MechChem Africa July 2018

Mech Chem JULY 2018 AFRICA

This month: Agri-Smart integrated solutions launched at NAMPO

Africa’s first IIoT laboratory launched in Soshanguve

Product vs REP: a split approach to managing bearings

Innovation in Industry 2018 to unveil amazing technology

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Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals 8 Agri-Smart integrated solutions launched at NAMPO MechChem Africa visits the BI stand at NAMPO in Bothaville and talks to Gerhard Pienaar, manager for the agriculture sector, about the new Agri-Smart product range. 10 Product vs REP: a split approach to managing bearings 13 Benchmarked custom-drive solutions 15 SA gears up for local assembly of helical bevel units 17 Cummins ISF engine range for light vehicles Hydraulic and pneumatic systems 18 Land Cruiser wet-brakes for the mining industry Axiom Hydraulics has become the agent for Ausco Products’ wet enclosed LC brake for the Toyota Land Cruiser, the mining industry’s utility vehicle of choice. 19 Africa: a huge potential hydraulics market 20 PE RSC hub for hydraulic services 21 Oil-free boost compressor: a first in SA Computer-aided engineering 22 Africa’s first IIoT lab launched at TUT Soshanguve South Campus MechChemAfrica attends the launch of the Emerging Industrial IIoT Lab at the Soshanguve South Campus ofTUT and talks to Duan Gauché and Sizwe Mngadi of 1Worx, and TUT’s systems engineering professor, Pius Owolawi. 26 Innovation in Industry 2018 to unveil 'amazing' technology Automation, process control and instrumentation 28 New i4 SCARA product family introduced at Automatica New top of the line i4 SCARA robots offer speed and precision and are designed for easy integration into the production line with predictive maintenance functions. 31 Scanner technology protects world’s longest railway tunnel 32 Desalination plant facilitates continuous smelter operations 33 Complete solution for handling starter batteries Minerals processing, metallurgy and materials 34 State-of-the-art software upgrade on cut-to-length lines Allied Steelrode has now completed a second upgrade to its cut-to-length CTL3 line while further improvements are mooted. The company’s deputy CEO, Justin Cloete, explains. 36 House Crawford: an LSF case study 38 Welding procedures on plastic pipe to be qualified 39 Soil decontamination in Europe gets help from SA 40 Gold leach technology optimised using oxygen Innovative engineering 46 Ugandan wins 4 th Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation MechChemAfrica reports on the 2018 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, which was won by Brian Gitta from Uganda. Regulars 2 Comment: Unravelling the IIoT at TUT 4 On the cover: Smart Air Solutions and 12 innovations: MechChem Africa talks to the SA delegates who attended Atlas Copco’s Oil-free Air and Compressor Technique Service (CTS) conference in Antwerp. 6 SAIChE News: ChemEng and the applications of process control thinking: a member profile of Carl Sandrock. 42 Product and industry news 48 Back page: REFAB to showcase improved crops for greater food security

P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN

Published monthly by Crown Publications cc Cnr Theunis and Sovereign Streets Bedford Gardens 2007 PO Box 140, Bedfordview, 2008 Tel: +27 11 622 4770 e-mail: mechchemafrica@crown.co.za www.mechchemafricamagazine.co.za Editors: Peter Middleton e-mail: peterm@crown.co.za Glynnis Koch e-mail: glynnisk@crown.co.za Advertising: Brenda Karathanasis e-mail: brendak@crown.co.za Design: Darryl James Publisher: Karen Grant Deputy publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis Circulation: Brenda Grossmann The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher or the editors. P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN P U B L I C A T I O N S CR O WN 2015/02/10 01:17:09PM

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Front cover: AtlasCopcoCompressor Technique SA Contact: Ian Ainsworth ian.ainsworth@za.atlascopco.com +27 11 821 9024 www.atlascopco.com

