by Steve Bedder, Manufacturing Technical Engineer, UK and Ireland, Autodesk
It’s a typical scenario – an engineer arrives on site to carry out some maintenance or install a new bit of kit, materials handling for example, only to find that since the last time he was on site, there have been further updates and modifications to the existing installation that have not been documented. The drawings and installation instructions the engineer would have been using are now out of date, they haven’t been updated with the additions and potentially now hold up completing the install of the new equipment.
If you think computer simulation is only for teenagers and their gaming community, building virtual cities, fairgrounds or white knuckle rides for fun.
YOU SHOULD THINK AGAIN!
Powerful animated virtual computer simulation (“Simulation for industry and commerce”) has earned its place as an integral element of business planning in helping organisations like the Nuclear, Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Automotive industries.
Until recently, system integrators have been forced to regard electrical and pneumatic sub-systems as separate entities. Jacqui Hanbury, Product Manager at Festo, believes that the end of this segregation is now clearly within sight.
Keeping costs low is essential for all manufacturers. An easy way to do this is to keep waste to a minimum through ensuring products are produced to the highest possible quality each and every time. As Keith Thornhill, Business Development Manager at Siemens Industry Automation & Drive Technologies explains, it is easier to implement a ‘right first time’ strategy than many manufacturers think and there are significant advantages to be achieved from adopting such an approach.
With the cost of raw materials on the increase and continuing pressure from supermarket chains to reduce costs and improve standards, food processing companies are constantly trying to squeeze more out of what they’ve got. Continuous improvement is the name of the game and rapid results are a must. By focusing in on individual process improvements, organisations can make substantial gains for a modest investment, and many are calling on the help of specialist consultancy firms to help them identify and drive improvement opportunities.
In the food industry many end products are mixtures of solid substances (powder mixtures). Examples of such products are dessert mixtures, sugar blends, instant drinks, dried soups and sauces, dietetic foods and spice mixtures. The great variety of constituents, such as milk powder, cream powder, sugar, cocoa, flour, vegetables, fungi, spices, fats (liquid and solid), places great demands on the batch mixing process.
Shaun Skilton, Product Sales Manager for the HFDE Condition Monitoring Business Unit of Parker Hannifin, highlights the problems of contamination in hydraulic fluids across a variety of process applications and looks at how these issues can be addressed and, ultimately, resolved.
by Steve Taylor, Head of Mechanical Engineering at Spiroflow Ltd
Weigh better?
Bulk bags are ubiquitous! They are spotted at the roadside containing sand and aggregates for use by DIY enthusiasts, on building sites, on trucks, stacked outside of factories and found throughout factories where they will be holding raw materials, intermediate materials generated during the production process or finished products.
By Dave Price PG Dip Eng, FIFSM, SFIIRSM – Managing Director GexCon UK Ltd
What image does this heading bring?
For many it may be the image of a ruptured gas line under significant pressure rapidly spreading and forming the monster of all vapour clouds creeping up on those inconspicuous effective ignition sources, for others it may be thought of a dense liquefied gas which is speedily rolling down slopes and filling service ducts and gullies lying in wait for the mayhem of evacuees to snatch a static discharge from and engulf the unfortunate initiator within a rapidly expanding fireball.
Getting the best levels of performance from pressure transmitter equipment is a more involved process than many manufacturers would have you believe. Trevor Dunger, Product Specialist for pressure and level for ABB’s UK Measurement Products business, explains the growing importance of calibration in promoting good practice and profitability.
By Jeff Nielson Project Engineer, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Robert Safren Engineering Manager, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics
Fluid transfer can be a demanding and costly element of food and beverage processing. In addition to the need for adherence to the highest standards of sanitation in every step of the process, the equipment is put under considerable stress in these aggressive and active applications from everyday wear and tear.
