African Fusion November 2018

Welding and cutting

Rio-Carb boosts its hard-facing capability controlled precisely.

integral part of Eskom’s corporate social investment programme as it seeks to enhance the quality of life for as many South Africans as possible. Since 2010, 645 contracts worth over R3-billion have been awarded to students and graduates of the academy. Speaking at the graduation ceremony Eskom Development Foundation Chair- man, Chose Choeu, said: “Through ini- tiatives such as the Contractor Academy, we will find solutions to our economic challenges of poverty and unemploy- ment. This training will help these en- trepreneurs and their businesses to not only improve their communities but also the South African economy as a whole,” predicted Choeu. www.eskom.co.za “Technological advances mean we can now predict where the wear is going to takeplace, theexact kindofwear and the correct products to use,”Maine stresses. Rio-Carb’s senior staffmembers have all completed intensive material-flow analysis courses at the University of the Witwatersrand to ensure they can offer the best possible service to their clients in this regard. “However, despite all this, we still receive incomplete drawings from project houses that specify the wear-liner material as Grade 400 steel, with the proviso that the precise nature and extent of wear will only be deter- mined once the plant is operational. “This is a costly and ineffective pro- cess that can be eliminated if Rio-Carb is involved upfront in the design process itself,” Maine urges. “We can supply ex- tensive knowledge of the precise usage of CrC materials in critical areas such as sharp ends and hot spots.” “Webecome involvedwith thedesign stage to install the correct sacrificial surfaces (liners) and replaceable parts (maintenance). Materials we can of- fer range from CrC overlay plate to high-impact plate, 400 and 500 Brinell materials and, most recently, ceramics. Such has been the interest expressed in hard-faced pipes, in particular, that Rio- Carb is now making extensive use of its five-axis plasma pipe-cuttingmachine,” general manager Sias Suurd adds. CrC overlay plate is an ideal wear- resistant material for chutes, cyclones, skips, feeders, crushers, dozers, haul trucks, excavators, and draglines. www.riocarb.com

C hromium Carbide (CrC) wear solu- tions provider Rio-Carb of Alrode has invested in state-of-the-art precision rotating equipment, column-and-boom positioning equipment and plasma gouging and preparation systems in order to boost its hard-facing capability. Hardfacing, a metalworking process whereby harder or tougher material is applied to a base metal, is integral to wear-engineering solutions. It is critical to assist in eliminating wear. “When evaluating a project, the first factor to consider is where wear can best be minimised,” Rio-Carb director Martin Maine explains. Rio-Carb is now able to monitor its CrC alloys in accordance with exact- ing chemical specifications, thereby obtaining the optimal combination of materials. In addition, the use of hi-tech, digitally controlled wire feeders and depositorsmean that critical parameters such as voltage and amperage can be

“With more stringent metallurgical control, and consistent alloy formation, Rio-Carb can now place weld metal via digital control in the correct quantity and in the correct place to minimise wear and reduce the total cost of owner- ship for its clients,” Maine elaborates. Rio-Carb can even analyse the par- ticular type of wear that is occurring, from gouging to sliding or impact wear, for whichdifferent kinds of best-practice liners are available. Therefore, equip- ment needs to be designed for optimal positioning of the sacrificial wear mate- rial. In terms of the latter, whileCrC liners are slightly costlier than Grade 400 or 500 steels, they have an eight- to ten- year longer lifespan. Project houses should be specifying the best liner solution upfront, rather than rely on modifying the equipment or plant once it is operational so as to be able to improve wear characteristics.

Rio-Carb has invested in state-of-the-art precision rotating, positioning and plasma cutting systems.

Eskom academy upskills black business owners O ne hundred and seventy six (176) Eskom contractors and suppliers

in other Eskom programmes. These are people wishing to improve their skills in project, people and financial manage- ment, business sustainability, SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Qual- ity), supply chain management, legisla- tionand technical acumen, whichall form part of the academy’s modules. Eskom believes that by equipping small and emerging business peoplewith the necessary skills to build sustainable businesses, the country can begin to effectively address some of its socio- economic challenges. By combining both practical and theoretical coursework, the academy empowers contractors to be in a better position to negotiate and win lucrative contracts. The Contractor Academy forms an

from around the country graduated at the end of September after completing an eight-month programme at the Eskom Contractor Academy. The Contractor Academy is one of the Eskom Development Foundation’s key initiatives and part of the organisation’s commitment to enterprise development, skills development, job creation and pov- erty alleviation. The academy has trained a total of 1 311 students since its incep- tion in 2008 and boasts a 97.7% success rate, with fair gender (59%male and 41% female) and youth (50%) representation. The training programme is offered ex- clusively to Eskom contractors, suppliers and entrepreneurs who’ve participated

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November 2018

AFRICAN FUSION