MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
30
Solving cylinder
mounting problems
Selecting pumps
for hygienic
applications
19 8 5 - 2 015
Fast fault finding
for machinery
Vol. 31, No. 6
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015
New Quebec
aggregates plant
has safety built in
How rotating
machinery condition
monitoring saves
time and money
THE FUTURE OF
HYDRAULICS
Get ready for Version 4.0
Mail Agreement #40069240
WHAT’S NEW
FLUID POWER
TEST & MEASUREMENT
LUBRICATION
2
P R O D U C T
SP TLIGHT
Machinery & Equipment MRO
up an optimal maintenance schedule. The
tags, from Balluff, are highly durable and
can be mounted anywhere on a tie rod, on
any side of the cylinder. Reading and writing to the tag is simple and allows nearly
any RFID reader the ability to read the
tag. Software templates have been developed for use with Balluff’s M-series mobile RFID reader.
Milwaukee Cylinder
www.milwaukeecylinder.com
RFID tags for maintenance save
time and aggravation
Designed for easy identification and
maintenance tracking of tie rod cylinders,
Milwaukee Cylinder’s RFID tags come
pre-loaded with cylinder identifying information and maintenance kit information,
allowing for simple preparation of maintenance activity. Once maintenance is
complete, the date and work comments
can be recorded to the tag, making it
easy to track a cylinder’s history and set
Pump’s inline
design saves space
Compact and versatile Etaline R pumps combine the
low-maintenance features
of the Eta family of singlestage centrifugal
pumps with an inline design that
makes them suitable for pressureboosting duties
in HVAC systems, cooling circuits, water
supply and industrial heat recovery systems. The pumps are available in five
sizes, for pump diameters from 150 mm to
350 mm. A variety of casing material, impeller materials and seal types are available that withstand temperatures as high
as 140°C. Maximum flow rate is 1,900 cu
m/hr, with heads of up to 97 m. When
maintenance work is required, seals,
wear plates and motors can all be replaced
quickly and efficiently without removing
the main casing from its connecting pipes.
KSB Pumps
October / November 2015
and Marine Grade products. It provides
good coverage, especially for touch-ups
and equipment maintenance. Designed
for use in severe industrial environments, anti-seize compounds protect
metal parts from rust, corrosion, galling
and seizing. These lubricants ease assembly and disassembly of slip-fit and
threaded joints, reduce friction and wear
on critical operating equipment, and protect against high temperatures, heavy
loads, chemicals and fluids.
Henkel
www.henkelna.com/industrial
www.ksb.ca
Brush-top packaging simplifies
application of anti-seize lubricants
A compact package featuring an easy-touse, screw-on brush-top applicator is designed for one-hand, precise dispensing
of Loctite anti-seize lubricants. This 7-oz
brush-top tube is currently available on
Copper-Based, Silver Grade, Heavy Duty
Cutting wheel’s narrow-crown
technology reduces costs,
increases working life
The First Name in
Power Transmission
Walter has extended its product portfolio
of narrow-crown technology to all 4-1/2-in.
and 5-in. Zipcut, Zip+, Zip Stainless and
Zip ALU cutting wheels. The Type 27 narrow-crown technology incorporates an improved, refined metal cladding in the centre hub, which allows operators deeper
cutting depth. This technology extends
the life of the cutting wheel, allowing for
more cuts per unit, and reduces annual
costs in wheel consumption and wheel
changeover. The narrow crown combines
the extended life of a flat Type 1 wheel
with the extra stiffness of a depressed
centre cutting wheel, while the metal
cladding prevents contact with the work
piece, which increases workers’ safety
when cutting into metal.
Walter Surface Technologies
www.walter.com
Interactive software helps monitor
health of ultra-complex machines
Baldor•Dodge® power transmission products offer
reliable service and low maintenance to help reduce
your total cost of ownership. Our innovative bearings,
gearing and power transmission products have
solved the toughest applications for over 130 years.
Our technical sales team can help you with the
most challenging applications, and our worldwide
distributor network ensures immediate delivery.
• Unmatched Quality
• Superior Reliability
• Improved Uptime
When it comes to PT solutions, Baldor•Dodge is the
first name in power transmission.
baldor.com
• Quick Delivery
479-646-4711
©2015 Baldor Electric Company
Online Reader Inquiry No. 115
Download a QR reader app
and scan this code for
more information.
http://esp.to/wo8AN5
Omnitrend Center is a powerful software
suite for Pruftechnik’s condition monitoring systems: Vibguard, Vibroweb XP, Vibronet Signalmaster and the Vibxpert
family. Easy measurement configuration,
data management, archiving, analysis
and reporting are bundled in one software platform. The software, available in
single-user or client-server versions, is
ready for cloud solutions, and provides
such aids as knowledge-based machine
templates, and online and offline device
managers. With its tree-based asset management structure, users can quickly orientate themselves through the measurements. Features include dynamic band
alarming of overall values, 3D-FFT waterfall diagrams, statistical algorithms
for trend prognosis and trend smoothing.
Easy multi-stage drive modelling for linear or planetary gearboxes enables efficient and accurate analysis. The interactive reporting tool allows findings to be
shared with the relevant departments
and third-party post-processing or
CMMS software tools. MRO
Pruftechnik
www.pruftechnik.com
Online Reader Inquiry No. 116
4
30
C O N T E N T S
Machinery & Equipment MRO
in this issue
October / November 2015
19 8 5 - 2 015
Maintenance safety is built in at
aggregates plant / 13
A new rock crushing plant in Quebec is safe,
durable and very maintenance-friendly.
p13
How ships save time and money / 22
Critical monitoring of key components in rotating machinery such as pumps, motors and compressors eliminates the need to carry out certain
maintenance routines.
p23
departments
Editor’s Notebook / 6
Industry Newswatch / 8
Business Briefs / 10
Mr. O, The Practical
Problem Solver / 12
Maintenance 101 / 30
Product News
Product Spotlight / 2
Focus on Test &
Measurement / 24
Focus on Lubrication / 25
Focus on MRO
Components / 26
Fast fault-finding for machinery / 23
Quality engineering documentation proves to
be a technician’s friend in the field.
columns
Selecting pumps
for hygienic
applications / 16
Mr. O, the Practical
Problem Solver / 12
Various pump designs have
individual advantages, but a
simple solution for the job – the
internal gear pump – can result in higher
reliability and reduced maintenance.
Winning reader reveals the most-used books on
his company’s maintenance reference shelf.
p30
The future of
hydraulics / 20
Hydraulics 4.0 will bring us
completely autonomous systems that will monitor
and service themselves.
editor’s
selections
‘The pan feeders and conveyors have direct-drive
motors. DJL wanted one
assembly, a direct drive.
It eliminates the need for
belts, guards and safety
issues. No tensioning
issues, no breaking belts.’
Richard Paquette / 13
‘Hydraulic systems will gradually become even more
intelligent. They will be selfmonitoring by using highperformance sensors, and
maintenance will not be carried out during downtime,
but dynamically.’
Professor
Josef Kurfess / 20
‘Condition monitoring is a
valuable prediction tool. By
catching events early, we
can replace a bearing at
a cost of around US$500,
rather than spend between
$5,000 and $25,000 on a
new electric motor.’
Mike O’Rourke / 22
p21
Dealing with cylinder
mounting problems / 21
Pay attention to the load-carrying capabilities of
fluid power cylinder mountings to prevent their
misapplication, or you could end up with premature cylinder failure, serious machinery problems
or safety issues.
New maintenance programs
are working well / 30
Maintenance 101: A problem-reporting program
using an incentive, a focused improvement project
for specific machinery, and spare parts storage
organization are helping to solve old problems for
this Ontario food plant.
Cover
Dmitry Kalinovsky (kadmy)
Thinkstock Images
‘After a year of using
EPLAN database-centric
engineering software
exclusively, the entire control panel design/build process had become roughly
200% faster, with an even
greater degree of improvement in the quality of the
finished product and its
documentation.’
Kris Morris / 23
Extending the Bearing Life Cycle
Help your bearing achieve its maximum service life
» SKF EasyPull mechanical puller
TMMA series
» SKF Machine Condition Indicator
The SKF Machine Condition Indicator is a
robust, battery-powered machine vibration/
temperature monitoring device that reliably
warns about impending machine failures,
without the need for expensive hard wiring and
electrical power supply.
More at www.skf.ca/MCI
Equipped with spring-operated arms and
a solid design, the patented SKF EasyPull
is one of the most user-friendly and safe
tools on the market. Ergonomically
designed, the spring-operated arms
enable the user to position the
puller behind the component
with just one movement. The SKF
EasyPull is available in mechanical
and hydraulically assisted versions, as
well as complete kits with a tri-section
pulling plate and a puller protection
blanket.
By applying the right maintenance
practices and using the correct tools in all
stages of the bearing life cycle, you can
considerably extend your bearing’s service
life and thereby increase plant productivity
and efficiency.
Learn more at:
http://goo.gl/FdpfJs
» Portable Induction Heater TIH030m
The heater combines high heating capacity with
portability. Placing the induction coil outside the
heater’s housing allows the heating of bearings
weighing up to 40 kg.
The heater is equipped with thermal overheating
protection to reduce the risk of damage to the
induction coil and the electronics. In
addition to temperature
mode, the TIH 030m is
equipped with a time
mode for heating
components other
than bearings.
Having the right tools makes it easier
to get the job done - but your team
also needs to know best practices to
get the job done right!
Check out our training
programmes.
Learn more at
http://goo.gl/3mdwTh
» Shaft Alignment Tool TKSA 11
The SKF TKSA 11 heralds a new generation of
shaft alignment tools. Using mobile devices, the
instrument intuitively guides the user through
the whole alignment process. With a focus on the
core alignment tasks, the TKSA 11 is
designed to be a very easy-touse instrument that
results in accurate
alignment and is
especially suitable
for entry level shaft
alignment.
Talk to your SKF Authorized
Distributor for more
details and pricing.
» SKF SYSTEM 24 Single Point
Automatic Lubrication
a single point automatic lubrication system
that continuously delivers precisely measured
amounts of lubricant to desired points via
a gas-driven pump. SKF SYSTEM 24 units
are supplied ready-to-use
straight from the box
and filled with a wide
range of high quality
SKF lubricants. Tool-free
activation and time
setting allows easy and
accurate adjustment of
automatic lubrication
flow.
The SKF SYSTEM 24 is
ideal for lubrication
points difficult to reach
manually, or where there
are a large number of
lubrication points where
manual greasing would
be less effective.
» SKF Long-range Automatic
Lubricant Dispenser TLMR series
A single point automatic lubricator designed
to supply grease to a single lubrication point.
With a relatively high pressure of 30 bars,
this lubricator can operate at long distances
providing optimum results with difficult-toreach and unsafe lubrication locations. With a wide
temperature range and robust design, the TLMR lubricator is
suitable for operating conditions with various levels of temperature
and vibration.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 117
6
E D I T O R ’ S
N O T E B O O K
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
After three decades,
time for a change
I
t’s been a good run – 30 years. Three
decades ago, I became the founding
editor of Machinery & Equipment
MRO magazine, never intending, way
back then, to hang around so long. In this
business, 30 years is an extraordinarily
long time to be the editor of any magazine. Yet while various other staff members came and went, I stuck it out –
mainly because I really enjoyed the job
and the people I met through working on
the magazine.
I knew a bit about the field of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO)
from my early days working in industry,
before I went back to school to become a
journalist. I had studied engineering
earlier (it was electronics, but in hindsight, it should have been mechanical).
Work-wise, I’ve been a draughtsman,
making drawings for repair work to be
done on glass-making furnaces. I’ve been
an electrical construction and maintenance apprentice for one of Hamilton’s
huge steel mills. (My right shoulder is
still lower than my left from carrying
around my surly journeyman’s massive
and insanely heavy wooden toolbox, with
its thick leather strap slung over my
straining shoulder.) Somewhere in there
I was also an oceanographic technician,
working on wave-tossed ships in the Bay
of Fundy, hauling up giant tide-measuring instruments for checking and repair.
Later, sitting at a desk doing writing
and editing was just as interesting to
me as those challenging jobs, although
my working life was certainly a lot
more tame. As an editor, I’ve worked on
magazines in the fields of foodservice,
electronics, construction, finance, computer technology, manufacturing and
even automotive.
This particular magazine would not
have become the success it is without the
founding publishers having a great idea
they believed in, and without the help of
readers, maintenance consultants, distributors, suppliers and vendors of various MRO products and services. And, of
course, there are the many advertisers
who helped make this a viable business.
So why am I once again reflecting on
the past here in this column? Well, it is
the magazine’s 30th anniversary year, so
it’s a good opportunity to look back. But
it’s also the end of an era for me personally, as I’ll be handing in my MRO edi-
tor’s hat at the end of the year and moving on to other interesting ventures.
Looking back, I can’t think of better
work for me than sourcing and compiling
interesting content that helps readers in
their jobs, writing and rewriting to make
the paragraphs clear and understandable, helping create compelling layouts
that combine useful text and graphics,
writing headlines and captions that grab
attention, and managing the production
phase of creating each edition of the magazine. On top of that, there’s the newspaper-like action of writing daily news for
MRO’s website and producing its weekly
electronic newsletter.
It’s a busy job. And in 2016, it will be
someone else’s work. Next issue, I’ll tell
you about some other changes in the
works for next year, and introduce you to
the incoming editor. MRO
Bill Roebuck
Editor & Associate Publisher
MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND OPERATIONS
NOVEMBER 2015
Volume 31, No. 6
Established 1985
www.mromagazine.com
www.twitter.com/mromagazine
EDITORIAL
Bill Roebuck, Editor & Associate Publisher
416-510-6749 broebuck@mromagazine.com
Mark Ryan, Art Director
Contributing Editors
Carroll McCormick, Peter Phillips
BUSINESS
Jim Petsis, Publisher
416-510-6842 jpetsis@mromagazine.com
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416-510-6803 jarmstrong@mromagazine.com
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416-510-6762
Melinda Marasigan, Subscription Enquiries
416-442-5600 x3548
Tim Dimopoulos, Vice-President
Annex Business Media
tdimopoulos@canadianmanufacturing.com
Mike Fredericks, President & CEO
mfredericks@annexweb.com
Machinery & Equipment MRO is published by Annex Publishing
& Printing Inc., 80 Valleybrook Dr., Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9;
tel. 416-442-5600, fax 416-510-5140. Toll-free: 1-800-268-7742
in Canada, 1-800-387-0273 in the USA.
