineered For Extremes’With nearly 270 years of experience in the design and manufacture of high performance handling and lifting equipment, the J D Neuhaus company has updated their ‘logo and slogan’ to a design which more closely represents their latest products, including new developments, designed for applications in some of the toughest markets and environments.

For many years the logo slogan of ‘powered by air’

was fully appropriate for their full range of hoists,

cranes and winches. More recently, however, the

introduction of hydraulically powered products has

been predominant, suitable for the operating conditions

in heavy engineering markets such as shipbuilding,

mining, tunnelling and oil and gas exploration which all

have their own unique requirements. To do justice to

these developments, the logo slogan has been updated

to ‘engineered for extremes’, which the company

feel is more representative of their current product

performance and developments.

JDN products incorporate 100% duty ratings,

insensitively to humidity and dust while operating at

temperatures from -20°C to +70°C. They are ideally

suited for working in hazardous atmospheres and are

Ex rated for use in potentially explosive areas.

To complement and supplement these changes,

the JDN website address has been consolidated for

worldwide operation to www.jdngroup.com.

In addition, the website now incorporates an interactive

online platform that has been designated as JDN

Community. This provides an exchange medium

for anyone involved with the JDN company and its

products. Technical issues can be raised, together

with product user experiences with images welcomed

illustrating application sites of JDN lifting and handling

equipment. Indeed, everyone posting a JDN story

on the site will be entered in a prize draw for a 7 day

holiday.

Further information is available on request to:

Telephone: +49 2302 208-219

Fax: +49 2302 208-286

e-mail: [email protected]

www.jdngroup.com


Latest News

With this blue elastomeric foam, Armacell is believed to be the first manufacturer to offer a flexible insulation material which achieves European fire class B-s1, d0. The insulation material has an extremely low smoke density, making it an important contribution to the overall level of fire safety in buildings. In order to be able to install the new material reliably, Armacell has developed a range of purpose designed adhesives specifically for use with Armaflex Ultima. The product is also patent pending and will be launched on several European markets later in the year. Furthermore, Armaflex Ultima meets the requirements for sustainable construction and green building, such as the criteria for the LEED (US), BREEAM (UK) and GREEN STAR systems. All three are third-party certification programs for measuring the environmental sustainability of new and existing homes and buildings, with BREEAM being mandatory for new housing projects in the UK.

Statistics indicate that fires kill between 6,000 and 10,000 people annually in Europe alone. But only a few of these are killed by the flames, the majority die as a consequence of smoke inhalation. In the event of a fire it is vital that escape routes can be found quickly – which is only possible with minimal smoke development. The new European fire classification takes this fact into account, and when assessing the fire behaviour of building products not only tests the flammability, but also the smoke density and the production of burning droplets. The new Armaflex Ultima is the first flexible insulation material to achieve fire class B-s1, d0 in the European fire test. The insulation material releases only a minimal amount of smoke in a fire and thus makes an important contribution to the safety of people in buildings.

For maximum safety and sustainability, all public, commercial and residential new-builds should be planned and built incorporating the principles of sustainability, with

Successful Launch By Armacell For Fire Class Insulation Materials

Armacell celebrated a successful premiere of their latest Armaflex Ultima insulation material at the ISO’12 European trade fair for insulation technology which was held recently in Cologne.

the renovation of existing buildings also being given the same consideration. A Green Building certification is now important, and buildings certified under LEED, BREEAM or a comparable national scheme, such as the German DGNB, are characterised by high resource efficiency in the areas of energy, water and materials to have as little negative impact on health and the environment as possible. A range of tubes and sheets, in various sizes and thickness combinations is available in the Armaflex Ultima range, which in combination with the solvent-free Armaflex Ultima SF990 adhesive, can contribute to fulfilling the criteria for LEED certification. As with all Armaflex insulation materials, Armaflex Ultima conserves natural resources and reduces the emission of climate-damaging CO2.

The choice of adhesive depends on the requirements of the project in question, and Armaflex Ultima is available in both standard and self-adhesive versions. In order to provide a reliable insulation system for the sensitive area around the pipe bracket, the Armafix pipe support is also offered in the new Armaflex Ultima quality.

Further information is available on request to:

Telephone: 0161 287 7100 | Fax: 0161 633 2685

e-mail: [email protected] | www.armacell.com/uk

A specialist manufacturer of high quality

components for critical industrial applications

has employed the latest analytical technology to

guarantee the metallic composition of the products

it provides. Employing a portable XRF analyser from

Ashtead Technology, UK based Wulfrun is able to

quickly check the quality of raw materials, work in

progress and final products, in order to meet the

tight specifications required by the market sectors

for which quality is critical.

Wulfrun’s Bastien Wacogne says “We hire

the latest XRF instruments for three reasons:

component traceability, health and safety, and to

prevent component failure. XRF hire from Ashtead

Technology ensures that we have access to the

XRF Rental Helps Assure Component Quality

Parker Hannifin Corporation’s ParkerStore Retail Network to Open 2000th Store Location, Continuing Global Growth

Chassieu, France, Location Joins Worldwide Network of Independently OwnedIndustrial Retail™ Operations

Warwick, UK, September 27, 2012, Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, will open its 2000th ParkerStore in October this year. Nearly 20 years after its introduction, ParkerStore will celebrate a significant milestone in its global growth with the opening of the new store, situated near Lyon, France. The ParkerStore was introduced as an Industrial Retail™ concept that would serve as an environment for the immediate and direct sale of industrial products through an approved, service-based platform. Working with Parker’s global distribution partners, Parker designed the ParkerStore concept to reach the walk-in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) or “industrial retail” marketplace that had largely been ignored by competitors.

When the ParkerStore concept was developed, trade counters were the norm in the industrial space. Combining the trade counter and retail models, ParkerStores would allow customers to order custom, while-you-wait hydraulic hose assemblies while shopping for complementary products typically also required, such as couplings, filters, lubricants, oil, tooling and safety equipment.

The ParkerStore environment was a new concept designed to bring the warehouse out to the showroom. ParkerStore also provided immediate access to critical components, which would have a big impact on a business’ bottom line by helping to reduce the money and time lost due to equipment downtime.

“Parker’s industrial retail strategy has realised significant worldwide growth since the first ParkerStore opening in 1993 as the ParkerStore concept presents a complete business plan for distributors who are interested in operating a retail location,” said Brad Fischer, Director of Global Retail Operations. “With 2,000 ParkerStores today, our distributors support local customers and boost MRO sales by displaying their full Parker offering with a professional shopping experience.”It took 15 years to get to 1,000 store locations, but with the model proving its value to the channel, growth accelerated to double that number in less than four years in the midst of an incredibly turbulent economy. And, while many of the early stores were physically connected to a distributor’s location, many of the new stores being opened are completely stand-alone. The 2000th ParkerStore is located in Chassieu, France, a suburb of Lyon. It opens in October 2012, with approximately 1,600 square feet of retail space dedicated to Parker products, including hydraulic components and pumps, hydraulic filters, connectors, pneumatics, compressed air treatment and more. This is the 12th ParkerStore that Patrick Martin, CEO and owner of industrial supply company MABEO, has opened in the last 14 years.

most advanced technology without the capital cost

of ownership.”

For more information visit:

www.ashtead-technology.com


Product Spotlight

Packaged in a tough transit case, the 9100D is

ready for travel.

With calibration capabilities

from 7Hz to 10kHz up to 20g,

using the 9100D is simplicity

itself. Merely attach the sensor,

set the frequency and amplitude

and record the results.

The 9100D has a built-in sine

generator and shaker, with a quartz

reference accelerometer for stability,

plus digital electronics. Has a battery

life of 18hrs and closed loop control

for added convenience.

Applied at gear input

or output shafts, they

measure torque and force

without contact. The

sensors are independent

from the number

of rotations, robust

against media such as

oil and water, vibration

resistant, resistant to high

temperature, insensitive to bending and lateral forces, long-term

stable and maintenance free. That way, engines can be controlled

and maintained very precisely.

Email: [email protected] Tel.: +49 (0)89 665619-46

Website: www.ncte.de

NCTE – Accurate Measuring

Under Extreme ConditionsNCTE torque sensors are based on the

principle of magnetostriction.

New 9100D Portable Calibration System

The new 9100D is ideal for checking accelerometers, velocity and proximity probes on site.

Call PCB Piezotronics Ltd on 01462 429710

or email [email protected] for more information.

The FreeScan system enables the ultrasonic scanning of materials

to identify, measurement and provide a detailed record of suspect or

defective areas.

Positional information is obtained using Infra red sensors to locate an

Infra Red emitter and determine its x/y co ordinates.

Captured images may be accurately measured and presented in a

report format showing position, length and area with C-scan, B-scan

and D- scan views available.

FreeScan provides a user friendly portable and very economic small

area scanning solution particularly in the Aerospace composite

inspection field and also for corrosion mapping.

NDT Consultants Ltd - FreeScan System

NDT Consultants Ltd - Email: [email protected]


Leak Detection

Water Mist Generator For Shock Wave AttenuationWater mist generator designed for protecting people

from unauthorized explosions in underground structures,

oil platforms and methane explosion in coal mines.