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 1

Unravelling the IIoT at TUT

T herewas a timewhenCADmeant computer- aided drafting. It was about using computers to draw, in the same way as word processing was about using computers to type. The description of the latest release of PTC’s Creo5.0 retains the general ‘computer-aided’ product designation: ‘3D CAD/CAM/CAE software and solu- tions’, but this quickly disappears in the product blurb, where we read about ‘breakthrough capabilities in additive manufacturing, IIoT, model-based definition (MBD) and augmented reality (AR)’ all so as to ‘design faster and smarter by connecting your digital design to your physical products’. In the automation space, we now talk about Industry 4.0 or the 4 th Industrial revolution, the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Industrial IoT (IIoT), the Connected Enterprise, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, cyber-physical systems (CPS), the web-of-things(WOT),cloud-basedcomputing,bigdata analytics, and so on. It is no wonder that Duan Gauché of iWorx, the local agent for PTC’s Thingworx software, believes there is a lot of confusion in the market about what the IIoT is. Talking to MechChem Africa at the launch of the Emerging Lab at TUT’s Soshanguve campus last month, he described Thingworx, PTC’s IIoT software as: “an Industrial Innovation Platform”. OnthefirstdayofRockwellAutomation’sJune2018 TechEDconference in SanDiego, the company’s chair- man and CEO, Blake Moret, talked about a “wide field of technology to be harnessed” before announcing a significantnewstrategicpartnershipwithPTC:aUS$1- billion equity investment by Rockwell Automation in PTC’s technology platform and solutions, which “help companies todesign,manufacture, operateandservice things for a smart, connected world”. Key to the agreement is the convergence of the company’s respective IIoT and smart factory tech- nologies: PTC’s ThingWorx IIoT, Kepware industrial connectivity and the Vuforia augmented reality plat- form with FactoryTalk MES, FactoryTalk Analytics, and the IntegratedArchitecture control systems from Rockwell Automation. Commenting on the deal, Gauché says that it re- flects the inevitable convergence of information and operational technology. Design, product development andproduct lifecycle solutions; business andmanufac- turingenterprise systems; dataanalysis andhistorians; andmachine control and automation on factory floors are all merging, with platforms such as Thingworx as thebridge, connecting to thedevices and rapidly chan- nelling the data collected in myriad ways.

Peter Middleton

Back in Soshanguve, Duan Gauché says the idea of the Emerging Lab is to catch youngsters while at university so that they become “our next-generation creatives, making African products and operations greater than ever”. On the creationof jobs, hebelieves that, rather than take jobs away, this 4 th industrial revolutionwill create jobs, but he warns that these will be very different, even from the ones we currently do. He says that PTC estimates that in the next ten years there will be two million unfilled ICT jobs around the world. Moret also highlights the growing skills gap in the US. New talent is in short supply and experienced peopleare retiring, he says adding that this isbecoming a limiting factor for growth. “But technology is useless unless people are com- fortablewith it and can interactwith it in a useful way,” he says, adding: “We need peoplewho understand the process to guide the integration.” For companies to continue to innovate and com- pete around the world, Moret believes that worker knowledge must be blended with technology. Doing the same things in the same way won’t work. Fewer workers means industry needs more flexible workers who are cross-trained in a variety of disciplines. Celebrating the partnership in South Africa be- tween PTC, 1Worx and TUT, systems engineering professor at the Soshanguve campus, Pius Owalawi, says that engineering students in Africa have been disadvantaged with respect to practical training. At MIT, where he studied, technology partnerships with industry are common and all students have access to practical equipment and labs that are funded and built by industry. The Emerging Lab brings this approach to Africa. Doing things differently also drives Sizwe Mngadi from1Worx, the Emerging Lab champion. “University coursework left a gap with respect to the practical side required in the corporateworld, so I began to talk to my student colleagues and to professor Owolawi about starting a practical IIoT-based programme in Soshanguve,” he says. The world is changing fast and, as with all changes associated with industrial revolutions, people are go- ing to experience disruptive change in the workplace. How should we respond? Let’s start by celebrating the achievements and offering support to local initia- tives and talent. Sizwe Mngadi, Pius Owolawi, Duan Gauché and all the others who played a part in the establishment of theEmerging IIoTLab in Soshanguve have seen the need and placed the first ofmany pieces necessary to rise to the challenge of the future. q

MechChem Africa is endorsed by:

2 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2018

Smart Air Solutions and 12 innovations

Following a global sales event held in Antwerp, Belgium, fromApril 16 to 19, Atlas Copco Oil-free Air and Compressor Technique Service (CTS) divisions announced several product innovations for their low-, medium- and high-pressure markets. MechChem Africa talks to the South African delegates: CTS service manager, Ian Ainsworth and Pieter van Wyk, GM for Compressor Technique.