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On occasion, our subscription list is made available to organizations whose
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Dr., Toronto, ON Canada M3B 2S9.
© 2015. Contents of this publication are copyright and may not be
reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written consent
of the publisher. The publisher cannot assume responsibility for the
validity of claims in items reported or advertised.
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065710. Return postage guaranteed. ISSN
0831-8603 (print). ISSN 1923-3698 (digital). Return undeliverable Canadian
addresses and change of address notices to: MRO Circulation Dept.,
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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through
the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 118
Online Reader Inquiry No. 119
8
I N D U S T R Y
N E W S W A T C H
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
Photo: Thinkstock
Repair and maintenance
services industry earned
$25.5 billion in 2013
Alberta had the largest share of operating
revenue in the electronic and precision
equipment, and commercial and industrial
machinery and equipment repair and
maintenance services industry.
The
Ottawa – The repair and maintenance
services industry earned $25.5 billion in
operating revenue in 2013, generating an
operating profit margin of 9.3%, according
to a new report from Statistics Canada.
This segment is composed of two main
industry groups, says the research organization. The first industry group, automotive repair and maintenance services,
accounted for 59.1% of the combined operating revenue. The second group,
which includes electronic and precision
equipment, and commercial and indus-
NEW SURFOX
trial machinery and equipment repair
and maintenance services, made up the
remaining 40.9%.
This second group earned $10.4 billion in operating revenue and had $9.2
billion in operating expenses, which resulted in an operating profit margin of
11.8%. Cost of goods sold represented
34.8% of operating expenses, followed by
salaries, wages, commissions and benefits at 32.4%.
Among the provinces, Alberta (40.3%)
had the largest share of operating revenue in the second industry group, mainly
as a result of services provided to the oil
and gas sector. Firms in Ontario earned
22.2% of operating revenue of this industry group, followed by Quebec (13.8%)
and British Columbia (12.4%).
MANUFACTURING INDEX HITS
LOWEST POINT IN FIVE YEARS
Toronto – Canadian manufacturers indicated further deterioration in overall
business conditions during September
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2015, with output, new business and employment levels all falling since the previous month, according to the RBC PMI
for September. Weaker demand conditions resulted in lower input buying and
greater efforts to streamline inventories,
while backlogs of work were reduced at
the fastest pace since April.
Moreover, the latest survey pointed to
stagnating export sales, despite support
from exchange rate depreciation against
the US dollar. At the same time, input
prices increased at a robust pace amid
widespread reports of rising costs for inputs purchased from abroad, but factory
gate charges picked up only slightly over
the month.
A monthly survey, conducted in association with Markit, a global financial
information services company, and the
Supply Chain Management Association
(SCMA), the RBC PMI offers a comprehensive and early indicator of trends in
the Canadian manufacturing sector.
At 48.6 in September, down from 49.4
in August, the seasonally adjusted RBC
Canadian Manufacturing PMI registered below the neutral 50.0 threshold
for the second month running. Although
the index only pointed to a moderate
downturn in overall business conditions,
the latest reading was the lowest recorded in the five-year survey history.
“Overall conditions in the Canadian
manufacturing sector continued to deteriorate in September due to underlying
economic conditions, including renewed
downward pressure on the price of oil.
Weakness was primarily concentrated in
Alberta and British Columbia, with the
rest of Canada’s PMI levels registering
above neutral and remaining in expansion territory,” said Craig Wright, senior
vice-president and chief economist, RBC.
“Despite persisting challenges in the oil
and gas sector, we expect the strengthening US economy to boost Canadian
exports and business conditions over the
balance of the year.”
“September was a very tough month
for the manufacturing sector in Canada,” said Cheryl Paradowski, president
and chief executive officer, SCMA.
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Bluetooth
Toronto – Unable to find candidates with
the skills they need, many employers are
struggling to fill in-demand positions. A
total of 50% of employers feel there is a
shortage of skilled workers in Canada,
according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.ca.
The survey also found that three in 10
employers (29%) currently have positions in their organization that, on average, stay open for 12 weeks or longer. Of
those with extended job vacancies, 75%
say the vacancies have adversely affected their firm.
The national survey was conducted
online on behalf of CareerBuilder.ca of
more than 400 hiring managers across
Canada in June and July 2015.
“Companies nationwide are feeling the
Photo: Thinkstock
For more information, visit: walter.com
or contact your Walter representative
Online Reader Inquiry No. 120
Employers say there are not enough students
graduating in in-demand fields.
I N D U S T R Y
9
N E W S W A T C H
October / November 2015
Machinery & Equipment MRO
lenges, many employers are taking matters into their own hands and training
workers on the job; 46% of employers say
they have hired a low-skilled worker and
trained him/her for a higher-skill job
within their firms in the past two years.
When asked how this practice has affected their firms, employers cited the
following benefits: Increased employee
motivation, 50%; Improved employee loyalty, 47%; It enabled us to be more competitive, 46%; It enabled us to meet department goals, 41%.
DC DRIVES MARKET TO GROW
2.5% ANNUALLY TO 2020
Vancouver, WA – The global DC drives
market will grow from an estimated
value of US$2.1 billion in 2015 to around
$2.3 billion by 2020, with a compound
annual growth rate of 2.5% from 2015 to
2020, according to MarketsandMarkets.
A DC drive is an electrical device used
to regulate the speed of a DC motor by
controlling the input voltage and/or am-
Photo: Sprint Electric
effect of a skills gap, from lower morale to
higher retention rates to a loss of revenue,” said Ryan Lazar, managing director
of CareerBuilder Canada. “Our findings
indicate, however, that taking proactive
efforts to train and reskill workers can go
a long way in overcoming these challenges. While we still have a long way to go,
the more we can identify the root of these
challenges, the more opportunities we
will find to bridge this gap.”
Morale, productivity and retention
are among the victims of extended vacancies, according to employers. When
asked how extended job vacancies have
adversely affected their firm, employers
cited the following results: Work does not
get done, 31%; Lower morale due to employees shouldering heavier workloads,
26%; Delays in delivery times, 24%;
Lower quality of work due to employees
being overworked, 23%; Employees are
less motivated, 23%; Loss in revenue,
22%; Declines in customer service, 20%;
Higher turnover because employees are
overworked, 19%; Employees making
more mistakes, resulting in lower quality
of work, 14%.
When asked what they think is causing the skills shortage, employers offered
the following opinions: Not enough graduating in in-demand fields, 52%; Lack of
interest in required fields, 48%; Employers and candidates have different expectations, 41%; Entry-level jobs are becoming more complex, 37%; Lack of funding
in necessary training, 36%; Rapid
changes in technology, 34%; Increased
competition for candidates, 33%.
In an effort to overcome these chal-
Rising electricity prices, along with increased
demand for electricity and energy, is currently
driving the DC drives market.
perage to the DC motor. It also rectifies
the AC power input into DC feed for the
motors. Its primary advantages are increased energy savings and reduced
motor wear.
Rising electricity prices, along with increased demand for electricity and energy,
is currently driving the DC drives market. In addition, the high potential of DC
drives to reduce energy consumption and
enhance efficiency of the system provides
a huge opportunity for retrofit applications in the manufacturing industry. DC
drives also help prolong the service life of
the motor systems, further reducing the
associated operational costs.
Leading players in DC Drives market
include ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Siemens
AG (Germany), Schneider Electric SE
(France), Rockwell Automation (US) and
Mitsubishi Electric (Japan).
The oil and gas industry is the largest user of DC drives among all industries. DC drives are mostly used to control the speed of pumps and compressors
used in the oil and gas industry. Other
industries covered in this segment are
water and wastewater, power generation, building automation, food and beverages, metals and mining, and chemicals and petrochemicals.
The report has been segmented on the
basis of application, type, insulation
type, voltage level and region.
The report, DC Drives Market by Voltage (Low and Medium Voltage), by Power
Rating (Low, Medium, and High Power),
by End-Use Industry (Oil and Gas, Water
and Wastewater, Power Generation,
Building Automation, and Others), and
by Region Global trends and forecast to
2020, is available at the website at
www.marketsandmarkets.com.
BC GETS MORE LAWS TO
IMPROVE WORKPLACE
SAFETY AFTER MILL FIRES
Victoria – Recommendations from inquests into two sawmill explosions have
prompted the British Columbia government to introduce legislation it says will
improve safety in the workplace.
The ministry responsible for jobs and
labour says Bill 35 will require employers
to immediately report all fires and blasts
that could seriously injure workers.
Bill 35 adds to workplace-safety legislation introduced earlier this year, and
calls on employers to specify meaningful
participation for worker and employer
representatives in accident investigations.
Other changes would allow WorkSafeBC to proactively assist workplace
health and safety committees in resolving disagreements over health and safety
matters.
Seven recommendations aimed at the
government came out of the inquests into
the blasts – at the Babine Forests Products Mill in Burns Lake and at the Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George.
Both explosions happened within
months of each other in 2012, killing four
men and injuring dozens of other workers. The Canadian Press MRO
Industry Newswatch is written and edited by
Bill Roebuck. Visit www.mromagazine.com
for the latest news and longer versions of
items here.
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Online Reader Inquiry No. 121
|
TECHNICAL SERVICES
10
I N D U S T R Y
N E W S W A T C H
Machinery & Equipment MRO
Business Briefs
News and views about companies, people, product lines and more.
Users with a smartphone can show an
engineer what a problem looks like.
• Elgin, IL – Harting now offers live
support through its free VideoCall an
Expert service, developed as part of its
commitment to supporting its customers
in all phases of their projects. It is available at HartingVideoCall.com or through
the Harting US website (the US operation will also handle Canadian requests).
Customers are able to call from their
Apple or Android devices or through
their computers. Customers can ‘Schedule a VideoCall’ to select a time in the
future or ‘VideoCall an Expert Now’ to
set up a face-to-face meeting with one of
Harting’s field applications engineers
within minutes. The service will help reduce downtime by eliminating the difficulty of explaining challenges over the
phone. “If an engineer has an issue, they
can use VideoCall to show the problem to
one our field application engineers and
get help in real time, saving them time
and headache while increasing productivity,” said Jon DeSouza, president and
CEO of Harting Inc. of North America.
• Wood Dale, IL – Thomson Industries
Inc., a manufacturer of mechanical motion control solutions, has released a new
educational video that provides step-bystep instructions on how to properly lubricate linear bearings and guides. The
video is the latest in an ongoing series of
multimedia content from Thomson intended to maximize performance, reduce
lifecycle costs and extend the life of highprecision linear motion technology. “Any
system with moving parts will eventually wear out, but understanding the role of
lubrication and characteristics of the lubrication itself can help linear guide
users make the most of their automation
investment,” said Jeremy Gong, global
product manager at Thomson. To view
the full video, visit www.thomsonlinear
.com/website/com/eng/design_tools/
techtips.php.
• Pittsburg, CA – Bishop-Wisecarver
Group (BWG), which offer guidance solutions, contract specialty manufacturing and mechatronic-based engineering
services, celebrates its 65th anniversary
this year. As a company formed in 1950
to manufacture truck accessories, to a
growing business today that provides
linear and rotary motion product lines,
October / November 2015
BWG says its focus on motion, innovation
and quality have remained constant.
BWG’s heritage comes from its founder,
Bud Wisecarver, who has spent more
than 80 years designing and innovating
products that help industries work more
efficiently. His patented products can be
found in multiple industries, including
bottlers, pharmaceuticals, textile plants
and semiconductors. Leveraging this innovation, BWG now houses one of the
most expansive range of linear and rotary motion product lines that can withstand harsh environments with excessive debris and water, to clean room and
low noise environments that require specialized equipment. While Wisecarver is
still inventing for the company, his
daughter, Pamela Kan, took over BWG
leadership as president in 2000. For a
view of BWG’s 65-year anniversary, visit
www2.bwc.com/history.
• Burnaby, BC – Motion Canada, a distributor of industrial MRO replacement
parts, has released a new MiHow2 video
that shows how to avoid jamming the
bearing at one end when replacing bearings in a pillow block housing. The goal of
the video series, developed by the company’s parent, Motion Industries Inc.,
Video shows how to avoid jamming bearings.
Birmingham, AL, is to provide instruction to viewers to help them with their
practical applications. ‘How to Maintain
Bearing and Pillow Block Centers When
Replacing Bearings’ was filmed with the
help of Schaeffler, a Motion Industries
supplier. The video can be viewed at the
www.mihow2.com website under the
MiHow2 heading.
• Dorval, QC – Global Bear Inc., a
stocking distribution specialist for precision bearings and power transmission
products, has hired Michael Gulas to
lead the company’s OEM activities. Gulas
has previously worked with Emerson, BC
Bearing Engineers and Oilless Corp., “a
background that makes him well-suited
for the challenge,” says Global Bear CEO
Harold Benz. For details on the company,
visit www.globalbear.ca.
• Mt. Prospect, IL – NTN Bearing Corporation of America has launched
NTN e-Knowledge, an online educational platform that allows users to complete
a series of training modules at their own
pace and at any time of the day. The eKnowledge platform is the newest component of NTN’s educational offerings
and is designed to educate industry personnel on basic bearing knowledge and
NTN nomenclature. For details, visit the
training page at www.ntnamericas.com.
• Chesapeake, VA – Sumitomo Machinery Corporation of America
(SMA) has launched a microsite containing interactive tools to help customers
navigate and match its new product
packages to different applications. Earlier this year, the company introduced its
Shield360° family of food and beverage
protection packages, developed to with-
I N D U S T R Y
11
N E W S W A T C H
October / November 2015
stand environments ranging from general industrial to high-pressure washdown applications. Using the site, visitors can obtain high-level information
about each package.
• North Canton, OH – The Timken
Company has completed its previously
announced transaction with American
Industrial Partners to acquire the
Carlstar Belts business. The business,
a North American manufacturer of belts
used in industrial, commercial and consumer applications, markets the brands
Carlisle, Ultimax and Panther, among
others. The belts business further diversifies the company’s portfolio beyond engineered bearings, bringing customers
an expanded offering of mechanical
power transmission products and services. In addition to belts, the Timken
power transmission portfolio includes
gearboxes, housed unit bearings, chain,
couplings, lubrication systems and a variety of industrial services, which are
marketed under industrial brands including Timken, Philadelphia Gear,
Drives and Interlube.
• Pickering, ON – Benchmark Maintenance Services Inc. (Benchmark
PDM) has moved to a new location, not
far from its previous spot, says company
founder John Lambert. “The move was
spurred on by the popularity of our
MAAD (Measure, Analyze, Act and Document) training program,” he says. “We
will now have a larger training facility
with a warehouse in the back, which will
be used for the MAAD Training Centre.