The new generator activates at the command

received from a blast detection wireless system.

The activated generator produces a tailored

water mist with droplet sizes in the range of 25-

400 micron that are discharged along selected

sections of a tunnel.

The time of activation from the moment of blast

is 11 ms, the mist discharge speed is 60-80

m/s, the volume of discharged water mist is

90-100 liters per activated station, and the

shock overpressures are decreased by a factor

between 1.9 and 2.3.

1 - absorber control block

2 - high pressure camera

3 - water container

4 - nozzles

Above: Water mist generator for horizontal

dispersal

Above: Water mist generator for vertical

dispersal.

Center for Infrastructure Protection and Physical

Security (CIPPS), University of Florida, 365 Weil

Hall, PO Box 116580, Gainesville, FL 32611-

6580, USA ([email protected])

G. Tsulukidze Mining Institute, 7, Mindeli St., 0186

Tbilisi, Georgia

([email protected])

New System For Detecting Strong Acid Leaks

Environmental and safety concerns are becoming a significant issue for a whole range of industries where strong mineral acids are used.

Leading companies already

adopt a regime of good

maintenance, training and spill

and leak mitigation procedures.

Increasingly, they are also

seeking better ways of detecting

acid weeps or leakage at

the very earliest stage. They

understand the damage that an

environmental incident can have

on their corporate safety and

environmental record.

Pentair Thermal Managements recent white paper includes details

of the TraceTek acid leak system and is available from

[email protected]

Diesel Leak System From Pentair Thermal

Controls Certified By FM Global To FM 7745

Increasingly, commercial facilities must have back-up power sources and the most common way to providethat power is with diesel powered generators.

However, pumping and

storing diesel fuel inside of

a building introduces a risk

of fire.

FM Global has recently

released FM 7745

“Approval Standard for

Diesel Leak Detectors”.

The TraceTek Fast Fuel

Sensor Probe (pictured) and TT5000 Fuel Sensor Cable have been tested

by FM approvals and are certified to meet the requirements of the new

standard.

More details from [email protected]

Page Header


Product Spotlight

The MC6 is an advanced, high-accuracy field calibrator and

communicator. It offers calibration capabilities for pressure,

temperature and various electrical signals. The MC6 contains a

full fieldbus communicator for HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and

Profibus PA instruments. The usability and ease-of-use are what

really makes the MC6 unique. The large 5.7” color touch-screen

with a multilingual user-interface makes the MC6 an ideal portable

measurement device for field use in various industries, such as the

pharmaceutical, energy, oil and gas, food and beverage, service as

well as the petrochemical and chemical industries

The Beamex Mc6 Advanced Field Calibrator And

Communicator Is A Solution To The New Process

Industry Requirements.

Utilising and modifying technology developed for

the electronics manufacturing industry, Precision

Micro has developed a bespoke AOI system.

The system scans the work piece, acquires

millions of data points (pixels) in a fraction of a

second, and compares the data to a first article,

known good sample.

As well as identifying missing components

and features, the system will measure critical

dimensions and ensure results fall within agreed

limits, measured in microns. The system is

so sensitive that it can identify minute surface

blemishes, scratches and stains. Any defects are

100% Inspection For Minute Etched ComponentsPrecision Micro, Europes leading photo chemical etching company, now offer 100% inspection on all parts as a result of investment in Automated Optical Inspection (AOI).

highlighted immediately and all data is stored for

future analysis.

In addition to ensuring the shipped product

achieves six sigma quality standards, the results

of the AOI are fed back into the companys

continuous improvement programme, enabling

appropriate remedial action to be taken.

As components become ever smaller, the

limitations of manual visual inspection become

increasingly evident. The AOI system is not only

faster, but by evidence, far more repeatable than

manual visual inspection could ever be.

The AOI system has been developed and

installed in response to demands from major

customers and is seen as a significant step

in meeting the ever more stringent quality

requirements of the automotive, healthcare and

aerospace industries.

Precision Micro Ltd

11 Vantage Way, Erdington

Birmingham, B24 9GZ, UK

Tel: +44 121 380 0100

Email: [email protected]

Visit: www.beamex.com

BE-Series Automatic Electric FiltersThe BE-Series automatic electric filters combine the advantages of high quality filtration from different water sources with a self-cleaning feature that does not rely on hydraulic scanner nozzles.

Flushing can occur at pressures as low as

15 psi / 1 bar.

When the pressure loss (DP) across

the filter has reached 7 psi / 0.5

bar, cleaning is performed by motor

driven, rotating, stainless steel brushes.

The flushing valve opens and pressure

in the flushing chamber exhausts the

collected dirt. The cleaning process

takes 8-10 seconds, with no interruption

of flow. The screen element is 316 stainless

steel wedgewire, down to 200um.

VAF Filtration Systems ~ www.vafusa.com ~ +1 303 425 4242


Visit www.SpeedSwitch.com

or call 860-928-6551 for assistance in selecting the

appropriate device for your application.

Keep Job Sites Safe and Productive

Knowing when critical equipment has

stopped functioning can avoid major

problems and keep employees safe.

A Zero Speed Switch sends an alert when a

conveyor, fan, motor, crusher, or any rotary device

stops turning. Proximity, electronic, or electro

mechanical models that need no power to operate

are available to fit your application. Explosion proof

models are available.

These devices have been manufactured by Control

Concepts in the United States for over 50 years and are shipped

worldwide.

A new generation of products

As Tom Parker Ltd’s Sales Manager, Seb Cole, explains: “We knew from the outset

that SICO-AIR’s new generation of products would be popular with our customers but

the response has exceeded even our expectations”.

“Aluminium ringmain systems have been used extensively across Europe for some

time now and it is clear that our UK customers have been equally quick to embrace

the exciting new technology that SICO-AIR represents.”

Light, quick and easy to install in every application

The systems are quick and easy to install while the smooth bore aluminium pipes

provide an excellent flow rate and reduced pressure drop as well as resistance to fire,

UV exposure, shock and long-term corrosion, making the system uniquely durable,

re-usable and economical.

The system is also incredibly flexible, adapting with ease to every conceivable

application from small installations to large industrial production plants.

Tom Parker Ltd expands their SICO-AIR range

Preston-based pneumatic and hydraulic specialists Tom Parker Ltd., has announced that, in response to increasing demand from customers, it is expanding its SICO-AIR range by offering the entire range in larger sizes of up to 50mm.

Tom Parker Ltd.

Marsh Lane Mill | Marsh Lane | Preston | PR1 8RT | UK

Telephone: 01772 251405 | www.tom-parker.co.uk


Ventilation

Western Air Ducts, a leading firm of Industrial

Air Quality Consultants and Engineers, provided

the design, manufacture and installation of

extraction systems to key production areas in

the plant, including the crucible spray rooms

and the cutting and sawing area. Silicon is a

hard and brittle material and the sawing process

generates quantities of PEG (polyethylene

Clean Air For Crystalox From Western Air DuctsCrystalox Ltd, manufacturer of multicrystalline silicon

wafers for solar power system applications, relies on air

extraction systems from Western Air Ducts to provide a

good work environment for its Milton Park employees,

and to help keep manufacturing costs down by re-using

heat generated by equipment.

glycol)-based slurry mist, which although benign,

is not pleasant for operators to breathe.

The solution provided by Western Air Ducts

took advantage of the heat generated by the

air compressors in the factory, which would

otherwise just have been lost to the outside air,

and by the adjustment of the extraction louvres,

re-used it in the plant room, so keeping down

manufacturing costs.

Crystalox Engineering Design Manager, Paul

Merrick, comments; “Western Air Ducts took

the time to understand our processes in order

to provide the optimum solution, from the overall

concept, to the all-important details, such as

positioning fans so that they can easily be

maintained, without the use of scaffolding.”

Western Air Ducts also offers regular inspection

and maintenance of LEV systems in compliance

with HSE Guidance (HSG258) and COSHH

Regulations 2002 Regulation 9, ensuring that

LEV systems are performing optimally for the

workforce and the working processes.

Contact details:

Western Air Ducts (UK) Ltd.,

Environment House, Westfield Industrial

Estate, Midsomer Norton, Bath, BA3

4BS, UK

tel. 44 (0) 800 987 5360

email: [email protected]

www.wad.co.uk | www.wadlev.co.uk

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Wireless Sensors

The first self-contained wireless photoelectric

sensing solution for multiple monitoring and

control applications has been introduced by

Banner Engineering (www.BannerEngineering.

com), the company reports. The new SureCross

Wireless Q45 includes a sensor, radio and

internal battery power supply in a single

compact and robust housing.

A variety of sensing modes are available in the

new self-contained wireless series, allowing

for functions including presence/absence,

alignment, position, counting, monitoring

and detection. Battery life is up to five years

depending on sensor model and application,

and the housing is IP67/NEMA 6 rated.

Compared with wireless solutions requiring

a separate sensor connected by wire to a

radio, the self-contained units make it more

economical to add the benefits of wireless

communication for both OEMs and end users.

