African Fusion August 2019

smaller units, carried separately and easily transported. • A robust wire feed mechanism that can weld mild steel wire of up to 5.0mmat up to 1 000 A@100%duty. • The automatic weld head detection and setup allows changes between SAW, GMAW and gouging to bemade more rapidly than ever. • The intuitive user interfacewith real- time heat input keepswelders in total control of the weld quality. • Anallnewergonomichandlingsystem for welding wire spools has been in- troduced, making wire changes easy. • Toolless interaction makes it easy to change the welding line and switch between butt and fillet welding. • The unit is rebuildable between three and four wheel versions to suit the floor surface. ESAB Versotrac equipment is backed by the company’s commitment to su- perior customer service and support. “Our skilled customer service depart- ment is prepared to quickly answer any questions, address problems, and help with maintenance and upgrading of machines,” says ESAB SA’s Chris Eibl. www.esab.co.za

Elios SkyEye drone deployed for major boiler inspection S kyriders Access Specialists set a new record when it deployed its Elios

SkyEye confined-space drone for the first time in the massive internal space of the back-pass ducting at a major coal-fired power station in Limpopo. The back-pass ducting conveys the hot exhaust gases and fly ash to the precip hoppers, and ultimately to the smokestack. This huge space measures 6.0 by 6.0m, and is about 35mhigh, which means that installing the necessary scaf- folding to gain access for any inspection purposes is extremely costly compared to the end result, whichmay even be that no repair is necessary. “We can use our Elios SkyEye drone to inspect the entire area rapidly and thoroughly,” says Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn. If any repair work such aswelding or further non-destructive testing (NDT) is required, highly qualified and experienced rope access technicians can be deployed. “We are able to give our clients com-

plete peace of mind in our capability of fulfilling their specific requirements quickly and efficiently,” Zinn continues, adding that the deployment of the Elios SkyEye drone slashes the cost of using a traditional access method such as scaf- folding by as much as 80%. In addition to the inspection process itself, Skyriders also provides a complete report and analysis for the client, detailing its findings and providing recommenda- tions. “We offer a multidisciplinary main- tenance, repair, and inspection service for a range of industries and clients,” Zinn concludes. www.ropeaccess.co.za The Elios SkyEye drone was used by Skyriders to inspect the back-pass ducting at a major coal-fired power station in Limpopo.

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August 2019

AFRICAN FUSION