This will allow us to fit more people in
the classroom section and also give us
space for more training rigs for real-
Machinery & Equipment MRO
world application set-ups. The new address is 1845 Sandstone Manor, Unit 14,
Pickering ON L1W 3X9. For more information, visit http://benchmarkpdm.com.
• Tillsonburg, ON – J/E Bearing and
Machine Ltd. has taken delivery of the
newest addition to its machine shop, a
DMG DMF 360 Linear 5-Axis. The machine is the latest DMF 360 Linear
5-Axis generation and the first one to be
bought in Ontario. This is J/E’s first
5-axis machining centre and it will be
doing everything from production to custom large 5-axis machining with its 141in. X travel. “We are excited about the
recent growth J/E has experienced and
what this machine represents. It shows
our dedication to continuous improvement, innovation and a commitment to
our customer base,” said Rozon, J/E’s
A new machining centre was installed as part
of the company’s growth.
There’s no
subsTiTuTe
for hard
work...
plant manager. For details, visit http://
bit.ly/1MXn4r7.
• Delta, BC – Intercon Enterprises
Inc. reports that Druseidt electrical
products are now available to North
American customers. In business before
1890, the Druseidt electrical company,
based in Germany, is well-known overseas. The Druseidt line targets OEMs,
MROs and distributors in the electrical
and power generating industries.
• Montreal – Montreal-based Ficodis
has completed the acquisition of Fixaclous, Centre de l’outillage Granby, a
company specializing in the sales and
repair of pneumatic staple and nail guns,
as well as power tools and equipment.
Founded in Granby in 2000, Fixaclous
will become the sixth Ficodis point of
sale in Canada.
• Fairlawn, OH – ContiTech, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of
rubber products for a variety of applications, has introduced a new marketing
campaign, called Ability, for a variety of
services and product lines for North
America. “ContiTech’s acquisition of Veyance Technologies earlier this year gave
us a unique opportunity to give our customers ‘more’,” said Anthony DiGiacobbe,
marketing communications director for
ContiTech NAFTA. “It was important
that only the name would change – not
the products. That ‘more’ idea was that
[customers] would now have more innovation, more engineering, a bigger portfolio of products, a larger network, all
‘more’ to help [them] take their business
to the next level – regardless of the industry.” For further information on this
strategy, visit http://addmoreability.com.
• Montreal, QC – Walter Surface Technologies, a global
supplier of surface treatment
technologies, has appointed
Chester Collier, senior vice-pres- Chester
ident of global distribution, to se- Collier
nior vice-president and general manager
of the company’s Bio-Circle North America division. Collier has held progressively
senior positions with Walter over the past
35 years. For more information about the
company, visit www.biocircle.com.
• Seneca Falls, NY – Goulds Pumps
Inc., a business of ITT, has won an arbitration against DXP Enterprises Inc. for
violating a 2010 distribution agreement
and has served notice to DXP to terminate
the agreement. In the award, dated Sept.
17, 2015, the arbitrator found that DXP’s
acquisition of B27 LLC on Jan. 2, 2014,
was a substantial breach of the distribution agreement and that Goulds Pumps
had good cause to terminate the agreement. Goulds Pumps also served notices to
terminate on DXP’s subsidiaries, including Austin & Denholm Industrial
Sales (Alberta) Inc. of Edmonton. New
distributors will be appointed.
• Cleveland, OH – Applied Industrial
Technologies is expanding in Canada
with the opening of a new distribution
centre in Quebec City, QC. The 22,000
sq-ft facility stocks more than 10,000
MRO products, including bearings, power
transmission products, fluid power components, industrial hose, tools, chemicals,
lubricants and more. The new facility, located at 6600, boul. Pierre-Bertrand
Nord, Quebec, QC G2J 1S7, is adjacent to
Applied’s service centre in Quebec.
Continued on page 12
...noThing works
harder Than a
visit www.
maxxworx
.com for all the hard facts
I n n o vat I o n b e y o n d t h e o r d I n a r y
1 . 8 0 0 . 6 6 8 . 4 3 7 8 • w w w. n o r d . c o m
Online Reader Inquiry No. 122
12
I N D U S T R Y
N E W S W A T C H
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
Continued from page 11
• Elgin, IL –
Harting has developed a Roadshow Truck that
will travel across
North America
showcasing
its Demonstration truck is
connectivity solu- touring for a year.
tions. The truck will display industrial
and small-form industrial connectors,
cable assemblies, board-level connectors,
backplane assemblies, industrial Ethernet switches, and Harting’s industrial
RFID solution. The purpose of the roadshow is to support the engineering community with the industry knowledge it
needs in its daily tasks. The Harting
Roadshow Truck started its year-long
tour on Sept. 18 in New York City and
visited Toronto on Oct. 21. The tour will
continue through Canada and the US.
Check out the schedule at the website
www.hartingroadshowtour.com.
• Stockholm, Sweden – Atlas Copco
Compressors Canada, a provider of
sustainable productivity solutions, has
acquired Air Repair Sales and Services Ltd. of Moncton, NB, which distributes, services and rents compressors
and accessories. “This acquisition fits us
nicely as it enhances our access to the
market in eastern Canada,” said Nico
Delvaux, president of Atlas Copco’s Compressor Technique business area. “It
gives us an opportunity to expand our
regional coverage through an experienced and well-trained staff that serves
a loyal customer base.”
• Hamilton, NJ – Posital-Fraba, a manufacturer of motion sensors for industrial
applications, has joined the Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA), a
trade group serving the global motion control and motor industry. “The MCMA is a
great fit for us,” said Christian Fell, head
of Posital in North America. “Our sensors
are widely used in industrial automation
and motion control systems and we are
very pleased to be participating in a group
dedicated to promoting the use of automation technologies.” The MCMA (www.motioncontrolonline.org) was formed in 2015
through the merger of the Motion Control
Association (MCA) and the Small Motors
Manufacturers Association (SMMA). It is
headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, and has
over 200 members.
• Kenosha, WI – Snap-on has joined
forces with the L.S. Starrett Co. to
create the newest addition to Snap-on’s
series of technical education certification courses – Precision Measurement
Instruments (PMI). The goal of the PMI
Certification course is providing students and technicians with a robust understanding of the fundamentals of precision measurement instruments. The
course contains six modules, each contributing to a combined total of 32 hours
of instruction. Enrollees in the course
will use Starrett measuring devices in a
practical learning environment.
We Create
Real Innovation
With a full line of power transmission drive systems,
Continental ContiTech strives for industry-leading innovations
to provide you with the most advanced solutions available.
• New York, NY – Crane maker Terex is
merging with Finnish rival Konecranes
in an all-stock deal that creates a company with a combined US$10 billion in 2014
revenue. The new company is named
Konecranes Terex PLC and has headquarters in Westport, CT, and Finland.
• Mississauga, ON – iS5 Communications has appointed Specialized
Power Solutions. Burnaby, BC, as its
manufacturer’s representative in the
British Columbia and Alberta markets
to promote its integrated service and solutions and its intelligent Industrial
Ethernet products designed to be used
in the harsh environments.
• Wayne, PA – Affiliated Distributors
(AD), a $31-billion contractor and industrial products wholesale buying/marketing group, has set up a new division, AD
Canada Plumbing & Heating, through
a merger with Canaplus Limited Partnership of Toronto, a buying group for
independent Canadian wholesale distributors of plumbing and heating supplies
and related products. Beginning Jan. 1,
2016, the 23 current members of Canaplus will become the founding members of
AD’s newest division, AD Canada Plumbing & Heating. These members operate
more than 250 branches across Canada.
This is AD’s seventh merger since the
group’s founding in 1981 and its third
within Canada. AD completed mergers
with Canadian electrical groups in 1993
and 2012. MRO
Industry Newswatch is written and edited by
Bill Roebuck. Visit www.mromagazine.com
for the latest news and longer versions of
items here.
Mr. 0 The
Practical
Problem Solver
What’s on your
reference shelf?
In our June issue, we asked
readers to send us a list of the
most-used books on their
maintenance reference shelf.
The names of those who entered were placed in a draw
to receive a book they didn’t
already have from the Mr. O Practical
Problem Solver reference shelf.
The winner is Richard Foucher,
lead reliability technician at Mondelez Canada’s Montreal Bakery in
Montreal, QC. The favourites on his
shelf are the Mechanical Reference
Handbook and the Electrical Engineering Pocket Handbook, both published by the Electrical Apparatus
Service Association (EASA), and
Pocket Ref by Thomas J. Glover.
In return, we’re sending Mr.
Foucher a copy of the his choice of our
books, the Maintenance Engineering
Handbook by Lindley R. Higgins,
along with a bonus book, because he’s
a reliability technician – a copy of The
Little Black Book of Reliability Management, by Daniel T. Daley.
Mr. O sends out our thanks to
Mr. Foucher and to everyone who participated.
The trademarks displayed in this banner are the property of Continental AG
and/or its affiliates. Copyright © 2014 ContiTech AG. All rights reserved.
For complete information go to: www.contitech.de/discl_en
Richard Foucher’s favourites from
his company’s reference shelf.
www.contitech.ca
Online Reader Inquiry No. 123
S I T E
V I S I T
October / November 2015
13
Machinery & Equipment MRO
A soon-to-be-installed external hand crank will allow hammer adjustments to be made
while the worker’s hands
remain at a safe distance.
Overview shows Construction DJL’s
automated aggregate plant in St-Philippe,
Que., while still under construction. The
project was started in October 2014 and
was completed a year later.
MAINTENANCE SAFETY IS
ALREADY BUILT IN
This new rock crushing plant in Quebec is safe, durable and
very maintenance-friendly. BY CARROLL MCCORMICK
All photos by Carroll McCormick
M
uch thought and accumulated wisdom has gone into the
design and construction of
the new automated aggregate plant that Construction
DJL commissioned this fall at its StPhilippe, Que., quarry: good access, ease
of equipment disassembly, durability,
maintenance planning, spares lists and
more. But above all, DJL built its
$12-million plant to be safe.
“With our company, our goal is to go to
zero accidents,” says Julien Antech, lead,
plants and quarries, Construction DJL.
Part of the strategy to achieve this was to
build in stringent safety features that respect both Quebec and European regulations (DJL is a subsidiary of the global
transport infrastructure company Eurovia, based in France.
“This will be the first plant in Quebec
where we apply the same standards of
France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe,” Antech says.
The plant will process 500,000 to
600,000 tonnes of limestone rock a year
into aggregate.
One approach to safety is to prevent
accidental contact with rotating equipment, e.g., belts, pulleys, shafts and roller ends, regardless of how out-of-the-way
they may appear. To this end, DJL built
bright yellow-painted steel guard boxes
that enclose all such equipment. They
are easily visible, even from a thousand
feet away.
This should be a self-evident precaution, but many plants in North America
lack such basic protection against getting caught in rotating machinery. Because they are not standard accessories,
says François Lussier, operations advisor, DJL. “We had to modify and put on
the security screens ourselves.”
Making everything accessible by foot
Intentional contact with machinery falls
under another DJL rule guiding the
plant’s design. Wherever access is required in the normal course of maintaining and operating the plant, those
places must be accessible on foot. No
portable ladders. No lifts. No cranes. “It
is part of the plan that we must make
everything in the plant accessible by
foot. This was a discussion we had with
our mother company,” Antech says.
To this end there are thousands of
feet of walkways and staircases. Every
conveyor – there are 3,600 ft of them –
has a walkway running along its length
and right around the end for inspecting
the motors. “Many plants do not have
walkways or protection at the motors.
But here in Quebec the safety norms are
very strict,” Antech says.
A yellow-painted ladder up the side of
the Fisher Industries air separator
gives out onto walkways, for easy maintenance access to motors and other
equipment.
On either side of the huge screens,
built by crushing and screening equipment manufacturer KPI-JCI, and supplied by Candiac, Que.-based Manuquip,
are several storeys worth of staircases
and walkways. Here is another safety
feature: by turning a wheel much like
the steering wheel on a racing yacht, a
large steel chute rolls away easily to reveal the screens. Instead of crawling
around inside the screener, maintenance workers simply roll back the
chute and reach out from staircases to
work on the screens.
Near the control house, a staircase
gives out onto a wide platform running
around the secondary and tertiary
crushers, also built by KPI-JCI. The
cover over the secondary crusher is open
the day I visit, revealing four hammers
(fat steel bars weighing 400 lb apiece)
that rotate at 550 rpm on a drum to
blast tumbling rock to bits. Normally,
setting the gap is done by reaching inside the crusher, but DJL had something safer in mind: a hand crank safely
mounted outside the crusher to make
the adjustments.
In another smart example of reducing
risk and headache, tidy jib cranes are permanently installed beside the crushers for
lifting out the hammers. This makes unnecessary the more typical, involved scenario where a crane would have to be
brought in to do the job.
For simplicity and better safety, the plant is
divided into five coloured lock-out zones; all
equipment is divided among the five zones.
Easy lockout-tagout solution
Instead of setting up an elaborate breaker lockout system, with its attendant
scores of padlocks, keys and procedures,
DJL opted for a quite elegant safety solution. The plant is divided into five colour
zones: green, blue, yellow, red and purple. Every piece of equipment belongs to
one of these zones. Each piece of equipment has a coloured plate attached to it
that identifies the zone it belongs to.
In the electronics rooms – which actually are air-conditioned shipping containers – all of the electronics gear in the
cabinets is colour-matched to the equipment they control. Each piece of electronics that controls a piece of equipment;
e.g., ‘Conveyor HC2 7.5HP’ has its own
coloured plate. Instead of locking out the
equipment breaker by breaker, the electronics technician need only perform one
lockout to disable an entire zone. Five
lockouts, five zones. It’s simple and procedurally very error-resistant.
“When, [for example] you want to
[work on] the green zone, you put your
lock on the green zone, and you will be
sure that nothing in the green zone will
start,” Antech says.
The St-Philippe quarry has some 50
years of reserves in it. DJL wants this
plant to last for at least 30 years, and to
that end has insisted on ease of maintenance and low life-cycle costs. Take, for
example, the structures that support all
of the machines and conveyors, built by
Simar-Dacon, in Beloeil, Que. DJL specified that they all be galvanized steel.
Continued on page 14
Julien Antech, here checking his phone with
the aggregate plant in the background, oversaw the construction of the $12-million facility.