They are suitable for many industries including

automotive, food and beverages, material

handling, waste management, water supply and

mobile equipment.

Applications include:• Factory automation

• Automotive

• Motor bearings

• Food & beverage

• Cargo handling

• Material handling

• Port operations

• Mobile machinery

• Vehicle detection

• Waste management

• Water supply

• Tank level monitoring

• Agriculture

• Pump/flow control

• Security/perimeter guardingSignals from the sensors are received at a

wireless network gateway that interfaces with

all common PLCs, HMIs and other industrial

control systems. Basic gateways control two

and six sensors, and the flexible system can be

expanded for larger scale applications. Using a

simple binding procedure, new sensors can be

added to the network in minutes since there is

no need to install any cabling.

The wireless sensors are designed for rapid, low-

cost deployment and dependable operation in a

wide range of situations. These include providing

Self-Contained, Battery-Powered Wireless Photoelectric Sensor

New SureCross Wireless Q45 Series from Banner

Engineering provides dependable, economical

communications in multiple industries.

Self-contained SureCross Wireless Q45

Photoelectric Sensors from Banner Engineering

allows easy installation and dependable operation

in challenging industrial applications.

remote input for dry relay contacts, replacing

failed cable runs, adding sensors to mobile

applications, replacing complex festooned or

ribbon cabling and connecting locations that

were previously impractical or impossible.

The secure, proprietary SureCross radio provides

PLC level functionality and reliability over a long

range of 1km/3,000 ft. Data is transferred reliably

by using frequency hopping and a proprietary

protocol; malicious hacking is impossible. The

system does not affect other wireless devices

in the 2.4GHz ISM band. An alarm output is

available in case the radio link is lost.

Banner Engineering is a leading manufacturer

of vision, photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors,

fiber optic assemblies, machine guarding

systems, measurement and inspection systems

and wireless network products. The company

provides local application support worldwide.

Corporate Office for EMEA

Banner Engineering BVBA

Attn: Peter Mertens

Tel.: + 32 (0) 2 456 07 80

Fax : + 32 (0) 2 456 07 89

[email protected]

www.banerengineering.com/eu

Precise position monitoring for quality assurance

in assembly operations is facilitated by self-

contained wireless photoelectric sensors

Call-for-parts systems can be effectively

supported and rapidly updated using self-

contained wireless photoelectric sensors.


Industrial/Plant Cleaning

Blue Diamond Technologies Ltd, Rolwey

House, School Close, Chandlers Ford,

Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 4BY.

Tel: (023) 8025 8966

Fax: (023) 8025 8989

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.blue-diamond.co.uk

Washstation Is Versatile, Cost Effective And Environmentally Sound

Blue Diamond’s Washstation is completely self-contained

and ideal for keeping industrial and construction plant

clean at temporary or remote locations.

It requires only an electricity and water supply to

provide a powerful and environmentally friendly

way to clean all types of equipment, jet-washing

anything weighing up to 5000Kgs that will fit

onto its 2.7 metre square platform.

Quick to assemble, the unit can be easily

dismantled enabling it to be moved to a different

site when required. The unit can also be

extended for larger plant.

The unit comprises a heavy duty galvanised

wash platform and PVC splash curtains coupled

to an efficient oil/water filtration system.

Fully supported worldwide via our offices in USA, Australia and

Malaysia with Qualified Agents in UK, Canada, South Africa,

and Latin America. On-Site and remote training available.

Contact [email protected]

www.cworkssystems.com

CMMS Solutions from CWorks Systems Inc

We provide innovative, flexible, easy to use,

affordable solutions to your maintenance needs.

CWPlus, affordably priced MSAccess

solution, over 500 installations world wide.

CWSQL for larger and multi-site application.

Also includes remote site solutions.

CareWorks/Easy, web-based, no upfront

costs, provided as SaaS via a modest monthly fee.

All solutions include Handheld device options for remote updating of Work

Orders, Spare Parts and Meter Readings.


Lubrication

The revolutionary Rotalube® system significantly

extends chain life and reduces maintenance

costs which is paramount in today’s competitive

global market place.

With applications as diverse as theme park rides,

car manufacturing plants and bakery ovens,

Rotalube® is a precise method of lubricating

chain - a patented invention that delivers the

right amount of lubricant to the exact point of the

chain that enables lubricant to penetrate into the

bearing areas.

Comparable drip feed, manual application, brush

application and spit/spray systems – while better

than no lubrication - have varying degrees of

success and can struggle to hit the right spot,

especially when chain speeds fluctuate.

Rotalube’s® simple yet precise technology is

not affected by speed fluctuation - it simply

delivers the right amount of lubricant to the right

place every time, lubricating more accurately,

efficiently, reliably and reducing lubricant

consumption.

Designed by people who know chain and

concept proven at University of Lancaster, the

calibre and pedigree of the engineering team

that has taken this product from concept to

creation is unequalled

Rotalube® has a unique porting system that

meters lubricant through precision ejectors

incorporated within the sprocket assembly.

Although simple in principle, the science is

complex. The interaction from the chain rotates

the sprocket applicator and when the ports align

within the sprocket body the pressure within the

system over comes the back pressure of the

ejector nozzles, this results in lubricant delivered

onto the link plates of the chain precisely and

reliably. From then on the science of capillary

action takes over and results in a perfectly

lubricated chain that – crucially - extends chain

life.

The Rotalube® is a controlled applicator that

does not suffer from excessive wear, and

maintains accurate lubrication whatever the

condition of chain.

Rotalube® is available as standard in four sizes

½”, 5/8”, ¾”, & 1” – the modular design extends

the product offering from simplex to duplex &

triplex. Bespoke solutions using Rotalube®

technology for other sizes are available on

request.

Interlube has developed a new low cost “ACR”

pump specifically to operate with standard

Rotalube applicators. The 24V DC “ACR” pump

has fully adjustable run and dwell settings and

is pre programmed to open and shut a solenoid

valve that will allow air to mix with the metered oil

output from the pump.

The system can be used throughout the food,

automobile, steel, fiberglass and cement

industries. Typical applications that can benefit

include food processing machines, industrial

dryers, tissue converting factories, waste

Unique Lubrication System Extends Chain LifeIt was Leonardo da Vinci who said that ‘simplicity is the ultimate

sophistication’ and, with Interlube’s unique chain lubrication

system, it seems that the simple ideas really are the best.

paper conveyors, truck manufacturing plants,

escalators and elevators.

Interlube offers full technical advice on design

and installation for bespoke systems. The

company recently designed and installed two

such systems One an oil lubrication system that

feeds six Rotalube applicators mounted inside

an oven, first cleaning the chains with a constant

air supply before the lubrication unit delivers a

set amount of oil to each feed.

The second, a Rotalube for chains on a

chocolate moulding line. The Rotalube had an

additional row of centre nozzles that ensured

lubricant was applied to the roller and therefore

coating the guides that supports the chains.

This application will not only improve the life of

the chains but has already shown an 81.5%

reduction in cleaning time.

Interlube’s high quality and reliable products help

to keep trucks, buses, trailers, cranes, quarries

and heavy-duty production lines moving reliably

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Interlube Systems Ltd has been manufacturing

lubrication equipment in the UK since 1922. The

company was the subject of a management

buy-out in 2000 and the US distribution business

was bought from Invensys in 2002. MSP

Distributors Limited and Filtakleen Manufacturing

were acquired in 2007.

The company is a world leader in lubrication

solutions and, with facilities in Plymouth (UK),

Asia, Dayton Ohio (USA), China and Brazil, it

offers a global service to its growing customer

base.


Condition Monitoring

This heavy-duty yet sophisticated instrument brings

powerful analysis and troubleshooting capabilities to

your condition monitoring program, offering unique

productivity and efficiency.

Condition monitoring the SPM way is uniquely easy

to learn and utilize. Highly advanced measuring

techniques, optimized for a minimal and smooth

learning curve, quickly brings your maintenance

department up to speed, providing organised

management for large numbers of routine

measurements. Immediate, on the spot condition

evaluation is also a trademark of all SPM measuring

devices.

Building on the successful Leonova platform,

Leonova Diamond® features state-of-the-art digital

technology and a robust, rugged design. Leonova

Diamond® is the first portable instrument offering

the recently patented and award-winning SPM

HD® measuring technique for condition monitoring

of rolling element bearings. Capable to reliably

measure machine condition in the 1-20.000 RPM

range, the method has broadened the potential

scope of condition monitoring to include more

machinery than ever before. SPM HD® brings to

light machine problems which are impossible to

monitor with traditional vibration measurement

techniques.

Alongside SPM HD®, Leonova Diamond® also

offers highly sophisticated vibration analysis

capabilities. The instrument boasts an excellent

signal-to-noise ratio and provides razor-sharp

spectrums even where signals are weak and low

in energy content. The wide frequency range,

covering from 0 to 40 KHz, enables measurement

where absolute position is vital. For machinery

with journal bearings, Leonova Diamond® reliably

measures dynamic and centerline movement of

the shaft. Multi-channel measurement enables the

use of triaxial transducers and multi-axes vibration

monitoring while cutting long measuring routes

down to a minimum of time. Providing maximum

value, performance and control, Leonova®

Diamond is the perfect tool for the beginner as well

as the advanced vibration analyst.

