May 2015

NHP are pleased to announce that the range of Moflash mechanical bells have been reintroduced in a consolidated standard size to suit the majority of applications. This standard size of 6” (or 150mm diameter) is available in 24VDC, 115VAC or 230VAC, comes with an IP44 rating and is suitable for light commercial/industrial use where intermittent audible signalling is required in a localised area, particularly from under an eave or landing. These traditional type bells produce their distinctive and highly effective ringing tone by means of a hardened striker powered by a solenoid, repeatedly striking the inside edge of metal gong. Utilising either of the four mounting holes that are incorporated into the body of the casting or the universal mounting plate and gasket that are supplied as standard, the bells can be mounted on any flat surface with multiple fixing location options. For increased peace of mind and reliability assurance, the 6″ mechanical bells have been put through a rigorous engineering assessment including a series of duty cycle tests and evaluation of general construction, which exceeded specifications.

Technofast Industries, one of Australia’s leading hydraulic fastening companies, has updated its very popular EziJac B3S series of hydraulic bolt tensioners to make them even more efficient, longer lasting, user friendly and safer. The B3S Series EziJac is a modular style hydraulic bolt tensioner featuring a spring return mechanism which automatically resets the tool to its full working stroke. The modular design allows multiple adaptor kits to be interchanged with just the one load cell. Suitable for whenever accurate and repeatable loading is required across a wide range of industries, the new updated model includes a number of important features all designed to reduce maintenance costs and improve productivity. One of the key features of the upgraded B3S Series EziJac hydraulic bolt tensioner is an innovative new 2-piece seal design which offers even faster operation of the tensioner due to lower friction. Technofast’s Founder and CEO Mr John Bucknell says the new seal also improves the longevity of the bolt tensioners, which are now capable of well over 1000 cycles before seal replacement is required. “We have also designed new improved seal retainers, to further enhance the reliability of the bolt tensioners. “Customers will be very impressed with the longevity of this new model, which was already outstanding,” Mr Bucknell said. As well as the new seal design, the return force of the return springs of the bolt tensioner has been increased to further improve efficiency and speed of operation. Offering very accurate bolt tensioning, the B3S Series EziJacs also feature a new puller design making them far easier to be operated by workers wearing gloves. “The bolt tensioners were always easy to handle, but they are now even more so, making them very user friendly. “Plus we have updated the bolt tensioners to include a new retainer for the […]

Corrosion of water and wastewater infrastructure, and in some cases the subsequent leakage, costs the industry in excess of $1B each year. The main assets that are impacted by corrosion are the pipelines, storage tanks and treatment plants. As much of this infrastructure is ageing, it is starting to require refurbishment or replacement. One method of refurbishment of water industry assets is to carry out surface repairs and then apply protective coatings.  Rhino Linings, an American corporation based in San Diego, has been manufacturing a range of spray applied polymer coatings for more than 30 years. In early 2000, a local coatings company was acquired by the American company, to form Rhino Linings Australasia Pty Ltd and establish manufacturing and distribution in Australasia.  Based on the Gold Coast, Rhino Linings Australasia is the only manufacturer of spray applied coatings in Australia. The company sources all its materials from local suppliers except for some very specialised chemicals which are imported from the parent company in America. Being a local manufacturer allows the company to be more responsive to customer requests.  When refurbishing or repairing any pipes, channels or tanks that carry potable water, special coatings are required as it is essential that no chemicals leach into the drinking water. For pipelines, different coatings can be applied to the inside and outside of the pipes, especially if the pipes are buried in ground. For concrete storage reservoirs, water authorities are lining the insides to stop corrosion and prevent leaks.  The structure of the polymer used for wastewater and sewerage treatment infrastructure, such as clarifier tanks and sewage channels, has to be resistant to abrasion and chemical attack. Special consideration has to be given when coating structures in sewerage treatment plants. One of the by-products of the sewage is hydrogen sulphide gas, which […]

An Australian innovation is making light work of some of the largest and most difficult bolt tensioning applications encountered in high temperature areas of electricity generation, mining, petrochemical and other processes. In a recent application, Technofast Industries’ new EziTite® TR High Temperature Hydraulic Nuts demonstrated their performance when they were used to assemble boiler feed pumps at an electricity generating plant in South Korea. This application involved the use of 12 large EziTite® TR High Temperature Hydraulic Nuts fitted to M110 X 4.0 studs. The temperature resistant fasteners were used to replace the former method employing large torque wrenches weighing more than 125kg. The Technofast method resulted in an installation time of around thirty minutes using two personnel, compared with eight hours and four personnel using the previous method. Technofast’s Founder and Managing Director John Bucknell explained that time savings of this order, and better, are possible using the EziTite® fasteners instead of conventional methods involving sledgehammers, stud heaters and multi-jackbolt tensioners. “Large nuts of this diameter can require terrific torque forces to achieve the desired tensioning, or require ‘jacknuts’ which have multiple forcing screws to bring the job within the power range of hand tools.” “Given the damage which can occur to the fastener components and joint faces, some operators have opted to use these jacknut fasteners. However, large nuts such as those used on the Boiler Feed Pump can easily have 24 of these forcing screws per nut, and they have to be progressively and sequentially tightened to a specific torque at each step, or the individual screws will be overstressed and fail. This can add days of downtime to a typical maintenance operation.” “Also, when jacknut fasteners need to removed, the forcing screws have to be backed off in a strict sequence to avoid failure. If not, […]

When it comes to product inspections, Omron vision sensors are far more accurate than the human eye.  Omron’s vision sensors are ideal for a wide variety of industry sectors, including food and beverage, packaging and pharmaceutical applications.  “Previously, all line inspections were carried out manually using several people along a production line,” says George Nematian, Omron Product Manager (Advanced Sensors, RFID and Quality Inspection).  “This was very time consuming and did not have the same level of accuracy. When a line is running very fast, a human cannot check the faults.”  The FQ2 Vision Sensor is ideal for inspecting caps on plastic bottles to determine whether the cap is damaged, missing or is not inserted properly.  “It can check for the level of liquid – whether too high or low – for beverages such as fruit juice or soft drinks,” Mr Nematian says.  “It can also check if there are any scratches on metal surfaces of can check whether there has been any damage to label.  “They are far more accurate than the human eye when it comes to product inspection.”  Previously, vision sensors placed the image processor in a separate Controller, now Omron has built the processor into the camera unit.  The sensors are IP67 water resistant, meaning they can be used in wet environments.  All cables from the camera are flexible. This allows the sensor to be used safely on moving parts.  Main benefits  Omron’s vision sensors can operate 24/7.“They are reliable and very cost effective,” says Mr Nematian. “Everything is automated … there is no need for manual checking.  “With big savings on labour costs, most companies can recover the purchase cost in a short time.”  And Omron’s vision sensors are highly accurate.  “Depending on the programming they can have an accuracy rate of between 99 and […]