14
S I T E
V I S I T
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
Continued from page 13
Staircases and walkways
give maintenance crews
easy access to all parts
in the plant.
Users turn the big wheel
to roll away the chute for
easy and safe access to
screens.
Plant-wide, brightly coloured guards warn and
protect workers from rotating machinery.
Galvanized is longer-lasting and lowermaintenance than painted steel.
Simar-Dacon also built the conveyors,
which have many low-maintenance features. The D50 conveyor belts can take a
bigger load and are longer-lived. “[They
have] close to three times the normal
abrasion resistance in the market,” says
Richard Paquette, chief executive officer
and majority owner of Manuquip.
Paquette’s company developed the
maintenance program for the plant.
The conveyors have CEMA D6 idlers,
which have bigger shafts, bigger bearings and larger diameters, for longer life.
The screw take-ups for tightening the
belts have stainless steel screws with
copper nuts, to prevent galling.
Conveyors that are longer than 250 ft
have hydraulic tensioners, which are not
only easier to use, but eliminate three
pulleys and six bearings apiece. This
translates into fewer potential failures
and replacement purchases. All of the 50
hp-plus conveyor drives have ceramic
lagging head pulleys. They slip less and
require less tension. As a result, the
bearings last longer.
The pan feeders and conveyors have
direct-drive motors. “DJL wanted one assembly, a direct drive. It eliminates the
need for belts, guards and safety issues.
No tensioning issues, no breaking belts,”
Paquette explains.
There are 66 motors in the plant.
Manufactured by WEG and Baldor, they,
and a lot of other equipment, will benefit
from a plant-wide dust collection system
that begins with the galvanized-steelsheet-covered conveyors and ends with a
Fischer Industries air separator. “[This]
should increase durability of many components due to less dust contamination
and better heat dissipation,” Paquette
says. Less dust build-up on pulleys and
idlers will also reduce tracking problems.
Speaking to the KPI-JCI equipment
that Manuquip supplied – crushers,
screens, and some mobile stacker conveyors – Paquette lists lower-maintenance
features that include automatic grease
systems on the horizontal shaft impactors, the direct drive motors, impact beds
at transfer points to reduce shock, and
rock beds in the chutes.
Rock beds are shelves built right
where pouring rock would normally hit
the chute sides. Instead of administering
that punishment, the pouring rock hits
the rock that piles up on the shelves, thus
protecting the chute walls.
Establishing the maintenance program
One of Paquette’s jobs has been to develop the maintenance management program for the plant. It includes gathering
up all manufacturers’ specs for service
intervals, types of grease, oil, etc.; pulling together a maintenance book, a
maintenance library and parts catalogues for each piece of equipment; and
entering the scheduled maintenance in
the automation and control system.
“The [Electro Kingsey] automation
system includes features that flag maintenance, but it is not a computerized
maintenance management system,” Paquette notes.
Manuquip also prepared the spare
parts list for its machines, and worked
out with DJL what parts to keep, how
many and where. As for the maintenance
scheduling, Paquette wrote a preliminary short-term maintenance plan for
the plant start-up, with a complete plan
to follow within 30 days of start-up.
In short, DJL applied its experience in
building and operating plants to come up
with a plant that is safe, durable and
maintenance-friendly. Says Paquette:
“This plant has the highest standards of
any plant in Quebec. It is unique.” MRO
Online Reader Inquiry No. 124
Montreal-based Carroll McCormick is the
award-winning senior contributing editor
for Machinery & Equipment MRO.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 125
16
F O C U S
O N
P U M P I N G
Machinery & Equipment MRO
Selecting pumps for
hygienic applications
Various pump designs have individual advantages, but the simplest solution for the specific
job can result in higher reliability and reduced maintenance.
T
October / November 2015
Hygienic pumps come in various
designs, such as this internal gear
pump model.
BY JOHN H. HALL
Timed lobe and circumferential
piston pumps
The most widely used hygienic rotary PD
technologies are timed lobe and circumferential piston pumps. These use two
pumping elements, each on its own shaft,
connected by a set of timing gears external to the pumped liquid. The driver
shaft is connected to the motor, and the
timing gears turn the driven shaft as the
driver shaft rotates.
The advantage is that the pumping
elements (rotors) rarely touch, which allows use of soft materials like stainless
steel that could gall (cold weld) on contact. The key disadvantages are that:
1) the timing gears are housed in an oil
or grease-lubricated gearbox that requires frequent lube changes, 2) each
shaft requires its own shaft seal (seal
failure is the most common cause of
pump downtime), and 3) setting the timing and end clearance during a rebuild
can be a maintenance headache, usually
requiring shims (assemble, measure, disassemble, shim, reassemble, measure,
repeat), consuming precious time.
Timed twin-screw pumps
Another timed-pump technology is the
twin screw pump, which substitutes
screws for rotors. A unique advantage is
that it offers the ability to run at very
high speeds on CIP solutions, often up to
3600 rpm, which develops sufficient velocity that a separate CIP pump may not
be required. Normal operation is usually
at much slower speeds to handle the
product.
The disadvantage is that to CIP you
need a variable-speed, variable-frequency drive (VFD) with a significantly higher horsepower motor to operate at high
speeds than you would need for normal
operation, which may be at only 10% or
less of the CIP speed. Operating the VFD
system at very low speeds to handle the
product results in poor energy efficiency
and shorter motor life. Operating the
pump at very high speeds to CIP results
in shorter seal and bearing life.
Progressive cavity pumps
Another popular technology is the progressive cavity (PC) pump, which has a
single, helical-shaped rotor turning
within an elastomeric stator, creating
cavities that continually shift from the
suction end to the discharge end.
Advantages include only one shaft
seal, the ability to gently handle abrasive
slurries and large solids, and the ability
to multi-stage to develop ever-higher
pressures, if needed.
Key disadvantages include: 1) elastomeric particle shedding into the product
when the pump is run dry, 2) high cost
of stator replacement, and 3) the difficulty of in-place disassembly for CleanOut-of-Place (COP) or post Clean-InPlace inspection due to the extremely
long footprint.
Peristaltic pumps
Peristaltic or hose pumps feature an
elastomeric hose that is compressed by
rollers to create continuously moving
fluid cavities. Key advantages include
single-use capability on smaller pumps
for ultra-clean pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products, and the ability
to handle large solids with larger diameter hose pumps.
Key disadvantages include: 1) frequency and cost of hose and coolant replacement, commonly up to seven times
per year, 2) potential for cross-contamination of pumped product and coolant
when the hose ruptures, and 3) no jacketing capability to melt ambient-temperature solids like chocolate.
Internal gear pumps
An internal gear pump is one in which the
rotor gear (connected to the driver shaft,
which is connected to the motor), turns
the driven gear (idler) in the pumped liquid, so no timing gears are needed. The
idler gear rotates on a fixed shaft (idler
pin) mounted to the pump head. The gears
unmesh on the suction side and spaces between the gear teeth carry liquid from the
suction to the discharge side, where the
gears then mesh to expel the liquid.
Advantages compared to timed pumps
include only one shaft seal, no timing
gears or lubrication, and ease of maintenance (no shimming). Advantages vs. PC
and peristaltic pumps include short-term
run dry capability without particle shedding, easy in-line or 90° porting, and ease
of in-place disassembly for COP or postCIP inspection.
Disadvantages compared to both
timed and PC/peristaltic pumps include
the inability to pass large solids (like
whole fruits) and limited differential
pressures (150 psi/10 bar).
The top six reasons, then, to consider
hygienic internal gear pumps versus
other types of rotary PD pumps include:
1. Only one shaft seal. It was demonstrated several years ago in a survey of
pump repair shops that shaft seals, specifically mechanical seals, are the single
largest cause of pump downtime and
maintenance. If a pump has two seals instead of one, it essentially doubles the
odds of failure, not to mention the cost of
replacements. If a pump is cleaned-outof-place, it also speeds up disassembly
and reassembly time by a third compared
to pumps with two seals. If you’re cleaning 10 pumps a day, that adds up.
2. In-line or 90° mounting. No other
hygienic pump offers the option of 90°
ports for mounting directly under tanks,
or opposite ports for simple in-line mounting. That means you can insert a pump
anywhere along a length of straight pipe.
Opposite port pumps also give you the
capability of vertical orientation, which
allows complete self-draining prior to
cleaning, and is required for EHEDG
(European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) certification.
3. No oil to change. Internal gear pumps
use sealed antifriction bearings with foodgrade grease and require no re-lubrication. Pumps with timing gears and bearings in a lubricated gearbox usually require oil or grease changes at least four
times per year, or more in humid, washdown environments. It is said that one
drop of water in a quart of oil will destroy
its lubricating properties, and these gearboxes allow humid air into the gearbox
through the breather or oil seal as it cools
down, causing internal condensation and
lube failure.
Continued on page 18
Side view of an internal gear pump.
Peristaltic pump.
Side view of a timed differential piston pump.
Timed twin screw pump.
Images: Viking Pump Inc.
he Hydraulic Institute has
classified more than 30
unique types of rotary positive displacement (PD)
pumps, each providing different features and benefits.
Fortunately for the food and
beverage, pharmaceutical/
biopharm and personal care product industries, many of these pumping principles are available in hygienic versions.
Faced with these many choices, it’s up
to each of us to find the right balance of
performance, reliability, cleanability,
maintenance, capital cost and operating
cost to suit our own facility’s needs.
One pump technology that has recently become available in hygienic versions
is the internal gear pump. It is a rotary
PD pump, meaning that with every rotation of the shaft, the pump draws in and
then displaces the same volume of liquid.
That gives it some big benefits, including:
• Easily adjustable flow rates using a
variable speed drive, since the flow is directly proportional to the speed of the
motor
• Flow independent of changes in system
pressure, enabling accurate metering
into batches
• Reversible direction of flow to strip the
line of product, reducing waste and reducing water and chemical usage during
Clean-In-Place (CIP) applications
• Ability to handle a wide range of viscosities, from milk to peanut butter
• Minimal product degradation due to
shear, because shear forces are proportional to pump speed, and rotary PD
pumps can be operated at very low speeds
to minimize shear
• Smooth flow and high efficiency (compared to reciprocating pumps, for example), which improves accuracy of flow meters and reduces splashing when discharging into tanks or packaging
To illustrate the differences between
internal gear pumps and other hygienic
rotary PD pumps, we need to look at the
technologies employed.
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Installation, testing, maintenance and repair
18
F O C U S
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Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
Continued from page 16
Shaft seals, specifically mechanical seals, are the single largest cause of pump
downtime and maintenance. If a pump has two seals instead of one, it essentially
doubles the odds of failure.
4. Same pump for COP or CIP. Designed for ease of disassembly and reassembly in-place, internal gear pumps
feature a front-removable rotor and idler,
shaft seal and casing for COP. Yet the
same pump can be configured to be completely CIP-able. Pumps with EHEDG
certification for in-place cleanability have
been rigorously tested and validated for
in-place cleanability. For processors that
COP today, but are considering CIP in
the future, this means they can use the
same pump for either, while many other
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pumps require factory modifications for
CIP, if they can be made CIP-able at all.
5. Fast, easy end clearance adjustment – no shimming. Clearances are
adjusted on rotary PD pumps to optimize
the performance based on the viscosity,
to prevent rotor/casing contact due to expansion from high temperatures, and to
compensate for wear over time. Internal
gear pumps enable easy end clearance
adjustment by rotating the threaded rear
bearing housing. Rotate it clockwise
until the rotor contacts the head, then
back it off counter-clockwise a set distance per 0.001 in. of clearance required,
and lock it down with set screws. This
takes about five minutes.
Timed pumps must be timed to ensure that their pumping elements never
actually contact each other, often using
shims, which are also used to set end
clearances. This process usually takes
several hours, in which a pump is assembled, measured, disassembled, shimmed,
reassembled and measured, and sometimes that process has to be repeated to
get it just right.
6. Dimensionally interchangeable
with existing gear pumps. There is a
large installed base of internal gear
pumps from several manufacturers handling low-hazard foods like edible oils
and personal care intermediates that
comply to an unofficial dimensional standard set long ago by the market leader.
Hygienic internal gear pumps also fit
that standard, and are available with
ANSI-compatible flange ports to drop
into these low-hazard applications, or
with hygienic ports for higher-hazard liquids like dairy.
As hygiene requirements become
more stringent, replacement of ‘industrial’ pumps with hygienic pumps will be
commonplace on even low-hazard oils
and chocolates.
In conclusion, it’s up to each facility to
match the right pump to the job. Internal
gear pumps are not for everything, but
they do excel in many applications, including edible oils, chocolate and peanut
butter; sugars, sweeteners and confectionary; and jams, jellies, sauces and
pastes. In the pharma and personal care
world, they are especially well-suited to
syrups and ointments, lotions and
creams, and hair care products, to name
a few.
Timed lobe, circumferential piston
and twin-screw pumps are excellent performers, but their overly complicated design is overkill if you are not pumping
large solids or if you don’t need differential pressures exceeding 150 psi (10 bar).
Consider a simpler solution – internal
gear pumps – for those easy applications.
Similarly, progressive cavity or peristaltic pumps may be a great choice for slurries of whole berries, but for strawberry
jelly or jam, an internal gear pump offers
benefits in terms of higher reliability and
reduced maintenance. MRO
John H. Hall is the senior product manager with Viking Pump Inc. For more information, visit www.pumpschool.com.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 127
His decision to cut energy
costs by 70% with LED high bay
lighting was a great idea.
And a great start.
Once you start seeing the benefits of our incentives for LED
high bay lighting, you’ll want to start upgrading your motors,
fans, pumps and compressors to higher efficiency systems as
well. When you do, you’ll be joining thousands of organizations
across Ontario who are already enjoying the savings that our
programs deliver.
Take a look at their stories and our incentives at
saveonenergy.ca/business
Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca.
Subject to change without notice.OMOfficial Mark of the Independent Electricity System Operator.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 128
20
F O C U S
O N
H Y D R A U L I C S
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
Are you ready for
Hydraulics 4.0?
Hydraulic seals are
becoming more
application-specific
and being developed
in line with their
intended use.
The future of hydraulics includes completely
autonomous systems that will monitor
and service themselves.
BY PROF. JOSEF KURFESS
S
ketch anticipates future
applications for hydraulics.
Photo: ULM University
Images: Trelleborg Sealing Systems
Prof. Josef Kurfess,
Ulm University.