Leonova Diamond® incorporates highly advanced

and innovative order tracking functionality. The

powerful HD Order Tracking, applicable in an RPM

range from just a few to thousands of revolutions

per minute, enables more precise measurements

and more detailed spectrums than ever before.

On machinery operating under variable speed,

vibration analysis with HD Order Tracking provides

reliable data and crystal clear measuring results

also under large RPM variations. Corrective

maintenance techniques such as run up-coast

down measurement, shaft alignment and dynamic

balancing can be added to the instrument as

optional modules.

The powerful Condmaster® Ruby software

fully supports the Leonova Diamond® features,

providing setup of personalized default settings for

the instrument and all the expert knowledge needed

to evaluate

machine

condition.

Condmaster® Ruby

is modular and system

functionality can be tailored to

specific customer needs.

Leonova Diamond is engineered for performance.

It is a dependable and highly capable analysis

tool, addressing all condition monitoring needs.

The instrument offers a full range of sophisticated

measuring techniques as well as all the supporting

diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities.

Designed for heavy industry, the look and feel of

the instrument reflects its intended use. For use

in hazardous areas and hostile environments,

an intrinsically safe version of the instrument is

available.

Stan Jackson, Managing Director of SPM

Instrument UK, comments on the launch of the

instrument: “Leonova Diamond® is the latest

proof of our commitment to developing first class

condition monitoring products for more profitable

maintenance. In a direct response to feedback

from SPM customers worldwide, we developed

a durable, high-performance instrument that will

deliver long working life under the toughest, most

demanding circumstances.Leonova Diamond®

puts portable intelligence and productivity in the

palm of your hand.”

SPM Instrument Announces The Release Of Leonova Diamond®

SPM Instrument, announces the launch of its

next generation of handheld measuring devices,

the Leonova Diamond®; a portable instrument

for condition measurement in rough industrial

surroundings.

www.spminstrument.co.uk

email [email protected]

For technical details, please visit:

http://www.leonovabyspm.com/

www.spmhd.com


Condition Monitoring

that can be programmed with thousands of

separate machine definitions covering a number

of route choices.

“At GE’s Bently Nevada, we’re

passionate about developing

simple, intelligent systems that

provide our customers with

the information they need to

optimize machinery operations

and ensure the highest level of

productivity and safety,”

said Don Marshall, product manager, GE’s Bently

Nevada. “The SCOUT series aligns perfectly

with our vision to expand our plant-wide

monitoring capabilities, enabling us to offer a

truly integrated, end-to-end condition monitoring

solution to our customers.”

From refineries and petrochemical plants

to hydroelectric facilities and wind farms,

GE’s Bently Nevada provides trusted and

proven vibration monitoring equipment and a

comprehensive services portfolio to help improve

the efficiency, reliability and performance of

production assets like turbines, compressors,

motors and generators.

The SCOUT series demonstrates the business’

commitment to providing the oil, gas and power

generation industries with fully integrated, single-

provider solutions that support all plant condition

monitoring needs. The SCOUT series represents

the first products resulting from GE’s acquisition

of Commtest Instruments in 2011. Commtest

is recognized for its leadership and innovation

in portable vibration analysis and monitoring

instruments.

Engineered from the ground up to offer leading-

edge reliability, accuracy and usability, the

SCOUT series offers the power and convenience

of dual- or four-channel measurement and dual-

plane balancing to support all plant condition

monitoring needs—from route-based data

collection to machinery analysis and balancing.

SCOUT’s combination of accuracy, intuitive

operation and unrivaled storage capacity

ensures that each analyzer delivers a premium

return on investment. Additionally, the SCOUT

series features field-proven Ascent® software

SCOUT Portable Vibration Analyser Series Expands Business’ End-to-End Monitoring Expertise.

The SCOUT series is an intelligent suite of

portable vibration monitoring and analysis

instruments available from the Bently Nevada

business of GE Measurement & Control.

For more information, please visit:

www.ge-mcs.com/scout.


Heat Recovery

If your boiler or CHP system, flue

gases from your boiler exhausts are

taking away significant amounts of

energy. Potentially 15-20% of your

energy is literally “going up in smoke”.

That means that along with other

losses from the system, for every

pound spent, only 55p of energy is

actually being utilised. For shell type

steam boilers, flue losses account

for 18% of wasted energy; heat

transfer gas and water losses 2%,

insulated chamber radiation losses

2% and water outlet blown-down

losses 3%. Therefore it is easy to

note that the greatest energy loss

is through the flue. Much of this lost

heat can be regained by using a flue

gas condensing economiser, which

can enable the boiler’s efficiency

to be increased to as high as 93%

gross efficiency. Because of their

simple design, flue gas condensing

economisers have minimal

maintenance, long life and attractive

payback periods.

Fuel costs and environmental

regulations within the healthcare

sector have created a strong need for

environmental solutions to enhance

boiler performance, decrease fuel

costs and lower CO2 emissions.

Recent advances using equipment

such as flue gas condensing

economisers enable hospitals and

businesses to operate boilers more

efficiently and in a more sustainable

way thereby including heat recovery

and sustainability in one package.

Flue gas condensing economisers

effectively convert an industrial boiler

into a condensing boiler, recovering

waste heat to make hot water.

Boilers are used to create energy

in the form of hot water or steam

to provide heat for establishments.

During the process residual excess

heat is exhausted and is wasted via

the boiler flue. A flue gas condensing

economiser saves energy by recycling

this waste heat from the combustion

exhaust gas providing an additional

energy stream, which can be used

instead of the boilers original energy

stream.

The economiser works by passing

cold water counter flow, and in direct

contact with, the entering hot boiler

flue gases. As the two stream pass

each other through the stainless steel

transfer media of the economiser, the

cold water is heated and the hot flue

gasses are cooled. Used on its own

or with an indirect economiser, water

temperatures of up to 120°C can be

achieved, while exhaust temperatures

are reduced, often to as little as 25°C.

All hydrocarbon fu¬els release

significant quantities of water vapour

as a combustion by product. When

one molecule of methane is burned,

the primary constituent of natural

gas, it produces two molecules of

water. This water absorbs a portion

of the fuel energy (~11%) as it turns to

vapour in the burner flame. Normally

this water vapour and its associated

combustion losses are exhausted in

through the flue. By cooling the flue

gas to below its dew point the water

is condensed and this latent heat of

vaporization (as well as any sensible

heat) is recovered. By recovering this

heat and putting it to beneficial use

elsewhere on site, the economizer

effectively improves boiler efficiency

and reduces fuel consumption

The exact savings from installing a

flue gas economiser vary, dependant

on a number of factors, the stack

temperature, the feed water volume

and the hours of operation. Where

a flue gas condenser economiser is

fitted to the flue of a high-temperature

hot water boiler, the water circulated

through the economiser can be used

for alternative heating purposes local

to the boiler house such as space

heating, domestic hot water or pre-

heating of other process’.

Before deciding on purchasing a

flue stack economiser system, you

should first find out the features

of each boiler. Learn about its

combustion efficiency, maximum

hours of operation, fuel consumption,

stack gas temperature, steam

production, and the boiler’s capacity.

You should also determine what your

in-plant uses for the boiler will be,

like domestic water heating, makeup

heating, preheating and so on. Once

you distinguish all these, the decisions

will come easily.

Flue gas heat recovery systems,

such as those sold by Thermal

Energy International, which utilise

direct contact economisers, ensure

maximum heat transfer and this

results in maximum possible

thermal efficiencies providing the

highest possible energy savings for

each kW of waste energy. Under

the Government’s CRC Carbon

Reduction Scheme, large energy

users have to buy allowances for

each tonne of carbon dioxide at a rate

of £12 per tonne per annum. As a

consequence, participants successful

in reducing energy consumption will

not only save money on energy bills,

How Much Of Your Heat Goes Up The Chimney?By Grant Bailey, Global Corporate Account Director,

Thermal Energy International Inc.

but will also need to purchase fewer

allowances. As a result, for a hospital

that constantly operates a boiler,

installing a flue gas economizer can

be a great business decision. Flue gas

heat recovery systems are not just

about going green they are also about

saving money.

In an economic environment in which

capital expenditure is often the first

area that falls under the sword it is

important for Energy Managers to

identify effective economic solutions

which enable companies to see

favourable pay-back periods on

spend. From a financial stand point

installing a condensing flue gas

economiser recovery system is

one of the best choices you could

make for your hospital. Quality

condensing economisers usually pay

for themselves within 24 – 48 months,

and go on to provide you with

significant energy savings for decades

to come. In addition there are many

important environmental reasons why

every company that operates natural

gas boiler or CHP system should

seriously consider investing in flue gas

economiser technology. Reducing

C02 emissions is good for the planet,

good for government compliance,

and good for public image.

