Mechanical Technology June 2015

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Pump systems, pipes, valves and seals

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Mechanical Technology — June 2015

Wilden’s hygienic range of pumps conform

to the European Hygiene and Engineering

Design Group (EHEDG) standards and are

widely used at milk and yoghurt processing

facilities.

Wilden’s air-operated double-diaphragm

(AODD) pumps from Letaba Industrial are a highly flexible

and versatile option for industrial use, particularly for

pumping viscous, abrasive and corrosive liquids.

The SAER horizontal split

casing water pump, which, though Tuscany,

is now part of Brubin Pumps’ range.

hygiene standards required,” he says.

“On the production side, our Wilden

air operated pumps are used to make

yoghurt. They transfer accurate quanti-

ties, add fruit and fill the tubs,” Duke

continues, adding that these pumps

come from Wilden’s hygienic range and

conform to the European Hygiene and

Engineering Design Group (EHEDG) stan-

dards. “This is the highest sanitary stan-

dard and has to be used for applications

involving alkaline food products such as

yoghurt, which have a low resistance to

deterioration. Acidic, salted or sugared

foods are less sensitive and can be ac-

commodated with pumps that comply

to the foodgrade (FDA) standards,” he

explains. Preventing contamination,

however, is a requirement for all food and

beverage applications, which makes the

isolated diaphragm system ideal for use

in this industry.

Wilden offers the largest selection of

materials available from any AODD pump

OEM to ensure chemical compatibility,

temperature and abrasion resistance with

the medium being pumped. “We are able

to match the diaphragm and lining ma-

terials to maximise the performance and

life of every installed pump,” Duke as-

sures. “As well as pumps for the food and

beverage industries, we offer solutions for

chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical

and cosmetics industries,” he says.

Brubin Pumps

Brubin Pumps is an established leader

in the manufacture and supply of envi-

ronmentally friendly and safe pumping

solutions in southern and South Africa.

“Our magnetic drive pumps, along with

a supporting range of process pumps,

are backed by international well known

manufacturers such as M-Pumps and

CDR from Italy, and we have been manu-

facturing the Magflo brand in South Africa

for over 30 years now,” says Irle.

Like diaphragm pumps, magnetic

drive pumps have a sealless design.

The pump is close coupled to the motor

but external magnets on the drive shaft

transmit the motion to internal magnets

connected to the impeller. The inner

magnets and impeller are housed in a

hermetically sealed chamber, isolating

the liquid being pumped from outside

access. “This is an ideal solution for pre-

venting leakage and emissions of chemi-

cals, corrosive, explosive and flammable

fluids that could be dangerous for people

and the environment – or for expensive

media where leakage loses directly affect

profits,” he explains.

“For the Magflo range, we try to

maximise local content. We outsource

the castings to Stelloy Castings in

Bronkhorstspruit and the only imported

components on the pumps are the mag-

nets and the plastic powders used for lin-

ings. We can source polypropylene (PP)

locally, but we have to import polyvinyli-

dene fluoride (PVDF) and Ethylene tetra-

flurorethylene (ETFE), which both offer

high corrosion and abrasion resistance.

“We believe that localisation is an

increasingly important issue,” says Irle.

“Local manufacture creates employment

and it is of increasing concern that Africa

is becoming swamped with ‘cheap’ im-

ports from the East,” he notes.

As well as the magnetic drive pump

range, Brubin also offers: Allprime self-

priming centrifugal pumps, a rugged

solution for waste water and industrial

effluent; BBA units from the Netherlands

for applications requiring vacuum-assist-

ed self-priming; and the Pumpex range

of submersible technology for drainage

in the mining, industrial and sewage

reticulation sectors.

“We also distribute Brubin’s BA series

peristaltic heavy-duty hose pumps for

handling viscous slurries. These offer

cost-effective environmentally friendly

solutions for transfer and dosing applica-

tions,” Irle adds.

In addition, Tuscany Pumps has

recently been brought into Set Points’

Brubin Pumps division. “Tuscany’s

main focus is liquid-ring and air-vacuum

pumps and blowers for application such

as pneumatic conveying,” he explains.

Also included in the range are: centrifugal

process pumps; positive displacement

gear pumps for all viscosity applications;

lobe pumps for food and pharmaceutical

applications; as well as hand-held drum

decanters. Tuscany is also the official

distributor of the complete SAER water

pump range from Italy, which comple-

ments the water products already mar-

keted by Brubin.

“Across our three Fluid Handling divi-

sions, there is very little that we don’t

cover. Each of us has a focused strategy,

though, and in spite of some overlap, we

don’t tread on each others toes much,”

Irle assures

MechTech

Asked about expansion into Africa, he

says that Letaba and Brubin are already

strong in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia

and Zambia and Set Point has installed

pumps all the way up to Eritrea. “Africa is

turning towards quality products,” Irle be-

lieves, “and because of Torre Industrial’s

strength on the continent, we see exiting

expansion opportunities for all of our

pumping products,” he concludes.