O
In this review, Professor Josef Kurfess
from Ulm University in Germany outlines why hydraulic systems still have
an important part to play in the industrial world of today and tomorrow.
ver the past 40 years, hydraulic systems have been continually deemed a dying technology – if not pronounced dead
altogether. And these views
don’t seem all that farfetched
in light of the on-going energy efficiency
debate and the apparent cure-all: electric
drive systems. Perhaps the ‘dinosaurs of
drive technology’ are truly at an end. Yet
they keep coming back and are more sustainable than ever – all thanks to consistent, systematic thinking.
Hydraulics form the core technology
behind many industrial companies and
many of the applications we see in our
daily lives. Whether it’s at home or at
work, whether it’s in mobile or stationary
applications, life as we know it wouldn’t
be possible without hydraulic systems.
One source: your partner
for pumps, valves and service
KSB is your single source for all pumping needs.
Our pump experts help ensure the best possible
solution for every job, no matter if it’s selecting a
new pump, stocking up on spare parts, or
remanufacturing a long-service veteran.
Ask us how you can benefit from our exceptional
products, advice and service on your next project.
KSB Pumps Inc.
info@ksbcanada.com . www.ksb.ca
You can also visit us at: www.ksb.com/socialmedia
Our technology. Your success.
Pumps ■ Valves ■ Service
Online Reader Inquiry No. 129
Sluices wouldn’t open or close properly,
construction vehicles wouldn’t function
correctly, cable cars wouldn’t run, and
most machines would no longer manufacture things.
In the same vein, no theatre stage
would rotate, no harvesting machine
would work quickly and precisely, and
trucks couldn’t unload their goods. Personal and professional life would become
a lot less convenient.
That said, there have been many attempts over the past 40 years to replace
hydraulic systems with other technologies. That’s because, apart from their
undisputed advantages, hydraulic systems and applications were considered
coarse, clumsy, and only really of any
use in rough industrial settings. They
were also deemed inefficient energy
hogs prone to leakages.
In recent years, the energy debate has
ferociously challenged hydraulic systems,
and more and more electric solutions
have tried to take on the leading role.
Some have even predicted that hydraulic
systems would share the same fate as the
dinosaurs.
But these dinosaurs are coming back.
A multitude of innovations, developments
and enhancements are seeing hydraulic
systems and applications improve considerably – and sustainably. There’s no end
in sight.
Is there evidence of this? Our university of applied sciences has established
an endowed chair for oil hydraulics and
our competence centre for hydraulics now
has 17 member companies – clear indications of a renaissance. That’s because one
thing is certain: hydraulic systems are
strong, robust, and they work more reliably than most comparable technologies.
And little by little, they are regaining
ground lost in the battle. The reasons for
this are quite clear.
Hydraulic systems are becoming
more intelligent. Thanks to new ways
of thinking and development approaches
that focus on systems, hydraulic technology is becoming more efficient, versatile
and precise. By integrating high-performance electronics and control software,
hydraulic systems are constantly becoming more ‘intelligent’. All the while, the
software also ensures that increasingly
complex systems are becoming easier to
operate. And that’s not all – the focus on
systemic factors is reaching out into more
and more areas.
Controls. The limits to how far we
can stretch the mechanical production of
control blocks are being eradicated, but
when we do reach the limit, software can
help us go further – for example, when
balancing oscillations at specific operating points. Control valves are becoming
even more precise and faster. Oils and
fluids are also advancing further. It’s
quite conceivable to develop fluid sensors
that detect wear, and report when a part
should be exchanged.
Seals. Seals are becoming more application-specific and being developed in
line with their intended use. They will
reconcile the two opposing objectives of
minimizing friction while maximizing
sealing performance. This is giving rise
to trendsetting sealing systems that can
be connected or switched off, such as the
Turcon Roto L system developed by Trelleborg Sealing Solutions. Such developments are paving the way for systems
that we are already seeing in use, like a
tire pressure system that allows for variable tire pressure and which can be adjusted while the system is running.
Autonomous systems are feasible.
Hydraulic systems will gradually become
even more intelligent. They will be selfmonitoring by using high-performance
sensors, and maintenance will not be carried out during downtime, but dynamically. Depending on the state and load of
the hydraulic system, reports will be displayed indicating required maintenance
or when to change components or fluids.
All of this will be accompanied by the
highest possible energy efficiency and
even greater overall efficiency. And this
isn’t even taking Industry 4.0 into account. Quite conceivably, completely autonomous systems will exist in the future. These will monitor and service
themselves – more like Hydraulics 4.0.
All of this bolsters the undisputed advantages of hydraulic drives: No other drive
system is as powerful and as robust. The
‘dinosaurs of drive technology’ might just
outlive everything else.
Competence through cooperation.
The Kompetenzzentrum Hydraulik is a
privately funded centre of excellence for
hydraulics at Ulm University of Applied
Sciences. It was established to promote
the qualification of young talent as hydraulics specialists. The centre, sponsored
by the chamber of commerce and industry
in Ulm (IHK Ulm), will receive over one
million euros from its sponsoring companies over the next five years. Each of these
companies will also delegate a representative to sit on the advisory board to define
core tuition and work activities.
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is contributing sealing and bearing technology information to the course on ‘Hydraulic Fluids and Seals’. Practical examples and
visits to the companies, including the testing facilities at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, complement theoretical work.
The hydraulic courses are proving
popular and interest in the lectures –
which are available online as webinars –
is growing steadily. MRO
For more information, visit the website at
www.trelleborg.com.
F O C U S
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P O W E R
October / November 2015
Machinery & Equipment MRO
Dealing with cylinder mounting problems
Pay attention to the load-carrying capabilities of fluid power cylinder mountings to prevent
their misapplication, or you could end up with premature cylinder failure, serious machinery
problems or safety issues. BY TED GROVE
F
luid power cylinder manufacturers generally offer a huge assortment of cylinder mounting styles,
which is extremely handy for the
machine designer. All too often,
however, in their haste to finish their
projects, the designers fail to consult the
application information sections of the
cylinder catalogue they are using and
end up selecting the most convenient but
perhaps the least serviceable mounting
for their application.
This oversight can result in improper
operation of the machine, premature failure of the cylinder or even catastrophic
failure of the cylinder or machine, perhaps threatening the personal safety of
employees.
Pneumatic cylinders, because of their
lower pressures, can generally be used at
full pressure, regardless of mounting.
Medium and heavy-duty hydraulic cylinders, in some mounting styles, may not
be used at full rated pressure.
Cylinder mountings are generally
classified into three groups: Group 1 –
straight-line force transfer with fixed
mounts, which absorb force on the cylinder centre line; Group 2 – pivot force
transfer, which absorbs force on the cylinder centre line but allows swivelling in
one plane; and Group 3 – Straight line
force transfer with fixed mounts, which
do not absorb force on the centre line.
Group 1 includes front and rear flange
mount as well as tie rod mount cylinders.
Selection of front or rear mounting
should be based on whether the cylinder
will be used primarily in compression or
tension. In compression, the back end of a
single-rod cylinder is pressurized. Using
a front mount will put undue tension on
the tie rods and mounting bolts and generally result in derating the maximum
permissible pressure for the cylinder.
The same logic can be applied to tension
loading with rear-mount cylinders.
Group 2, pivot force cylinders, will normally allow for misalignment in one plane
only. The use of spherical bearings in single lug rod and cap clevis mountings will
allow for minor misalignment in the second plane. Rear clevis and rear trunion
cylinders should only be used in shorter
stroke applications. In long-stroke applications, the entire weight of the cylinder
will be supported by the rod bearing,
causing undue wear and damage, especially when extended. Judicial use of stop
tubes in the cylinder to prevent full extension can help a little but the best solution
is to use a mid-cylinder trunion positioned
to optimally balance the load.
Group 3 cylinders are generally described as side-mounted cylinders. They
include side lug, end lug, side tapped, and
end angle mountings. All of these mountings produce an off-centre or twisting
motion to the cylinder structure, which
may cause leaks and premature bearing
failure. They are, however, convenient to
use and when needed, the side lug design
should be selected if possible. The welded
or bolted connection points of end lug and
end angle mounts will be severely
stressed by the rocking action of the end
caps and may fail. End-mounted side
connections should be avoided in all but
the lightest of applications
The off-centre twisting motion can
also create structural problems in the
machine. The machine base, to which the
cylinder is side-mounted, must be strong
enough to withstand the resulting eccentric loading without flexing. Any movement of the machine structure at this
point will tend to amplify the cylinder
misalignment.
Be careful when selecting cylinder
mounts. By being competitive in offering
a wide range of cylinder mounts, the cylinder manufacturer may be doing himself and his customer a disservice. More
emphasis must be placed on the de-rating factors or load-carrying capacities of
various mountings to prevent their misapplication.
Having said this, however, does little to
solve the problem. The onus, as usual,
rests on the shoulders of the user. The
use of a little common sense and mechanical intuition, as well as referring
to the cylinder manufacturers’ engineering recommendations when designing a machine, can save you a lot of grief
later on. MRO
For our 30th anniversary this year,
we’re occasionally publishing top-rated
articles from our previous editions. This
article first ran in November 2000,
when author Ted Grove, a widely experienced fluid power trainer, was the corporate training manager for Wainbee Ltd.,
Mississauga, ON. He has since retired.
Cylinder technology is evolving. Milwaukee
Cylinder has a new RFID solution for easy
identification and maintenance tracking
of tie rod cylinders. The RFID tags come
pre-loaded with cylinder identifying and
maintenance kit information. Maintenance
comments can be recorded to the tags.
Photo: Milwaukee Cylinder
REAL STORIES.
REAL SOLUTIONS.
We’re problem solvers.
We do what it takes
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“
We pulled off and delivered on
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as a result, we built a foundation of trust.
And that’s because team members were
willing to cross roles.
“
Josh Learn
Large Project Account Manager
Acklands-Grainger
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Textbooks tell us that creating solutions takes ingenuity and careful planning.
But in the real world, we all know it takes long hours, teamwork and a good
dose of perseverance, too. Just new on the job, Josh Learn showed that he
knew his stuff.
The challenges were formidable. A vague RFQ. A large number of SKUs.
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Online Reader Inquiry No. 130
22
F O C U S
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C O N D I T I O N
M O N I T O R I N G
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
How ships save
time and money
W
Critical monitoring of key components in rotating machinery
such as pumps, motors and compressors eliminates the need to
carry out certain maintenance routines.
hen the Overseas Shipholding Group Inc.
(OSG) launched its
new generation of liquefied natural gas
(LNG) carriers, it also introduced a condition monitoring system to support the
smooth operation of each of these innovative vessels.
With the job of transporting LNG
around the world, the new carriers have
to maintain the highest levels of operational performance and meet stringent
safety standards. The four gas-carrying
giants, Al Gharrafa, Tembek, Al Gattara and Al Hamla, which form the
company’s LNG fleet, each have a carrying capacity of up to 216,000 cbm (cubic
metres) and use onboard reliquefaction
to reduce gas losses. At the time of construction, in 2007 and 2008, these ships
were the largest and most sophisticated
LNG carriers afloat.
OSG’s Mike O’Rourke, fleet manager,
LNG Fleet, explains that all of the ship’s
equipment, main engines, propellers
and steering systems are duplicated to
ensure failsafe operation.
To give an idea of the amount of rotating machinery on board, each vessel is
propelled by two slow-speed diesel engines. Plus, each ship is equipped with
an on-board reliquefaction system to
handle the boil-off gas, liquefy it and return the LNG to the cargo tanks. This
equipment allows the carrier to deliver
nearly all of the cargo to the customer.
This system ensures that LNG losses
are minimized, which produces economic and environmental benefits.
On long journeys using conventional
LNG carriers, there can be significant
losses. To avoid this, each vessel has
complex, computerized systems and a
heavy-duty, high-voltage electrical system comprising a number of generators,
which are required due to the power demand of the reliquefaction plant.
Critical monitoring of key components
in rotating machinery such as pumps,
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Online Reader Inquiry No. 131
Critical monitoring in
done on key components in shipboard
rotating machinery.
The use of condition monitoring helps
the OSG reduce the
costs associated with
unplanned maintenance.
Photos: SKF Group
motors and compressors on each vessel is
provided by SKF. The use of condition
monitoring helps OSG reduce the cost associated with unplanned maintenance.
An important benefit in using the
SKF condition monitoring system is that
it has helped OSG achieve class approval
from the leading certification body for
the industry, DNV. “This has given us
exceptions to the need to carry out certain maintenance routines, thus saving
both time and cost,” says O’Rourke.
This avoids the need to periodically
strip down machinery, which possibly
could take the LNG carrier out of service
for a significant period of time and add
considerably to the cost of operation.
Early detection of a potential bearing
failure can ensure that maintenance
schedules are optimized, it can reduce
the need for maintenance in general and
cut associated costly maintenance work.
“Condition monitoring is a valuable prediction tool. By catching events early, we
can replace a bearing at a cost of around
US$500, rather than spend between
$5,000 and $25,000 on a new electric
motor,” O’Rourke points out.
The condition monitoring system
consists of three elements: An SKF Microlog portable data collector/analyzer,
SKF@ptitude Analyst software and sensors. SKF has considerable experience in
developing maritime condition-based
maintenance programs. “For each vessel
in the OSG fleet, SKF carries out regular
monitoring of 225 onboard machines with
a total of 3,020 readings being taken over
all the units,” explains Steven Tyrer, contract manager at SKF UK.
“For critical equipment, data is collected on a weekly basis,” he adds. The
sensor readings are divided into several
distinct types:
- Velocity (mm/sec), which detects problems such as out of balance and misalignment
- Acceleration (g), which detects problems such as gearbox and lubrication issues, and
- Enveloped acceleration (gE) SKF technology for detecting bearing condition
and damage.
To gather this data, engineers use the
SKF Microlog CMXA 51-IS, an intrinsically safe, rugged and portable, handheld instrument specifically developed
and certified for use in hazardous environments. The instrument, accelerometers and cables are all certified IS (Intrinsically Safe) for use in Zone 0, Zone 1
and Zone 2 areas.
This monitoring is recorded to determine the trend related to the vibration
levels, for example, and this information
builds up a picture of how well the equipment is performing and can predict possible future failure. Early detection of
potential problems gives more time to
plan and organize maintenance.
As Tyrer explains, “We can notice
degradation in components months before it becomes critical. In this way we
can keep an eye on when action is required and also optimize the operational
life of a component.” Regular reports
from SKF keep OSG updated on machinery status so that remedial actions can
be planned during regular maintenance.