Thermal Energy International Ltd.,

1 John Street, Bristol, BS1 2HR

Tel: 0117 917 7010

Fax: 0117 917 7011

www.thermalenergy.com


HEAT EXCHANGERS

Ultrasound used widely throughout industry

for removing problem contamination

from all kinds of hard surfaces. Its unique

properties can be harnessed to clean

items of all shapes, sizes and technical

complexity, penetrating holes and cavities

that are impossible to reach using ordinary

cleaning methods.

Hilsonic is a leading international supplier

of ultrasonic cleaning equipment for the

power-generation and marine industries.

The company’s systems are suitable for

a variety of purposes within these areas,

including the cleaning of heat exchangers,

intercoolers, charged air filter elements and

particle filters. Hilsonic systems can also be

used to clean engine parts such as pistons,

valves, cylinder heads and engine blocks.

Industrial ultrasonic

cleaning tanks

Hilsonic’s industrial ultrasonic cleaning

tanks deliver the best cleaning results,

with no compromise on quality or

reliability. They are available in four distinct

variations, designed specifically with the

power-generation industry’s demanding

requirements in mind. The company

offers full support, including accessories,

chemicals, spare parts and service. Its

range of industrial ultrasonic cleaning tanks

comprises:

• IST2000 – with bath dimensions of

500×500×300mm, this is the most

compact tank in the range, an ideal

portable system for cleaning small

engine parts and filters


1×1×1m, this versatile mid-range

system is ideal for general workshop

use


2×1×1.5m, this popular system is

designed for larger components such

as heat exchangers, intercoolers and

major engine components


3×2×2m, the largest standard system

in the range, the IST5000 is built to

accommodate the biggest coolers and

heat exchangers.

All systems have Hilsonic’s unique

generator technology, which features a

predetermined frequency sweep and twin-

tandem transducers capable of driving

up to 2m in height, and full cavitation,

Ultrasonic Cleaning For The Best ResultsAs a leading manufacturer of specialist ultrasonic

equipment, UK-based Hilsonic has over 25 years’

experience in the design and manufacture of

ultrasonic cleaning equipment, with an extensive

range of systems designed for use in the industrial

power generation and marine industries for a

variety of cleaning applications.

“With unique design

features, the IST range

of systems is a durable

solution to heavy-duty

cleaning applications,

providing many years of

cleaning.”

Hilsonic is an international leader in the supply of ultrasonic cleaning equipment for the power-

generation and marine industries.


HEAT EXCHANGERS

crucial for cleaning larger components.

Hilsonic systems are manufactured using

the highest quality materials, with 316L

stainless steel tanks as standard, and

heavy-duty stainless- steel frameworks

for maximum weight distribution and

performance. Also standard thorough the

range is the under liquid jetting system,

which improves the cleaning performance

and maintains chemical integrity for

longer. With other unique design features,

this makes the IST range of systems a

durable solution to heavy-duty cleaning

applications, providing many years of

cleaning performance, backed by a two-

year warranty.

Custom-built ultrasonic

cleaning tanks

Hilsonic also manufactures custom-built

ultrasonic cleaning tanks of all shapes and

sizes. From 1L to 15,000L capacities, and

with a huge range of frequencies, densities

and power ratings, these customized

models will always deliver the best cleaning

results, with no compromise on quality

or reliability. For more complex industrial

cleaning processes, Hilsonic will consult

fully with the customer to develop the right

system.

Bench-top ultrasonic cleaning tanks

For small-scale workshop cleaning

problems, Hilsonic’s bench-top ultrasonic

cleaning tanks are the ideal solution. Its

Performance bench- top models are

constructed in 316L stainless steel and are

designed for long-lasting durability, while

the Budget bench-top ultrasonic cleaning

tanks offer good cleaning performance at a

reasonable price, without cutting corners in

terms of ultrasonic power.

Whether a standard or bespoke system is

required, Hilsonic works closely with the

customer at all stages in order to develop a

system to suit their purpose.

Further informationHilsonic www.hilsonic.co.uk

Hilsonic’s ultrasonic cleaning tanks are built to customer specifications


Steam Traps

Comprising all the components needed for

a steam trap installation in one easy-to-fit

package, the STS17.2 lowers the total cost

of ownership of steam plant and can help

companies to reduce their carbon emissions.

The whole package is supported by a 10-year

warranty for total peace of mind.

The STS17.2 is a complete assembly comprising

isolation valves, steam trap connector with

strainer and a check valve in a sleek, modular

body. The single-piece body virtually eliminates

the potential leak paths caused by screwed

connections that conventional steam trapping

stations and on-site fabricated installations

typically suffer.

“The STS17.2’s innovative leak-free stainless

steel body helps steam system operators

to further reduce carbon emissions,” says

Paul Mayoh, Spirax Sarco Product Manager.

“Quick-Fit technology means changing a steam

trap can be done in minutes instead of hours,

significantly reducing plant downtime. Total cost

of ownership is further lowered through the use

of high performance stainless steel components,

ensuring long and trouble-free operation.”

Apart from the steam traps themselves, no other

components need to be specified or purchased,

eliminating the time, cost and inconvenience

needed to select, size, build and install a

conventional steam trap station.

An important safety feature of the STS17.2 is

the inclusion of lockable handles on the isolation

valves to help ensure maintenance can be

carried out safely by minimising the possibility of

accidental operation. Internal parts including the

ball valves, check valve and strainer screen can

all be replaced easily.

A new option with the STS17.2 is the double

isolation adapter. This provides added security

of two upstream isolation valves and allows the

replacement of steam traps whilst the system

is live, eliminating the need for plant downtime.

This can also be considered for upstream and

downstream applications for more specific

maintenance procedures.

The STS17.2 boasts several other options

such as an automatic steam trap monitoring

facility and strainer blow down valves to further

reduce maintenance. The compact design of the

STS17.2 allows it to squeeze into positions that

are too tight to accommodate traditional steam

trap stations built from separate components.

Although there are several connector steam

traps available, selection here is further

simplified by considering thermodynamic for

mains drainage and float for heat exchanger

applications. Steam traps can be changed

or maintained quickly with only two bolt

connections without breaking the pipeline.

The new station is suitable for clean steam and

filtered applications such as hospital sterilisers,

dairy production, food and beverage processing

and some pharmaceutical plants. No sizing

or selection is required for the STS17.2 and

it is considered suitable for all steam main

applications up to 10 bar g and DN150 line size.

Other applications can be sized using the

appropriate Quick-Fit steam trap selection data

and then selecting the same size STS17.2. The

majority of applications will use the ½” or DN 15

unit.

Quick-Fit Steam Trap Station Saves Energy And Cuts Carbon Emissions

More energy efficient steam systems are the promise of the new STS17.2 steam trap station launched by Spirax Sarco in an expansion of its Quick-Fit steam trapping range.

Quick-Fit technology means changing a steam trap can be done in minutes instead of hours,

significantly reducing plant downtime.

STS17.2 lowers the total cost of ownership

of steam plant and can help companies to

reduce their carbon emissions

Visit: www.spiraxsarco.com/uk/

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Boilers & Burners

The Abbey is one of Scotland’s most treasured buildings. Founded

by Saint Columbus in AD 563 it was a celebrated focus for Christian

pilgrimage, and now welcomes up to 50 guests each week - as well

as thousands of pilgrims every day during the summer months.

Work on re-establishing the living accommodation began in 1938 and

this year the boiler room has undergone refurbishment. Two Atlantic

90kW Multi-elec boilers are the first stage in replacing four old boilers.

It is intended that a sea or ground heat pump will be added later.

The floor standing Multi-elec boilers have a small footprint, and 99%

GCV efficiency. They serve the Abbey heating and provide heating

and hot water for up to 140 residents and staff in the adjoining

Electric Boilers Provide Solution At Island AbbeyAtlantic Boilers of Oldham have commissioned two electric boilers at Iona Abbey on the Isle of Iona off the West Coast of Scotland. It forms part of a programme of renewal of the engineering installations in a number of historic buildings including Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle in order to reduce carbon emissions.

accommodation. The range for these high

quality boilers is 90kW to 630kW, making them

suitable for domestic and large commercial use.

The consultants for the project were Harley

Haddow of Glasgow and the installers were

Taylor & Fraser of Paisley.

Electric Boiler range:

www.atlanticboilers.com

/pdfs/electric_range.pdf

As a consequence, Marketing Manager

Stewart Curtis believes that Ashtead

Technology now has the largest stock

of rental videoprobes and borescopes

anywhere in Europe.

Speculating on the reasons behind this

development, Stewart says: “We believe the recession is impacting the

market in two ways. Firstly, financial constraints are forcing companies to

extend the working lives of their plant and machinery, which generates

a greater requirement for preventative maintenance, and secondly,

instrument hire is usually more financially attractive than purchase.”

The Ashtead fleet now includes over 20 videoprobes with probe lengths

varying from 3m to 9.6m and with probe diameters ranging from 4mm to

6.1mm. The latest additions include the IPLEX UltraLite videoscope and

the IPLEX LX videoscope.

