Mechanical Technology January 2015

⎪ Products and services ⎪

Insight – intelligent bearing technology

to measure the load a bearing actually experiences rather than what is was designed for. This valuable information can be routed back into the design phase to improve both the system and bearing design. SKF Insight technology features: • Miniature sensor packages for the measurement of RPM, temperature, velocity, vibration, load and other parameters. • Embedded-power generation; • Intelligent wireless communication technology; • Smart ‘mesh network’ communica- tion technology that allows informa- tion to be routed via other connected bearings. SKF Insight ensures better operational knowledge, better maintenance plan- ning, optimised manpower and spare part management, which all lead to lower costs of operations. www.skf.com established a branch in Lagos, Nigeria in February 2013 with the aim of providing close proximity sales and service offerings to clients. “At present, the Airgas branch in Nigeria is only an office, however a workshop will be opened in early March 2015 to cater for all service requirements, including field service, repairs and overhauls,” says Nigeria branch manager, Emmanuel Dazi. “Once the workshop is fully opera- tional, the turnaround time on repairs and service will be reduced. “Having the service centre in Nigeria will reduce the standard overhaul time to about three weeks, which is unri- valled in the Nigerian market,” Dazi concludes. www.airgas.co.za

Bearings have long been considered the heart of rotating machinery, but now, thanks to SKF Insight™, a smart tech- nology developed for machine condition monitoring, they have a brain as well. SKF’s developments in various smart wireless technologies are being integrated into SKF bearings and enable the units to continuously communi- cate their operating conditions through internally powered sensors and data acquisi- tion electronics. SKF Insight technology is ideal for

condition monitoring of critical ma- chinery and technically challenging applications. The technology makes condition monitoring more widely avail- able, especially in applications where it was previously impossible or impracti- cal. With SKF’s integrated diagnostic technology, customers can get even better control over the lifecycle of their machinery, leading to lower total costs, higher reliability and better machine uptime. Prior to SKF Insight, condition moni- toring techniques could only monitor damage after it had occurred. Now, by sensing directly on the bearing, SKF is able to monitor the damage from the first microscopic effect as it is happen- ing and, with this information, custom- ers can take remedial action to react to conditions causing bearing damage, such as improving lubrication or miti- gating against transient overloads. In addition, Insight makes it possible man-based Aerzener Maschinenfabrik (Aerzen), one of the world’s leading spe- cialists in the design and manufacture of roots blowers, turbo blowers, screw compressors, rotary lobe compressors and gas meters. The Johannesburg-based company

By sensing directly on the bearing, SKF Insight TM is able to monitor damage from the first microscopic effect.

Nigerian service centre for air blower offering

Quality service and faster turnaround times will now be possible in Nigeria and the surrounding countries thanks to the establishment of a local service centre by blower and compressor supply specialist Airgas Compressors. Airgas is the sub-Saharan subsidiary of Ger-

Hydraulic rail benders for underground transport systems Becker Mining South Africa’s hydraulic rail benders have been developed for bending and forming rails on railway lines in heavy industrial and underground transport sys- tems. “These rail benders – standard on many South African mines – are powered by 25 ton/250 kN hydraulic cylinders and activated by two stage hand pumps to cope efficiently in harsh operating conditions,” says Eugene Davids, product manager for Becker Mining South Africa. “These robust rail benders are manufactured locally at the company’s Bellambie Mining and Industrial facility in Alrode, according to stringent quality and safety specifications.” For ease of maintenance, the pump and cylinder are detachable from the rail bend- er. The main frame of these rail benders are cast and forged from ASTM-E487/78/110 steel and are fitted with specially designed handles for easy transportation. The back frame section, which provides stability to the unit, enhances portability and facili- tates accurate alignment.

Becker Mining’s range of hydraulic equipment also includes robust jacks, designed for safe and easy railcar and off-road equipment jacking applications. This hydraulic equipment, with spares and accessories, is available nationally from Becker Mining South Africa’s extensive branch and distributor network. In addi- tion, the company offers a full repair and maintenance service at its Alrode service workshops. www.za.becker-mining.com

Becker Mining South Africa’s hydraulic rail benders, which bend and form rails on rail- way lines in heavy industrial and underground transport systems on the mines, easily handle rail of up to 40 kg/m.

An Aerzen Delta Screw, oil-free screw compressor.

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Mechanical Technology — January 2015