SKF’s condition monitoring system
plays its part in keeping OSG’s advanced
vessels operating at peak performance,
while meeting the class requirements of
DNV to ensure they can keep delivering
LNG without the need to carry out additional maintenance routines. MRO
OSG is a diversified energy transportation group with a fleet of more than 100
International Flag and US Flag vessels.
Incorporated in 1969, OSG has headquarters in New York, with offices in Quebec City. For details, visit www.osg.com.
SKF is a global supplier of bearings,
seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems,
and services that include technical support, maintenance and reliability services, engineering consulting and training.
For more information, visit SKF Canada
at www.skf.com/ca.
F I E L D
S E R V I C E
C A S E
S T U D Y
October / November 2015
23
Machinery & Equipment MRO
Fast fault
finding for
machinery
W
Labels help
technicians find
what they need
quickly.
Fleet vehicles stand ready for the Neutron
Factory Works field team of electricians
and automation technicians.
Quality engineering documentation proves to be a
technician’s friend in the field.
henever Kris Morris
went out on service
calls around the BC
Lower Mainland, one
thing would always
make his day. Often, he’d find poor electrical schematics for equipment he was
summoned to troubleshoot, even for systems his company had built.
But sometimes, Morris, until recently
automation and panel shop manager for
Neutron Factory Works, came across
schematics for foreign-made machinery
that had been done in EPLAN Electric
P8, which is design automation software
for electrical engineering. Those schematics were precise, detailed, professional-looking and made servicing that
equipment easier and faster.
Later, to upgrade Neutron’s in-house
design capability, Morris resolved to
switch to EPLAN from the CAD programs being used. The added productivity quickly paid for the switch.
“I come from a maintenance/service
background and not from an engineering
background,” said Morris. “I would get
frustrated every time I saw a product we
made that had no wire labels, no drawings. I was always happy when I saw a
machine had nice EPLAN drawings.
Bingo! I could read the schematics, I
could find stuff real quick.
“I wanted us to put out schematics
like that … for the quality, reliability,
ease of troubleshooting.”
Neutron is an industrial contractor
providing refrigeration and other services to manufacturing and processing facilities. Fast, around-the-clock service is
Neutron’s calling card, even when the
Images: Neutron Factory Works
Neat cables make for easier
servicing of equipment.
Planning view using EPLAN software.
customer is a fishing boat in port with a
refrigeration issue and an extremely
tight schedule. Lost production and spoilage costs can mount by the minute, which
puts a premium on the availability of accurate engineering documentation to
help technicians locate the source of the
problem as quickly as possible.
Stored records easily updated
In the field, the printed documentation
that came with the machine or system
can become torn, smudged or otherwise
unreadable, even go missing. CAD drawing programs cannot archive project documentation. Keeping a digital record of a
CAD project usually involves multiple,
incompatible file formats; updating such
a project can take days, if it’s done at all.
By contrast, database-centric engineering software like EPLAN archives
projects in one format, and can revise
them in a fraction of the time. Small
changes can be applied in minutes. If it
chooses, an OEM can maintain a version
that reflects all significant life-cycle
maintenance actions such as upgrades,
add-ons or parts substitutions. An added
convenience: EPLAN documentation can
be exported as PDFs to a technician’s
iPad for on-site viewing.
A growing part of Neutron’s business
is serving as a ‘full life-cycle partner’ for
customers – designing and building
their electrical, mechanical, refrigeration and automation systems and then
servicing them. Most builds are custom,
one-off installations. The design automation features and database architecture of computer-aided engineering
(CAE) software like EPLAN are key to
producing high-quality engineering
data and production outcomes.
Neutron used AutoCAD or Constructor software previously to create schematics. For Morris, who recently joined
Siemens, another EPLAN user, using
those previous drawing programs at
Neutron “was just slow and cumbersome
and you wouldn’t get all the information
out of it [that was] needed to make us
more efficient.”
Physically assembling panels would
begin with a rough placement of components. A lot of time-consuming adjustments then had to be done before the job
was finished.
“Things were constantly shifting. I
made it a personal rule that with every
wire I connected to anything, I left a really big loop, so I could always move
stuff around.”
Morris said he now can make EPLAN
drawings much faster than when using
the old software. They are more precise,
with great detail and specificity, which
leads to correct placement of components
the first time.
In the CAD environment, he added,
generating labels for a typical control
panel used to be a manual process that
could take four hours or more with a 5%
data-entry error rate. Now, labels for the
same size project are generated automatically by the CAE in about 20 minutes.
Faster panel design and assembly
Morris estimates that after a year of using
EPLAN exclusively, the entire control
panel design/build process had become
roughly 200% faster, with an even greater
degree of improvement in the quality of
Online Reader Inquiry No. 132
the finished product and its documentation. Neutron is making good use of baseline automation features such as auto-connect, automatic error correction and automatic cross-referencing. That’s usually
enough for most companies to repay an
EPLAN investment within a year.
Even greater savings can be obtained
by embracing EPLAN’s potential in areas
like content standardization and data
sharing. Using its macro-generation capability and archiving potential, many users
build up libraries of project templates and
macros, covering commonly used components, circuits, even entire subassemblies.
Parts macros can be imported from vendor
websites or via the EPLAN Data Portal, a
powerful free search tool. The latter is an
integral part of EPLAN CAE products
and allows users to locate and import master data sets for over 520,000 components
from over 85 manufacturers.
The larger a company’s library of templates and macros, the faster projects are
completed. Neutron is creating parts
macros for recurrent usage items like
controls and transformers, and content
macros for motor control circuits and
more. The CAE is readily scalable, helping the company pursue larger projects
than it had undertaken previously.
“EPLAN allowed us to build and deliver consistently high-quality products
reliably, on time and on budget,” said Morris. “I wanted to create this culture where
this is what we are known for and what
every Neutron customer expects.” MRO
For more information about Neutron Factory Works, visit www.neutronfactoryworks
.com; for EPLAN, visit ww.eplanusa.com.
24
P R O D U C T
N E W S
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
What’s new in test
and measurement
AC measurement standard offers
precision, wide range of capabilities
The 5790B AC Measurement Standard
is an AC voltage and current measurement or transfer standard designed for
the most demanding calibration applications. It combines the accuracy expected
from a thermal transfer standard with
the ease of use of a digital multimeter,
and is designed to meet the complete AC
voltage, current and wideband verification requirements of the Fluke Calibration 5730A, 5720A, and 5700A multifunction calibrators, 5522A, 5502A, and
5500A multi-product calibrators, plus
other calibrators, amplifiers such as the
5725A and 5205A/5215A, transfer standards and AC voltmeters. The 5790B can
make direct, absolute or relative current
measurements with current shunts without needing to make any calculations.
The interface allows users to input and
save characteristics and coefficients such
as shunt serial numbers and calibration
constant values to automate the ACI-toACV conversion calculations.
Fluke Calibration
www.flukecal.com/5790B
Thermal imaging camera family for Android
phones is expanded
Two models have been
added to Ogpal’s ThermApp thermal imaging camera for Android phones.
The Therm-App TH device,
dedicated for thermography applications,
allows professionals to take accurate
temperature measurements captured on
high-resolution thermographic photos
and videos and immediately transmit
them via e-mail, messaging or file-sharing platforms. Features include full radiometric capability, multiple colour palettes, video and sound recording, as well
as efficient reporting and data analysis.
Additional features include touchscreen
Compact high-voltage digital
insulation resistance tester is
multi-featured
Designed for high-voltage testing, Megger’s BM5200 rugged and compact, battery-powered 5-kV digital insulation
resistance tester is for use in the maintenance, electrical manufacturing, railway/railroad, industrial/manufacturing and raw materials processing industries. Safety features include CAT
Monitoring program for torque vibration helps protect rolling mill drives
Emerson’s torque-amplification analysis
program for precisely measuring the true
torque loads and vibration frequencies experienced by rolling mill drives is part of
a program to help mills process tougher
alloys, increase output with thicker slabs
or higher speeds, protect against cold-end
slabs, or mitigate torsional vibration. This
program combines computer modelling of
complex drives with true torque measurements to determine the actual torque amplification factor (TAF) on the drive, incapabilities, round-the-clock connectivity, ongoing application
updates and more. Applications include temperature
measurements of electrical
installations,
buildings,
HVAC, insulation, plumbing
and veterinary, among many others.
The second model, Therm-App Hz, is a
high-end solution for security, safety and
other
night/outdoor
applications.
Through its higher 25-Hz frame rate, it
delivers smooth thermal images, especially when the user or the targets observed are on the move, using a variety of
interchangeable lenses ranging from 6.8
mm to 35 mm.
Opgal Optronic Industries
www.opgal.com
stead of inferring it from motor current
readings. Solutions are engineered that
reduce TAF and torsional vibration using
alterations of coupling stiffness, improved
overload protection, resilient couplings
and other strategies. TAF data capture
and analysis can be a temporary service
or it can be integrated with a mill’s
CSI6500 condition monitoring system as
an ongoing service.
Emerson
www.emersonindustrial.com
Motor circuit analyzer
provides system
health status report
on the spot
Offering a complete
electric motor health
analysis in minutes,
the All-Test Pro 5
motor circuit analyzer tests all
types of motors, including induction,
synchronous,
AC, DC, brushless DC, servo and wound
rotors, as well as single-phase motors.
The health of all motor components is
evaluated, including induction windings
and rotors, DC field windings and armatures, and field and rotor coils in synchronous motors. Single- and threephase transformers, pole and pad
III 600 V rating, a high-voltage warning indicator, an external voltage display after IR test, automatic discharge
of reactive loads and high-quality test
leads. This fully automatic, IP40-rated
digital IR tester features five preset
test voltages ranging from 250 V to
5,000 V, a maximum resistance range
of 1 teraohm, multiple operating modes
including
insulation,
polarization
index, as well as varied timed test, and
a single rotary switch for easy operation. In addition, the compact unit features a user-settable insulation resistance test timer with a range to 20 minutes, selectable DC or AC voltmeter
functions ranging from 25 V to 600 V,
as well as a guard terminal that minimizes surface leakage current.
Megger
www.megger.com
mounted, also can be evaluated with this
portable, lightweight device. Features include storage capacity for more than 650
tests, on-screen guidance, trending and
reference testing, and the ability to perform testing from distances of 1,000 ft
from the motor control centre, for inaccessible or hard-to-reach motors. Test results are easily uploaded.
All-Test Pro
www.alltestpro.com
Portable assessment kit helps
avoid costly spindle downtime
The SKF spindle assessment kit measures and interprets key spindle operating data to help users detect developing
problems before they can escalate. Designed for use after a spindle is assembled
and installed in a machine tool, the kit
can help validate performance indicators.
It includes a spindle test module providing nine condition tests, balancing module
and RUCD (Run Up Coast Down) module
and comprises a portable Microlog analyzer, acceleration sensor, laser tachometer, dial gauge with gauge stand, belt tension gauge and a spindle-specific software
package preconfigured to convert measured data into intuitive green-amber-red
colour-coded results. Features include
lightweight ergonomic design, extended
battery life, easy-operation function keys,
and rugged and water-resistant design.
Step-by-step instructions are included.
SKF Canada
www.skf.com/ca/en/
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Online Reader Inquiry No. 133
Compact infrared
camera series
makes thermal
imaging affordable
The easy-to-use, lightweight Omega OSXL-EX
series compact infrared cameras (made by FLIR) have
three views, thermal, visible and
MSX imaging featured on their
high-resolution colour LCD display.
The MSX thermal images clearly
reveal problems from sources of energy loss, moisture intrusion and structural
issues to overheating electrical and mechanical equipment. This cost-effective
thermal imager series offers camera
choices to meet the most demanding applications. Features include 2% accuracy,
radiometric jpg file format, swappable
lithium ion battery with four-hour life,
spot measurement mode, simultaneous
storage of IR/visual/MSX images, picturein-picture image and a temperature range
from minus 20°C to plus 250°C (minus
4°F to plus 482°F). MRO
Omega
www.omega.ca
P R O D U C T
25
N E W S
October / November 2015
Machinery & Equipment MRO
What’s new
in lubrication
Lubricant line can offer
energy-efficiency benefits
ExxonMobil’s machine shop lubricants
are formulated for performance and energy efficiency. The line includes: Mobil
DTE 10 Excel series of high-viscosity-index, shear-stable, anti-wear oils for hydraulic systems; Mobil SHC 600 synthetic
circulating and gear oils that deliver good
equipment protection; Mobil SHC Gear
fully synthetic industrial gear oils that
help enhance equipment performance,
and deliver good oxidation resistance and
low-temperature fluidity. All products
offer potential energy efficiency benefits.
Exxon Mobil
Transmitter enhances lubrication flowmeter series
Universal Flow Monitors has added the LL, SN and
MN series transmitters to its lubrication flowmeter
line. These variable-area meters have compact, noncontact, magnetically coupled transmitters as an alternative to alarm switches. Easy to install, operate and
maintain, the meters monitor the rate of oil flow to
keep gears, bearings, drills and mills functional in the
processing industries for flows ranging from 5 gph to
70 gpm. The SN vane-style meters are designed for
for the lubrication to pass through to a felt
pinion, which disburses lubrication onto
either the pinion or the rack.
Wittenstein North America
www.wittenstein-us.com
Portable lubrication system
goes almost anywhere
A mobile lubrication system from the IFH
Group provides storage and dispensing of
lubricants, cutting oils, bearing oils, hydraulic fluids, transmission fluids and engine oils for plants requiring lubrication
flows from 0.5-20 gpm; the MN vanestyle meters are for flows from 10-70
gpm; and the LL piston-style meters are for flows from 0.25-20
gpm. All of these meters can be
used when local flow indication
and mechanical flow switching or 4-20
mA transmitters are desired.
Universal Flow Monitors
www.flowmeters.com
maintenance at multiple locations over a
large area. The system, which is delivered
on a pallet, can be placed in the bed of a
heavy-duty pickup truck for easy mobility
anywhere within a plant. It includes two
50-gal. and two 25-gal. steel containers
with PVC sight gauges. Air-operated piston pumps on top of each container provide a 5:1 pumping ratio, and filters remove any dirt or small particulates. The
system includes retractable hose reels
with metered dispensing control handles.
A large steel tool box with cabinets under-
neath the reels provides convenient storage of tools, greases, rags, etc. MRO
The IFH Group
http://ifhgroup.com
www.exxonmobil.com
Lubricant provides both water
spray-off and wear resistance
Dow Corning’s Molykote G-1502FM synthetic bearing and gear grease has been
formulated to simultaneously resist
water washdown and spray-off and help
prevent wear and corrosion, minimizing
both grease loss and wear scar. Offering
long service life at wide service temperature ranges in water-rich environments,
the product is designed to reduce costs
and extend equipment life. It delivers effective results even at low speeds.