Rapid Growth In Videoprobe HireIn response to escalating demand for industrial endoscopes and

videoscopes, instrumentation specialist Ashtead Technology has

added the latest Olympus models to its fleet.

Tel. 0845 270 2707

Email [email protected]

www.ashtead-technology.com

Nuclear Construction Approvals for Hy-Ten Concrete Reinforcement Friction Welded CouplersThe HT range of friction welded

couplers from independent re-bar

and accessory supplier Hy-Ten, has

achieved nuclear approval. Tested

by CARES, the certification authority

for reinforcement steel, under TA1-C

type A standard for nuclear use, the couplers meet the requirements

of Sellafield Ltd and BNFL. The approved products are manufactured

at Hy-Ten’s Liverpool factory under a stringent ISO9000 quality

assurance system and ISO14000 environment protection regime.

The nuclear industry approvals cover both the standard HT(S)

couplers and the HT(P) and (EP) ranges of positional couplers

for re-bars in the 16mm to 40mm size range. The consistency,

strength and speed of installation of the Hy-Ten couplers will

provide contractors and clients with additional quality assurance

and contribute to greater on-site productivity. The use of jointed

vertical couplers is mandatory in nuclear projects but when used

in commercial contracts Hy-Ten’s friction welded couplers permit

significant steel savings by avoiding the need for overlaps.

Tel. +44 (0)151 525 1745 Fax. +44 (0)151 523 2252

E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.hy-ten.co.uk


IR

This has led to a greater demand for additional

inspection, and with this, more users are

including electrical panels and switch gear in

their regular checks. This presents two very

specific challenges, the first being that for an

effective Infrared inspection, the equipment

should be inspected live, and secondly, access

to the internal components of such equipment

is of necessity limited to certified personnel, and

protected by safety trips and interlocks.

An effective way to enable an inspection is

the introduction of a “window” in the panel or

equipment to allow a live inspection without

having to open the cabinet. Some systems are

supplied as a covered mesh or grille, where the

operator can temporarily open the cover and

use the camera to inspect. While this may satisfy

in the most basic sense the safety requirement

to prevent access, it certainly does not remove

the risk of personally injury (or worse) caused

by possible arc flash. A much better solution

is to use a physical material in the window that

is transparent to IR and provides a continuous

barrier to the cabinet. If produced by a reputable

manufacturer, they will have a been tested for

arc flash resilience, vibration resistance and have

various insurance ratings such as UL, IEEE etc.

An IR window will not prevent, nor survive an arc

flash incident, however their use will reduce the

risk of exposing an inspector to an incident.

Manufacturers of IR windows use a variety

of materials depending on their technical

performance and while they all do pretty much the

Infrared Windows Lead To Better Inspections.Over the last 10 years advances in Thermal Imaging technology

have resulted in a much wider application of the technology, and a

greater use generally across industry.

same job, there are important differences in the

material properties that need to be considered.

In the main IR window materials are either a

crystalline material such as Calcium Flouride

(CaF2), or various proprietary polymer window

materials..

It is important to note that the IR window may

be transparent in the IR spectrum, but it will not

be transmitting 100% of the IR energy, and the

inspector needs to adjust the camera setting to

compensate for the window transmission – Failure

to do this will result in an error in the temperatures

calculated in the camera. All suppliers will be

able to provide the transmission factor, and some

provide that information on each window. As the

manufacturers use a variety of materials, in an

ideal world it is better for a site to standardise

and reduce the risk of error, however, this may

not be possible for equipment that is delivered

with pre-installed IR Windows and care should

be taken to ensure that the transmission factor

is labelled on the window closure. Note that the

Crystalline materials have a propensity to change

their properties over time – in particular their

transmission and their popularity is decreasing.

How much can I see with an IR Window? – as

with many technical questions this depends on

the installation, the window diameter, and also

on the camera being used (although the lens

is probably more important here). Naturally you

will not be able to scan a whole cabinet from a

single window, but as many of the components

are not significant, windows are normally installed

so that they can cover the main component

or components of interest. This might be an

important contactor, or may be the 3-phase fuse

installation for example. A wider angle lens, such

as a 45° or 90° will allow more components to

be inspected. Some window materials are also

transparent in the visible spectrum, allowing

the inspector to take a visible image as well –

although the benefit of this is not always obvious

as the interior of most cabinets are not illuminated

and the lamps and visible light cameras on the

majority of Thermal cameras are not designed to

give a good image under these conditions.

How do I install an IR Window? In an ideal world

the windows will be fitted by the OEM at the

manufacturing stage, and this is being requested

as a part of the equipment specification stage,

however with existing installations this is not the

case. It is not a part of this article to discuss

whether this affects the safety rating of the

cabinet although this must be a consideration.

The majority of IR Window suppliers will provide

kits to allow the windows to be installed in a

cabinet – some without having to open the panel.

The window is then fitted and secured according

to their particular instructions. Installers should

ensure that they have checked that the installed

equipment of interest has actually been installed in

the locations indicated on the drawings, and that

wherever possible any cables are not restricting

the field of view.

In summary IR windows can improve the

frequency of equipment inspection of critical

equipment, resulting in earlier knowledge of

impending problems and increased availability of

plant and machinery. Inspections can be carried

out without opening cabinets, reducing risk to the

inspector and may reduce the requirement for a

Thermographer to be accompanied by a certified

electrician. IR Windows can be retrofitted to

existing cabinets relatively simply.

For more information about IR Windows

please contact Crimson Industrial Vision

at www.crimsoniv.co.uk or via email at

[email protected]


Industry Awards

The brand new awards which are run in

association with Engineering Maintenance

Solutions, have been created to recognise and

reward those who through the maintenance

process have delivered real commercial benefits

to their organisation. These benefits could be

in the form of improvements in performance,

such as greater output or reduced downtime, or

financial gains such as energy savings.

The awards have two categories ‘Maintenance

Person of the Year’ and, in support of newer

entrants to the industry, ‘Maintenance

Apprentice of the Year’.

The entrants will be assessed by a prestigious

judging panel of industry experts. This includes

Paul Sacker, Managing Director of Crimson

Industrial Vision who says:

“At a time when all businesses are managing

their costs very tightly, the management

of maintenance can be crucial in ensuring

profitability. Maintenance professionals have

been the unsung heroes within a business for

too long and they should receive due reward for

their contribution to the efficient running of plant

and equipment. I am delighted to be involved in

these awards and would encourage companies

to put forward their recommendations

for Maintenance Person of the Year and

Maintenance Apprentice of the Year”.

Exhibitors at MAINTEC, where the winners will

be announced, are equally enthusiastic about

this development. For instance, Simon Turner,

Managing Director of Cobalt Conveyors says:

“Recognising maintenance personnel, especially

apprentices, is a really good idea. It can only

add to what is for us, is already a great event.”

Karen Preston, Marketing Services Manager of

Schaeffler (UK) Ltd, another MAINTEC exhibitor

agrees:

“We welcome anything that recognises

maintenance personnel’s efforts to reduce costs

and improve plant availability for their business.

It’s a good idea building this into the show.”

Entry is by nomination, the deadline for entry

is January 11th, with the results announced at

MAINTEC 2013 which takes place on 5-7 March

at the NEC.

Commenting on the awards Jake Morrison,

MAINTEC event manager said:

“If you are working with someone who you

feel merits recognition for the contribution they

are making to your business, I’d urge you to

nominate them today. This is a great opportunity

to applaud your colleagues and to throw the

spotlight on the huge contribution maintenance

makes to successful UK businesses.”

MAINTEC 2013 Maintenance Person of the Year-Nominate Now

The MAINTEC 2013 Maintenance Person of the

Year Awards are now open for entry.

To nominate someone

or to find out more visitwww.easyFairs.com/MAINTECUK

Stand bookings for MAINTEC 2013

which takes place on 5-7 March at

the NEC, Birmingham can be made

by contacting Jerry Dawson on

+44(0)20 88438823 or emailing:

[email protected].


Industry Awards

“The awards once again attracted a very

high standard of entry from UK engineers,”

says Justin Leonard, director at igus. “We

have chosen these two companies as they

represent the very best of British engineering

and have both demonstrated a novel use for

our cable carriers, in unusual and challenging

applications.”

UKATC is using an igus E4 heavy duty e-chain

to route the many cables and hoses during the

rotary movement of their KMOS instrument.

KMOS is a near-infrared multi-object integral-

field spectrometer for one of the European

Southern Observatories Very Large Telescopes

(VLT). The four telescopes when combined

make one of the world’s most advanced optical

instruments that allows astronomers to see

details of distant galaxies up to 25 times finer

than with individual telescopes.

The KMOS instrument will be an invaluable tool

to investigate the physical and environmental

processes which shape the formation and

evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. igus’

energy chain safely and reliably carries the heavy

and delicate network of cooling gas pipes and

power and signalling cables for its operation.

Reliability was vital, given the location of the

instrument in the harsh conditions of the Chilean

British Engineering Celebrated With Igus Vector AwardsRewarding Challenging And Innovative Cable Carrier Applications

igus UK, the leading manufacturer of high-

performance energy chains and cable management

systems has presented its coveted vector awards to

two British engineering companies – UK Astronomy

Technology Centre (UKATC) and Xograph

Healthcare – for the challenging and innovative use of

cable carrier systems.

desert where there is a low ambient temperature.

The telescope can be moved through 270°

from its initial position in both directions, so the

energy chain also had to be able to carry the

pipes and cables safely through 540° as the

instrument turns.

Xograph Healthcare’s application of igus’ special

low friction “rol e-chain” impressed judges as it

is being used in an innovative X-ray system in

hospital emergency rooms, which allows many

bays to be accessed rapidly in mass emergency

cases, and to help with the fast and efficient

diagnosis of patients’ conditions. The energy

chain carries the cables used in the ceiling-

mounted BuckyStar Resus X-ray that is moved

across bays to each patient. It features low

friction, so the X-ray apparatus can be moved

rapidly to the bedside, without having to move

the patient. The igus energy chain allows flexible

use of the X-ray machine across multiple triage

bays for check-ups, which until today wasn’t

possible due to hanging cables.

“Both applications stood out as being

exceptional uses of our cable management

systems and we are delighted to be presenting

both UKATC and Xograph Healthcare with

vector awards,” continues Justin. “The winning

entries demonstrate the diverse applications that

igus energy chains are ideal for and the limits

that continue to be broken with cable carriers in

terms of loads, speeds, travels, and more.”

Modern polymer energy chains are the umbilical

cord of modern-day automated equipment –

ensuring the safe supply of energy, data, signals

and media – on equipment such as cranes,

machine tools and robots and in many extensive

fields such as healthcare, astronomy, food,

pharmaceutical and automotive manufacture.

Pictured from l-to-r:

Nigel Darwell-Stone and David Hill (Xograph Healthcare), Justin Leonard and Peter Sumner (igus UK), and

Gordon Taylor and Brian Woodward (UK ATC).

For further information about igus wide

range of energy chains visit:

www.igus.co.uk/vector

or call igus directly on 01604 677240.


Latest Product News

Designed with ease-of-navigation for sensor

identification and selection in mind, www.

monitran.com details Monitran’s extensive range

of products and the company’s value-added

services. The site includes; product selection

guidelines, installation and maintenance tips,

frequently asked questions (FAQs) and pages

devoted to specific industries, including wind

energy, mining and paper.

Andy Anthony, Monitran’s Managing Director,

comments: “We’ve structured the new website

as an engineering resource, respecting that

engineers will mostly benefit from easy and

multiple ways of finding the most suitable

sensors for their applications.”

Even from the Home page visitors to the site

can fast-track to vibration sensors with AC

outputs (for analysis), vibration sensors with

DC outputs (for monitoring), eddy current

probes (for proximity measurement) or LVDTs

(for displacement measurement). Alternatively,

the Products page lists all sensors and

accessories which can then be filtered by one

of 42 attributes, for example ‘High Temperature

Industrial’, plus the entire site can be searched

for key words.

Anthony concludes. “When designing a website

it’s very easy to concentrate on the aesthetics

and gimmicks, at the expense of giving the

content and the site’s functionality sufficient

attention. With the new Monitran website our

starting point was to ask ourselves how, as an

OEM, can we help our valued customers make

informed decisions on which sensors to use

for any given application? We also wanted to

draw attention to the fact that, unlike most other

OEMs, we have an experienced engineering

team able to undertake complete turnkey

projects.”

Monitran’s New Website Gives Engineers Easy Access To Product Information And Support Services

Monitran, a world-leader in the development and manufacture

of transducers for the measurement of vibration, proximity and

displacement, has revamped its website.

Visit www.monitran.com

Positioned between the entry-level Ti100 and the

higher specification Ti110 and TiR110, the new

Fluke Ti105 Thermal Imager is designed for plant

maintenance and troubleshooting technicians,

industrial and commercial technicians, HVAC/R

professionals and electricians who need to

maintain and inspect electrical and mechanical

equipment and components, while the Fluke

TiR105 is for facilities managers, building

inspection and energy audit professionals

evaluating and reporting insulation problems,

air leakage, moisture issues, or construction

defects. Weighing just 0.73kg, each thermal

imager is light and balanced to sit perfectly in

the hand. All buttons are within gloved-thumb

reach and the imager is light enough to aim

either vertically or horizontally and to use for long

stretches without tiring.

The new Fluke Ti105 and TiR105 feature

IR-Fusion® technology, Fluke’s patented-

technology which blends digital and infrared

images into a single image to precisely

document problem areas. They come complete

with SmartView® professional IR analysis

and reporting software, a professional suite

of analysis and reporting tools for viewing,

annotating and editing infrared images. Also

included are an adjustable hand strap for left or

right handed use, an SD memory card, a USB

cable for PC image download, a lithium ion

removable and rechargeable smart battery, an

AC charger/power supply with mains adapter

for battery charging and AC operation, a hard

carrying case, a soft transport bag and manuals.

Fluke Adds New Models To Its Latest Range Of Thermal ImagersFluke, the global leader in portable electronic test and measurement

technology, has introduced two new thermal imagers to its latest

range of Ti1xx and TiR1xx Series of thermal imagers which have

been specifically designed to help professional users do more in less

time, in the harshest of environments.

More information about all Fluke

products can be obtained via the

Fluke web site at www.fluke.co.uk.


New Product Focus

Designed for flexible mounting, the EDP300 can

control linear or rotary actuators in the same

footprint as the previous ABB TZIDC positioner.

An optional stainless steel housing means it

can be used in corrosive environments, so it’s

suitable for tough applications in industries such

as chemicals and offshore oil and gas.

The one-size-fits all nature of the EDP300 means

that users only need to stock one type of spare

to satisfy any positioner failure.

ABB’s human machine interface (HMI) offers

time-saving menu-driven programming and

control options, while on-board diagnostics

support optional pressure sensors to monitor

actuator performance in real time for predictive

maintenance and improved reliability. Up

to five valve signatures can be saved in the

device, which can be compared so that valve

diagnostics can be performed for the purpose

of preventive maintenance. Other innovative

features include partial stroke testing, which is

used to check the function of ESD (emergency

shutdown) valves.

The positioner also includes the options of fast

travel in applications with low pressure changes,

and slow travel where it’s needed to avoid

potentially dangerous occurrences such as

water hammer.

The heart of the PositionMaster is its powerful

pneumatics. Compressed air is generally 10

times more expensive than electricity and

the new positioner needs only 0.03kg/h of

compressed air to keep it in steady state. This

makes it extremely cost-effective to run.

The new positioner is flexible enough to handle

air supply pressures ranging from 1.4 bar (20

psi) to 10 bar (140 psi) and overload-proofing

One-Size-Fits-All Digital Positioner From ABB Adapts At The Push Of A Button

The new PositionMaster EDP300 digital positioner

from ABB offers a single control solution to suit any

control valve with an air-driven actuator. The new

unit features built-in intelligence that enables it to

adapt to different valves at the push of a button.

of 12 bar (170 psi). This eliminates the need for

a separate pressure regulator and simplifies the

overall control loop, which reduces the chances

of failure and improves availability.

The positioner’s air capacity ranges from 5 mg

up to 50 kg/h, enabling the EDP300 to work

with very small actuators, as well as high-volume

models without installing separate volume

boosters. Higher air volumes mean more moving

power, higher speed and increased force or

torque.

Air, nitrogen or natural gas can all be used to

power the PositionMaster.

The DTM (Device Type Manager) for the

PositionMaster EDP300 is based on FDT/DTM

technology (FDT 1.2/1.2.1) and can be either

integrated into a control system or loaded on a

PC with DAT200 Asset Vision Basic. This allows

work to be completed in the same user interface

in the commissioning phase, during operation,

and for service tasks involving monitoring the

device, setting parameters, and reading out

data.

Communication is via 4...20mA and HART

protocol. Reading data out from the device has

no effect on active operation. Configuration can

be carried out with ABB’s new DHH805 hand

terminal, certified for use in hazardous areas and

with 80 hours of continuous battery life. Newly

set parameters are saved in the non-volatile

memory directly upon download to the device,

and become active immediately. Certification

is provided for ATEX, IECEx, as well as SIL 2

applications.

For more information on the

PositionMaster EDP 300 email

[email protected]

or call 0870 600 6122 ref: ‘EDP300’.


Actuators

Corrosion Monitoring

Belzona Polymerics Limited

Claro Road, Harrogate, HG1 4DS England

Telephone: +44 1423 567641

Facsimile: +44 1423 505967

[email protected]

Belzona Renovates Puddle PipesBelzona Polymerics Limited, specialists in repair composites

and industrial protective coatings completed an application

on a corroded inlet pipe at a Power Station in Kent.

The seawater inlet pipe which connects to the

cooling system at the Nuclear Power Station

in Kent had severely corroded at the joint. The

connecting joints are a common problem area as

they frequently suffer from corrosion.