Dow Corning
www.dowcorning.com
Lubricant complies
with food safety
standards
Sprayon’s NSF-H1rated food grade lubricant line features
12 lubricants developed specifically for the food processing
industry. Consisting of high-quality foodgrade base-stocks, including synthetics,
renewable oils and silicones, these lubricants feature heavy load pressures, good
resistance to water washout, low flammability ratings and wide temperature ranges. They meet the formulation hygiene
requirements for the use and handling of
lubricants that may come into contact
with food, cosmetics or animal feed products during manufacture or processing.
Sprayon
www.sprayon.com
Lubrication
system keeps
rack and pinion
systems running smoothly
Wittenstein has developed a complete lubrication system, specially designed to
work with any type of rack and pinion system, that ensures these systems are running smoothly with long service life. The
lubricator supplies a preset quantity of
grease to the felt pinion and guarantees a
constant film of lubrication on the rack
and pinion. Multiple components make up
the lubrication system. The lubrication
canister, which comes in two sizes, houses
the lubrication. To this is attached a sensor kit, which notifies when the lubrication is running low. The lubrication flows
from the canister to the mounting shaft
through a plastic hose connection. The
mounting shaft contains holes that allow
NEXT GENERATION
SYNTHETIC
GREASES
FOR MAXIMUM
BEARING
PROTECTION
SYNXTREME HD SERIES GREASES
If you’re still using conventional petroleum-based greases, you’re missing
out on the many benefits of Lubriplate SynXtreme Synthetic Greases.
They provide a level of performance and versatility we could only dream
about just a few years ago. Engineered to provide superior performance
throughout a wide range of applications and conditions, these super
multi-purpose greases can help you significantly reduce, consolidate
and simplify your grease inventory. In fact, they may be
the only greases you’ll ever need.
100% Synthetic
Ultra High-Performance, Calcium
Sulfonate Complex Formula.
Operating Lubrication
- 43˚ C to 232˚ C Effective
Temperature Ranges.
3X
Better Shear Stability and Oxidation,
Resistance for Long Lubricant Life.
Newark, NJ 07105 USA / Toledo, OH 43605 USA / Tel: +973-465-5700
www.lubriplate.com / LubeXpert@lubriplate.com
- REPRESENTATIVES IN CANADA Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan & Manitoba: Robin Tetrault / Summit Agencies Ltd. / 403-236-8655 / robin@summitagencies.ca
Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan: Peter Liston / Summit Agencies Ltd. / 780-406-7462 / peter@summitagencies.ca
British Columbia: Brian Weihs / Summit Agencies Ltd. / 604-329-7848 / brian@summitagencies.ca
Southeastern Ontario: Mechanical Sales Co. / 2199 Dunwin Dr. / Mississauga, ON L5L 1X2 / 800-263-7226
Southwestern Ontario: RJ (Richard) Seguin / Mechanical Sales Co. / 800-263-7226 / rjs@mesaco.com
Northern Ontario: Gord Jopling / Mechanical Sales Co. / 800-263-7226 / gordj@mesaco.com
Quebec and the Maritimes: Lydia Oosterbaan / Mechanical Sales Co. / 800-263-7226 / lydiao@mesaco.com
Online Reader Inquiry No. 134
26
P R O D U C T
N E W S
Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
What’s new ...
in products, systems, components and accessories for machinery
and equipment MRO (maintenance, repair and operations).
Bulkhead
mounted
housing offers
IP67-rated immersion protection
Harting’s Han B IP67 bulkhead provides IP66 and IP67 protection for virtually the same price as a comparable
IP65-rated connector. In the locked
state, the housing’s protection allows for
temporary full immersion in water, as
compared with the IP65-rated housing,
which is only hose proof. A special flange
protects the gasket seal, preventing
water from penetrating the connector,
while the circumferential collar also
prevents the seal from sliding inwards
or outwards. Seal stability provides additional protection against water ingress. The housing is compatible with
all standard Han hoods and housings,
and can be configured with any Han insert or module. Suited for applications
in extreme conditions such as wind turbines, construction cranes, railway and
marine installations, it comes in sizes
6B, 10B, 16B and 24B and fits the same
standard cut-out dimensions for the existing Han housing portfolio.
Harting Canada
www.harting.ca
DON'T LOSE YOUR
BEARINGS!
Pre-start inspection training
improves safety in mining
An interactive and virtual tool from Immersive Technologies has been introduced to ensure effective and consistent
training and assessment of operators on
machine inspection routines. The PreStart Inspection tool trains and assesses
mining personnel on the correct identification and actions to be taken in relation
to equipment issues. This training tool
allows operators to demonstrate competency when real-world training is not
possible and where mistakes are costly if
undetected. The interactive environment
Express Yourself!
What do you think of this issue?
Advanced Technology Control
Large LCD & User Panel for Easy
Programming
Unrivaled Output Pressure of
over 850 PSI
Positive Displacement Pump for
Precise Lubrication
Up to 8 point Lubrication
Remote Installation up to 6 m
away on high vibration areas
Innovative Design for Better
Protection of Your Equipment
ONLY Lubricator in the World
with Auto- Lockout System
www.ringball.com
www.pulsarlube.com
toronto@ringball.com
Send us your suggestions, ideas for stories,
comments, criticisms or praise ...
even typos you may have spotted.
letters@mromagazine.com
asktheengineer@diamondchain.com
www.immersivetechnologies.com
Online guide provides interactive
instruction for bearing mounting
The Schaeffler mounting toolbox is a webbased information guide on how to professionally install rolling bearings. Users
can learn about what tools and fitting aids
are needed, and short video sequences
demonstrate how these are used. The virtual plant home screen serves as the main
user interface, allowing fast interactive
navigation. The toolbox provides details of
tools and accessories, and demonstrates
the benefits of correctly mounted rolling
bearings, such as longer operating life
and reduced unplanned downtime. The
virtual plant contains three pillars –
mounting/dismounting, aligning, and lubrication. Subtopics are displayed as
drawers in the pillars and can be opened
by clicking with the mouse. These contain
the tools and fitting aids that are shown
in the demonstration videos. The user is
also given an insight into the different
mounting methods, as well as general
safety guidelines and preparations.
Schaeffler Technologies
www.schaeffler.ca
Hose reel withstands
abusive and demanding
environments
www.mromagazine.com
Online Reader Inquiry No. 135
Pondering Pitch Length?
Ask our engineer.
enables a trainee to control the movement around the simulated machine,
and in and around an object or component. Trainees can examine lubricant
inspection panels and all other inspection items in life-like detail, then be assessed on the understanding and level of
accuracy at conducting inspections.
Immersive Technologies
Stringent Testing,
Zero Failures.
The only
flare solution
for
“Leak-Free”
fittings
The stainless steel T series
hose reels from Coxreels
has been expanded with
the addition of six models
for a current total of nine
models. This variety of hose sizes and
hose length capacities meets the demand
for heavy-duty industrial-grade truckmount hose reels. The spring-driven
reels, made of high-quality electro-polished stainless steel with stainless steel
fluid paths, offer clean, non-corrosive
performance in many applications, such
as food-grade washdown, chemical processing, marinas, water treatment, petrochemical and medical services. They
feature an extra-large chassis with dual
pedestal-style design and the company’s
Super Hub that provides triple-axle support to reduce vibration and strengthen
the structural integrity of the reel.
Coxreels
www.coxreels.com
Visit our website for
FREE samples!
©2015 The Diamond Chain Company. DCMRO-215
www.diamondchain.com | 1-800-872-4246
Diamond, the Diamond Chain logo, and “Nothing Outlasts a Diamond”
are trademarks of Diamond Chain Company, Inc.
nothing outlasts a diamond
Online Reader Inquiry No. 136
810-750-4140
www.flaretite.com
Online Reader Inquiry No. 137
Valves, manifolds,
transducers suit
many applications
Ode Valve Canada’s series of two-way and
three-way high-quality
affordable solenoid valves, manifolds and
pressure transducers have been designed
for a wide variety of applications. Multiple AC and DC coil voltages are available
and housed in a NEMA 4 enclosure with
brass or 316 SS valve bodies. Pressure
ratings range from 0 psi to 1,450 psi and
P R O D U C T
October / November 2015
maximum temperature to 360°F. The
company offers NSF-certified products
with all valves being CSA/UL approved,
including CRN approval for Canada.
Ode Valve Canada
www.odevalve.com
Rod clamp
enables cylinders
to retain load on failure
The Amlok hydraulic series
RCH rod clamp provides power-off clamping of rods and shafts. Actuated by a spring/collet mechanism and
unclamped by hydraulic pressure, these
units are designed to clamp components
after the motion has stopped and to hold
the position securely as long as the forces
do not exceed the table values. Since the
locking of the rod clamp is accomplished
mechanically and unlocked by hydraulic
pressure, loss of hydraulic pressure to
the clamp will cause the unit to lock. The
mountings have been designed to apply
to standard heavy-duty NFPA-style MF1
cylinders, and the standard housing can
be mounted to any machine structure or
be custom-designed to suit a particular
application. The clamps are designed for
locking reciprocating motions only. Special units are available for both rotating
and reciprocating motions.
Hennig
www.hennigworldwide.com
High-torque,
flange-mounted
servo motor brake
line is expanded
Nexen has expanded
its Eclipse line of
high-torque servo motor
brakes to offer more than 140 variations
of spring-engaged, air-released servo
motor brakes. The line includes flanges
ranging from 57 mm (2.25 in.) to 265 mm
(10.43 in.) square and shaft diameters
from 6.35 mm (0.25 in.) up to 48 mm (1.89
in.). This range of sturdy, low-inertia
brakes is designed for all major servo
motor models up to 20 hp, and is used in a
diverse range of industrial applications
including packaging machinery, food production, machine tools, conveying systems, CNC machining centres, automotive production equipment and woodworking. Features include torque of 2 Nm to
125 Nm, NEMA 23, 34, and 42 frame
sizes, high torsional rigidity, long facing
life, true zero backlash, and speeds up to
10,000 rpm.
Nexen Group
www.nexengroup.com
Pressure transducer
designed for test and
measurement
applications
Setra Systems’ AccuSense model ASL high-performance, lowrange industrial pressure transducer for
the accurate measurement of air or other
clean gases is designed for applications
such as leak detection systems, test
stands, wind tunnels, laboratories, and research and development. It offers accuracy
at <±0.07% full scale over low differential
pressure ranges of 0 to 2.5 in. W.C. to 0 to
1 PSID, while its thermal error is <±0.25%
FS. The accurate outputs over this temperature range reduce the need to thermally isolate the transducer from the application. The device’s zero and span settings may be accurately set through the
use of the SecureCal accessory, which
makes for secure and stable zero and span
adjustments in the field.
Alpha Controls & Instrumentation
27
N E W S
Machinery & Equipment MRO
Dual-range torquemeter
measures low running/
high load torque
The MCRT 88700V series
dual-range torquemeters
from S. Himmelstein accurately measure torque even if
the ratio of peak to average
torque is high. Such conditions
occur when starting, stopping or reversing high inertia loads, during torsional
oscillations, and in diesel and single-cylinder engine/compressor drivelines. The
torquemeters have a low range that is
20% of its high range. Three simultaneous analogue outputs can be individually
set to 5 V or 10 V at each range full scale.
Overrange is 150% to 300% and mechanical overload is 200% of the high
range and 1,000% of the low range. Digital output of torque, and speed and power
with option Z, is available over the resident RS232 serial port.
S. Himmelstein
timize maintenance and facilitate component lifecycle assessment on overhead
lifting equipment. The service features
continuous data collection to provide customers with a clear view of crane usage,
allowing overhead crane maintenance to
be planned according to actual usage. It
can be used in any heavy-duty overhead
crane application in which manual crane
monitoring is difficult. When the safety
alerts feature is added to the standard
reporting service, a focused selection of
safety-related data is produced and issued by email and/or SMS soon after an
overload or overheat event occurs. Usage
data is collected from the crane through
a remote connection and compiled into
web views and customer reports that are
available through a secure online customer portal, which offers easy access to
the historical data of the crane.
Konecranes
http://en.konecranes.ca/
www.himmelstein.com
Durable clamp meter stands up
to hostile conditions
Remote monitoring and reporting service
collects data
on crane usage
The Truconnect
remote monitoring and reporting service from
Konecranes
is
designed to enhance safety, op-
Des-Case has launched a line of desiccant
breathers called Extended Series. The series of four variously sized breathers addresses a number of industrial needs,
bringing greater protection and productivity to tank farms, wind turbines and
large gearboxes, as well as to applications
in both high-humidity environments and
remote locations. They are durable, sophisticated filters for industrial lubricants, removing dirt and water from the
headspace of equipment. Featuring higher airflow, more moisture adsorbing desiccant, check-valve technology and longer
life, the line builds on past models and
combines the materials, design and high
air flow of the company’s standard
breathers with the check-valves of its hybrid breathers. The oil mist-reducing feature, added to more than double the desiccant of the company’s other disposable
breather products, helps prevent contamination.
Des-Case
http://descase.com
The Fluke 320 series true-rms clamp
meters, a line of tools engineered to produce noise-free, reliable measurements
in the toughest environments, has been
introduced by Fluke. Designed to be
long-lasting and easy to use, the Fluke
323, 324 and 325 clamp meters are suitable for rugged, all-purpose use in residential, commercial, HVAC/R and light
industrial electrical applications. Features include a slim, ergonomic design
for comfortable all-day use; a large, easyto-read display; and CAT III 600 V/CAT
IV 300 V safety ratings. The 324 and 325
models offer a backlit display for easy
viewing, contact temperature readings
from 10°C to 400°C (14°F to 752°F) and
capacitance measurements from 100 to
1,000 microfarad. The 325 model also offers DC current measurements up to
400 A, frequency measurements from 5
Hz to 500 Hz, and a Min/Max function.