In this case, the connecting joint between

the concrete pipe situated in the sea and the

steel pipe leading into the power station was

corroding. The client had previously tried two

competitor ceramic based products. Neither

of the products had provided the pipe joint

with the level of protection required and had

subsequently failed.

Belzona has many years’ experience in providing

erosion/corrosion protection and were able to

offer a two part solution to the problem. Belzona

1311 (Ceramic R-Metal), a ceramic filled paste

grade material was selected to fill the corrosion

pits and rebuild the damaged areas of pipe. The

product was applied by hand to a recommended

thickness of 6mm ensuring the most reliable

repair.

Once the Belzona 1311 (Ceramic R-Metal) had

completely cured, the surface was roughened by

brush blasting to allow the maximum adhesion

of the re-surfacing product. Following this, a

ceramic filled, fluid grade product Belzona 1321

(Ceramic S-Metal) was brush applied to give

the pipe joint a smooth finish. This coating will

provide excellent resistance to erosion/corrosion

and is expected to significantly extend the life of

the puddle pipes.

The complete application took about four days

and was completed by the power station’s

in house maintenance company with the

supervision of a Belzona Technical Consultant.

The Power Station was very pleased with the

results and has since recommended their

maintenance engineers use Belzona products for

future repairs.

Its product isn’t an adaptation of established

technology, it is one that has been purpose

designed for its task. And the end result is now

available in the UK from HepcoMotion®.

The overwhelming requirement in the solar

tracking industry is reliability, precision and

durability to assure maximum operational

efficiency and minimal downtime. ZIMM has

committed significant research and development

resources to establish high credentials in this

regard.

Simple design and the use of lean manufacturing

techniques however have enabled ZIMM to

achieve an excellent price to performance ratio

for these products that are also very easy to

install.

From a mechanical standpoint its ZSA screw

driven actuators are robust and include the

highest quality components. They are sealed

for life and designed to provide more than 20

years of reliable service with minimal or no

maintenance. In common with the company’s

popular Screw Jacks, ZSA actuators are

assembled individually from stock, standard

components providing short delivery times.

What makes the ZSA total fit-for-purpose

however is the dedicated electronics that are

integrated into the body of the actuator and

the complementary software that has been

developed to control and network the system; it

is suitable for both photovoltaics and solar mirror

arrays.

The ZSA product programme comprises three

sizes for fixed, single axis or two axis installation.

In addition to their prime use in solar tracking,

ZSA are eminently suitable for use on satellite

systems, building facades, or for wind energy

and door actuation.

New Dedicated Range Of Solar Tracking ActuatorsIn the development of its new ZSA range of electro-

mechanical solar actuators, the innovative ZIMM

GmbH of Austria has started from scratch.


OEE

Alan brings with him a legacy of experience from

introducing OEE to several notable FTSE250

manufacturing companies creating significant

cost savings.

“From past successes throughout

Europe, the Americas and China

I know that by implementing

OEE our customers see

enhanced production savings in

both financial and labour terms.”

Renowned for producing robust label verification

software Olympus Automation have already

integrated OEE data capture into their existing

touch screen applications and are expanding

a suite of class leading web based reporting

modules.

Uniquely offering an “End to End” service

marked improvements can be gauged

through reporting via large screen real-

time targets to actual production status

displays, shop-floor dash boards, short

interval control and automated failure alerts.

The system is web based to ease deployment

and provides multi-device and remote location

access. The combined applications allow

Olympus Automation to offer their customers

the security of label verification together with the

ability to make sound improvement decisions

based on accurate real-time OEE and stoppage

information.

On-going training will be provided to staff

and customers as improvement opportunities

are identified so that Olympus Automation

engineering and technical teams will be on hand

to support plant improvements.

Harry Norman, MD of Olympus Automation

commented “With almost 1,000 label verification

touch screen units deployed across 650 lines,

the integration of OEE measurement and

improvement tools adds value to our customers’

investment and will provide the real-time

performance information needed to make

sustained savings.”

Olympus Automation, a world leader in

automation and process technologies has

enjoyed steady growth for over 20 years.

With over 50 experts on board who include

process, software, mechanical and electrical

engineers they have recorded an impressive

current turnover exceeding £12 million. Through

innovative, world-class solutions they ensure

that the highest levels of quality, consistency and

efficiency in process manufacturing are delivered

to a wide range of process industries, including

food, beverage, dairy and pharmaceutical.

OEE Measurement Enhances Sustained Savings To Olympus Automation’s Software Solutions

To consolidate the landmark achievement that over 300 billion

production units have now been validated and protected by their

label and date code verification software Olympus Automation

have recently appointed a specialist OEE Business Manager, Alan

France. His expertise will further increase Olympus Automation’s

provision of best of breed Overall Equipment Effectiveness

(OEE) software to enhance their customers’ own improvement in

production performance.

Alan France, Operations

Director of Idhammar Systems,

has extensive experience in

lean manufacturing with a

background that includes several

years as Engineering Systems

Manager for the largest food

company in Europe. A systems

specialist, he now consults on the

importance of underpinning lean

initiatives with realistic targets

and sound metrics.

If you’d like more information on how

Olympus Automation OEE measurement

solutions can help reduce downtime and

make lasting production performance

improvements please contact Alan.

Alan France: OEE Business Manager

Mobile: +44 (0) 7798 748228

Office: +44 (0) 1733 394700

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.olympus-automation.co.uk


Health & Safety

It is ideal for use wherever there are manually

operated valves with high operating torques,

hundreds of hand-wheel turns to open/close or

are just difficult to operate.

To ensure the correct amount of torque is set to

the EasiDrive system, Smith Flow Control (SFC)

has now introduced a series of Filter Regulator

Lube (FRL) packs. FRL packs manage the

output available to drive the valve, preventing

human error that can result in improper use of

the system.

FRL packs have been designed in a range of

colours so they can be identified and applied

correctly to a range of valve systems. Packs

can be factory set on a second regulator to limit

the pressure to the specially calibrated torque

device, reducing the output available to drive

the valve. This now means that even though

an operator can adjust the first regulator, the

second will be set to a maximum pressure point,

which can never be surpassed.

Mike Fynes, Sales & Marketing Director at Smith

Flow Control, comments, “This product has

been designed to address the issues associated

with applying incorrect torque at sites and will

ensure the safe operation of the valve. The new

packs have been adapted to include storage for

the pneumatic gun- this makes it easy to carry

the equipment and assemble the system on

site.”

The new series of Filter Regulator Lube Packs

will be launched at Valve World, Düsseldorf 27-

29 November.

Smith Flow Control provides engineered valve

and key interlocks, pig launching systems,

actuated valves and lock out/tag out products

to protect lives and equipment in hazardous

operations. SFC is flexible around clients’

needs and output can be tailored to individual

requirements.

SFC Launches New Regulator Packs to Ensure Safe Operation of Valves

EasiDrive is a valve operating system that actuates hard-

to-operate valves in power plants, chemical processing

facilities and oil refineries.

For more information, please visit:

www.smithflowcontrol.com.

Mutech Dons Hard Hats For A Team Building Exercise Down UnderStaff at Mutech Ltd, one of the UK’s leading electronics design and manufacturing companies, put aside their oscilloscopes and soldering irons in favour of hard hats and miner’s lamps when they took part in a team building exercise at the National Coal Mining Museum for England (NCM) based at Overton, near Wakefield.

Mutech’s approach to the corporate team

building experience was part of the company’s

annual Summer Day Out. With the emphasis

on fun, they took part in a team discovery

trail, working with colleagues to navigate their

way around the Museum finding answers to

questions on the quiz sheets.

Mutech Managing Director, Colin Cameron,

explains: “One of our aims was to further

educate Mutech personnel about how our

technological expertise plays a vital role in the

design and production of electronic sensors and

monitoring systems used in the mining industry.

“At the NCM we descended 140m underground

to experience life as a miner. We were divided up

into three teams to answer questions about this

fascinating museum, which charts the history of

mining and miners from Victorian times to the

present day.

“The problem solving trail quest soon became

very competitive with teams building up their

knowledge of mining history in general and

sensors in action, in particular. More importantly,

we all had a good day out.”

Julie Ward, Mutech Assembly Operative, adds:

“It was great to see the sensors in the mine

and to know that what I produce helps to keep

miners safe around the world - and me whilst I

was down there!”

Mutech’s visit followed a £2.7 million scheme at

the former Caphouse Colliery working mine to

extend and revitalise the interactive underground

tour and conserve the historic furnace shaft.

The National Coal Mining Museum, which has

charitable support from Mutech, preserves the

heritage of coal mining in England, attracting

thousands of visitors annually from the UK and

overseas.

Colin Cameron comments: “The NCM needs

to attract donations, sponsorship, legacies

and grants to continue to develop and expand.

We are committed to helping the organisation

keep the history of coal mining alive for future

generations.”

More information is available from Mutech Ltd,

tel: 0161 872 0400,

email: [email protected]

www.mutech.co.uk .


Buyers Guide