Fluke Canada
www.fluke.com
Long-lasting desiccant breather
extends oil and equipment life
Feature-rich insulation tester is
for twisted copper cables
The Megger MIT410-TC2 and MIT430TC2 insulation resistance and continuity
testers have been designed for use within
the telecommunications industry. The
model MIT430-TC2 offers extensive results-storage capability for later recall
and Bluetooth download capability for
wireless transfer of stored results to a
PC. The instruments allow the user to
determine the condition of the insulation
of the twisted copper cable pair, which
could cause problems for services such as
voice, video and data or VOIP. The
MIT410-TC2 offers insulation testing up
to 500 V and 100 G-ohms, the MIT430TC2 up to 1,000 V and 200 G-ohms. Features include analogue arc and dual digital display, CAT IV 600-V rating, TRMS
and DC voltage measurement, continuity
testing at 200 mA or 20 mA down to 0.01,
Pass/Fail limit alarms, and PI/DAR and
timer function. A soft canvas carrying
bag with shoulder strap and rugged snap
hook to attach to a tool belt, and a test
lead set are included.
Megger
Moving
energy
made easy
www.megger.com/cae/
MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT
Free MRO Product
Literature Guide
2015 SMALLEY CATALOGUE NOW AVAILABLE
FROM ROTOPRECISION
The 2015 Smalley Engineering and Parts Catalogue use features 140
pages of part tables, engineering guides, design information and expanded part offerings for over 10,000 standard parts available, including WAVE SPRINGS and RETAINING RINGS. The catalogue also
contains information about metric wave springs (including the ES
Spirolox Aerospace series), Hoopster® rings, linear springs, and details for custom spring and ring design up to 120” (3,000 mm) with
No-Tooling-Charges™. It is an ideal resource for engineers and product designers.
Move cables and hoses
with ease with the
Triflex® R system from
igus®. Modular, flexible,
and available as a fullyharnessed ReadyChain®
system with cables,
connectors, and
accessories.
Learn more at igus.com/TriflexR
Contact: RotoPrecision Inc.
Phone: 1-800-232-1985
Email: applsupport@rotoprecision.ca
More information: www.rotoprecision.ca
www.alphacontrols.com
Online Reader Inquiry No. 138
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Online Reader Inquiry No. 139
CE LEVEL 3 CUT
RESISTANCE
P R O D U C T
29
N E W S
October / November 2015
Machinery & Equipment MRO
ing 5 lb. or less and measuring less than
9 in. in length. An auxiliary handle offers 23 positions and a tongue-andgroove locking structure. Features include Durashield housing, all-metal
gearbox and optimized four-pole motor.
Both drivers are offered in a kit with two
4.0 Ah FatPack batteries, charger and
carrying bag. The addition of an optional
5.0 Ah FatPack adds 25% more runtime.
Bosch Power Tools
www.bosch.ca/
Cutback brush
performs
three tasks in
one step for cost and time savings
Spherical washers optimize bolt
mounting of machinery
SKF Spherical Washers optimize bolt
mounting of machinery and bolted equipment by integrating unique design features promoting ideal performance in industrial, marine, and all other heavy-duty
bolted joint applications. The all-spherical
two-piece washer automatically adjusts
under compression to compensate for up
to four degrees of angular deviations.
This creates an exact parallel plane between the inner face of the bolt head and
inner face of the nut to distribute the load
evenly over the entire inner contact surface areas. Any need for on-site machining (spot facing) to achieve parallelism is
eliminated. The washers ultimately serve
to reduce the likelihood of bolt relaxation
by distributing bolt tension evenly, retaining proper bolt tension by preventing bolt
bending, and keeping bolts straight as intended. The extended length of the spherical washer allows for the use of longer
bolts, resulting in additional bolt clamping length and elongation in the bolt.
SKF Canada
www.skf.com/ca/en/
Ergonomic preset torque screwdriver prevents improper tightening
The Mountz PSE is an ergonomic pre-set
torque screwdriver for production applications where over-torque conditions are
not tolerated. Built with a cam-over design, this accurate tool prevents a fastener or bolt from being under- or overtightened. When the tool reaches its preset torque value, the mechanism disengages from the drive, thus limiting the
torque applied. Also, the thrust bearings
ensure that the torque setting is independent of any end load applied by the
operator. Manufactured to meet or exceed the accuracy and repeatability requirements of ISO6789: 2003, the company offers various PSE torque driver
models that range from 0.7 ozf.in. to 120
lbf.in. The screwdrivers feature a tamper-proof internal adjustment, have no
external adjustment scale and must be
pre-set using a torque tester. They are
designed for a variety of industries, such
as medical, aerospace, semiconductor,
electronics and communications.
Mountz
www.mountztorque.com
Drill drivers pack power
in compact package
Bosch Power Tools has introduced the
18-V heavy-duty DDH181X drill and HDH181X hammer/drill drivers, designed
for control, power and durability. Both
tools feature Active Response Technology, which allows professionals to tackle
high-torque applications efficiently and
effectively, while reducing the risk of
dangerous kickback. Both tools are compatible with all Bosch 18-V lithium-ion
batteries and are well balanced, weigh-
Osborn’s heavy-duty 114-knot cutback
brush removes excess coating on pipe
ends quickly, efficiently and cost effectively, and is used for angled removal of
three or more layers of coating from pipe
ends. Made with ultra-high-density AB
wire, the large-diameter brush cleans
the pipe edge, removes the pipe coating
and grinds the coating angle, all at one
time. The brush is available in custom
arbor hole/keyway dimensions.
Osborn
Linear speed
control option
can fix different
speed in each
travel direction
A linear speed control option for Model
RG rolling ring linear drives has been introduced by Amacoil/Uhing. Normally,
the drive moves on a driven shaft with
linear speed being adjustable via a pitch
control lever located on the drive unit.
The option lets users fix a specific linear
travel speed in one or both directions of
travel. The fixed travel speed is achieved
using set screws that Amacoil inserts into
the drive housing. No adjustments to
motor speed or controls are necessary.
Based on application needs, the company
will work with customers to determine
custom settings for the set screw speed
control option. The option is inexpensive
and is easily retrofitted to existing Uhing
linear drive set-ups.
Amacoil
www.amacoil.com
www.osborn.com/
Ball valve line
for lead-free
press systems
has various
configurations
Viega has introduced a line of ProPress
Zero Lead ball valves for its ProPress systems manufactured from material specifically designed for lead-free press systems.
Made from the company’s silicon-bronze
alloy, the line includes press by female,
press by hose and two additional lines of
press by press end configurations. The
valves are forged, providing a strong valve
body, and are constructed with double
stem seals, which provide years of leak
free-operation. The Smart Connect feature
helps installers easily identify unpressed
fittings during pressure testing. Certified
to ASME A112.4-2004 and NSF-61G in
sizes from 1/2 in. to 2 in., the ball valves
are suitable for use with ProPress fittings
in copper for potable water applications. Installers have a choice of stems in the press
by press configuration ball valves, either
Eco Brass or 316 stainless steel.
The Viega Group
Axial excluder seal
is for wind industry
Designed especially for the wind market,
SKF’s HRC1 axial excluder seal addresses the harsh conditions that wind turbine
main shafts face. Benefits of this rugged
Quality
Reliability
Efficiency
www.skf.com/ca/en/
Non-kinking
hybrid
polymer hoses
are easy to
work with
Gates’ water hose and whip air hose will
not kink or curl. The hybrid polymer
water hose has heavy-duty nickel-plated
fittings and spring guard and comes in
multiple sizes. Features include lightweight and extremely flexible construction, zero memory, which allows it to lay
completely flat, superior bend radius and
easy coiling after use, and high abrasion
and chemical resistance. It is kink resistant, even under pressure. The whip air
hose will reduce wear and tear to help
prolong air hose life. Features of this
hose include 1/4-in. male ball swivel and
1/4-in. female NPT fitting, zero memory
and superior bend radius. It is available
in 2-ft, 4-ft and 6-ft lengths. MRO
Gates Canada
www.gates.com
BRECOflex CO., L.L.C. is the pioneer
and world leader in the polyurethane
timing belt industry. We offer our
customers a wide range of timing belts,
drive components, metal pulleys and
accessories designed and manufactured
with the highest priority given to quality
and precision.
Whether you are looking for a standard
product from our inventory or a custom
design tailored to your requirements,
your application can benefit from our
perfectly matched timing belt and
pulleys. Without fast response and quick
delivery even the best drive solutions are
ineffective. We take pride in our rapid
customer response time and industryleading product delivery.
www.viega.com
For additional information regarding
our products and technical support
services, visit our website at:
www.brecoflex.com or call 732-460-9500.
Pressure-control
regulators useful in fuel industries
The RHPS Series high-flow, pressure-reducing and back-pressure regulators
from Swagelok are designed for applications in the chemical/petrochemical, oil
and gas, power, biopharmaceutical, semiconductor and alternative fuels industries. These regulators are constructed of
316L stainless steel for line sizes up to 4
in., and provide a variety of options.
Pressure-control products include pressure-reducing regulators, with both
spring-loaded and dome-loaded models,
designed for general industrial applications; back-pressure regulators, available in both spring-loaded and domeloaded models, designed for general industrial purposes; and specialty regulators, including products designed specifically for pharmaceutical applications.
Swagelok
www.swagelok.com
seal include extended service life and contaminant protection, helping wind farm
operators reduce the risks of contaminant-related bearing failures and unplanned downtime, repair and lost productivity. The seal is manufactured from
H-ECOPUR, an SKF-developed polyurethane material with good abrasion resistance and tear strength. Available in solid
and split executions, it also features a
steel band clamp with a fast-lock mechanism for easy up-tower installations.
SKF Canada
ISO 9001
CERTIFIED
COMPANY
Online Reader Inquiry No. 140
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M A I N T E N A N C E
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Machinery & Equipment MRO
October / November 2015
New programs
After: Organized spare parts
means less time is spent
searching for them, thus
reducing downtime.
WORKING WELL
A tag reporting program using an incentive, a focused improvement project,
and parts storage organization are helping solve problems for this plant.
BY PETER PHILLIPS
This issue’s column continues an ongoing analysis of a
current project aimed at improving maintenance
operations at an Ontario food plant.
W
e are working on progress reports about
how we are doing on our projects at the
plant. We have made two visits since our
last article about this project (June 2015,
page 20), one visit in August and another
in September. Improvements have accelerated forward
since the completion of the new packaging line and
employees have had more time to focus on the projects
we have started there.
The Tag Program has continued to bear fruit as
operators report various equipment problems, which are
then addressed by the maintenance department before
they become failures. This has significantly improved
the uptime and reduced product waste. Operators write
the issue on a preformatted tag and attach one copy to
the equipment near the problem area, and hang the
other portion on the tag display board. The maintenance
planner collects the tags every morning and creates
work orders to investigate and repair the problems.
Tag reporting incentives have been put in place to
encourage even more participation. Employees can earn
credits towards purchases at the plant’s employee store.
Photos: Peter Phillips
Before: In many plants,
looking for the part you
need can be like going on a
scavenger hunt.
The more problem tags they put in, the more credits they
can earn. Ideas like this keep the momentum going and
give employees a reason to report equipment and process
issues.
The Focused Improvement Project has expanded to
another piece of equipment that directly affects the
operation of the equipment on which we originally
started making improvements.
These two pieces of equipment are called the Tray
Loader and Bagger. The tray loader loads the product
into trays and then the trays follow a series of conveyor
belts to the Bagger. The Bagger loads the tray and the
product into a bag so it is ready to be packed into cartons
for the customer.
The Bagger was our original Focused Improvement
Project and during our August visit, we created a
Problem Tally Sheet for the Bagger, where operators
could record the number of equipment faults during
their shifts.
We divided the machine into its major components
and asked the operators to tally the faults on a list. From
this data, we identified the faults that cause the most
stoppages and waste.
The tally sheets indicated the tray loader carousel to
be the biggest problem. Further investigation showed
the trays of product coming from the tray loader caused
the majority of these faults. So we studied the tray loader
in August and we made some modifications in September
that we will write about in our next column.
As you may remember, we also are working on the
equipment spare part inventory areas. The area you see
in the ‘before’ picture here is not unlike that in many
other plants we visit. Finding the part you need can
often turn into a scavenger hunt. We all know that time
spent looking for parts prolongs downtime on equipment.
This plant has a continuous processing line, so when
equipment fails to operate, product is off-loaded into
waste bins. Downtime causes significant losses. Downtime
and waste are recorded on every packaging line and
reviewed every morning at the management meeting.
Monthly and yearly production goals are set for each line,
so downtime plays a big role in plant efficiencies.
A plan to purge and organize the parts storage areas
has been formalized and I will write about some of the
results next time.
These projects have taken a great deal of time to plan
and implement. They will consume many more manhours and commitment from the people at the plant. On
top of these projects, personnel are involved in their
daily responsibilities that ensure the plant runs as
smoothly as possible. Let’s not forget the many meetings
that take place to plan new products, quality meetings,
management meetings and so on. The projects that we
have asked them to do are one more thing on their plate.
We visit a lot of manufacturing and processing plants.
We hear and see what people need to do every day to
ensure product leaves the shipping dock. So our hat goes
off to the personnel at this plant. They truly want the
plant to run better and to improve the quality of their
working lives.
There’s an old saying, ‘plan your work and work your
plan’. These dedicated people do their best to work their
plan every day. MRO
Peter Phillips of Trailwalk Holdings, a Nova Scotiabased maintenance consulting and training company,
can be reached at 902-798-3601 or by e-mail at
peter@trailwalk.ca.
From farm to table...
Whether your equipment is in the field or factory,
you need the right bearings to keep things moving
NTN has the perfect bearing
for every application in agriculture
and food processing
Online Reader Inquiry No. 141
Schaeffler Introduces a Genuine Breakthrough
in Condition Monitoring:
WiProM is the industry’s first truly cost-effective diagnostic tool for
analyzing the performance of vital plant equipment such as motors,
pumps and generators. WiProM’s portable design allows for
quick and easy deployment, while the proprietary FisNet wireless
network transmits the data to a monitoring center (yours or ours)
for analysis.
Real Solutions - Real Savings
When a customer faced the daunting task of performing end-ofwarranty inspections on scores of gearboxes and generators,
Schaeffler was called upon for a solution. A permanent online
monitoring system was deemed cost-prohibitive, and the facility
was not staffed with highly trained data analysis experts.
Armed with a single yellow carrying case containing a WiProM
diagnostic unit, Schaeffler experts set about the task of analyzing
factors such as meshing of gears and generator performance. Within
three weeks, Schaeffler was able to provide condition monitoring
data that has, so far, saved the customer over $1 million.
We rest our (yellow) case.
Need more details?
info.ca@schaeffler.com
www.schaeffler.ca
©2015
Superior-quality products.
Comprehensive reliable solutions.
Online Reader Inquiry No. 142