expectancy. Using this information, we have been able to improve key components to extend service intervals and improve reliability. The newrange includes several of theseupgradedcomponents, whichen- sure longer mean times between failure (MTBF),” explains Ainsworth. Fromanenergyefficiencyperspective, Van Wyk points out that every initiative that reduces the pressure losses on a compressedairsolutionby1.0barreduces energy consumption by 7%. “This is one of the realities that have been driving Atlas Copco designers towards this newrange,” he notes. By developing and usingmore efficient filters for the internals of the compres- sor, for example, Atlas Copco has further reduced the internal pressure losses and so improved energy efficiency. “Also, though, the piping design has beencompletely redone soas to minimise friction and pressure losses. With these new innova- tions, we have taken a product that is already very efficient and squeezed every last drop of efficiency from them,” Van Wyk notes, adding that the specific energy requirements and SER on the new Atlas Copco ZR and ZT oil-free compressors are market leading. The third driver was to

“ I an and I attended the excellent ‘Smart Air Days’ product launch event in Belgium during April to find out about the latest developments inour product range. Atlas Copco Compressor Technique is no longer simply selling compressors.Wenow talkaboutSmartAirSolutionsandwestriveto offer compressed air at the point of use that represents the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO) possible. “Compressed air is expensive in terms of energy, whichmakes the electricity cost from theutility a significant component of theTCO. So anything we can do to make our solutions more energy efficient will reduce this cost significantly,” VanWyk begins. Atlas Copco’s Smart Air Solutions aims to reduceTCOthroughcomponent andmachine optimisation initiatives in three areas: reli- ability, energy efficiency and serviceability. “The reliability and quality of our equip- ment has long been a given, but we have been tracking every component replaced during a service to give us a realistic indication of life

The new Atlas Copco MDG 450 rotary drum dryer is an energy-efficient solution for high quality compressed air at guaranteed dew points of -40 °C. actual hours needed to service amachine, we save on TCOs for our customers and make it easier for our own service technicians,” con- tinues Ainsworth. Components inside the new compressors havebeenmademucheasiertoreplace,which reduces thedowntime associatedwith servicing and leads to better utilisa- tion and lower net costs. “When I looked into the newma- chines, I was amazed by how accessible the internal componentswere. Theold

improve serviceability. “By reducing the number of

oil separator unit, for example, used tobeonebigfilter basket, which was difficult and messy to remove. Now we have these beautiful and simple cartridges that can simply be unscrewed and quickly replaced, without any

mess or trouble – and all of the drains and internal pipe connections have also been

The high-flow ZH centrifugal compressor range is now extended to include a 3 150 kWmachine with a flow capacity of above 35 000 m 3 /h at 8.0 bar pressure.

4 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2018

⎪ Cover story ⎪

lookedat tomake sureour service technicians can complete service or repair tasks quickly and easily,” he says. Describing some of the new compres- sors, Van Wyk first lifts out the new GA90 + to 160 + , which all use the new VSD + motor drives. “The latest air compressor in Atlas Copco’s smart AIR solutions portfolio, the GA 90 + -160 (VSD + ) oil-injected screw com- pressor range, is designed for reducedenergy consumption and ease of installation and service. It features state-of-the-art compres- sion elements with Smart Injection technol- ogy coupled with highly efficient oil-cooled IE4 and IE5 motors that require no service interventions. The new Elektronikon ® Touch controller with integrated smart algorithms further reduce energy con- sumption and the units are available in water- and air-cooled versions, with fixed or variable speed drive and with an optional integrated dryer,” he says. “The latest oil-free rotary screw air compressor fromAtlasCopco, theZR90- 160 VSD + , delivers up to 35% energy savings for a fast return on investment,” he continues. “The new ZR is available with or without an integrated dryer. Ideal for applications in the food and beverage, electronics, automotive, textile and pharmaceutical industries, the water- cooledZR90-160VSD + is equippedwith two high-efficiency permanent magnet motors, state-of-the-art compressor elements, a new cooler design and an improved monitoring system – and this plug-and-play compres- sor is housed in a compact, soundproof enclosure.” VanWyk adds. “ZT and ZR oil-free machines are also certified to ISO 22000, which is a food and beverage standard that guarantees no con- tamination levels in the supplied air. As far as I know, we are the only compressor company to have been awarded this certification for oil-free compressors,” VanWyk adds. In addition, Atlas Copco’s ZH oil-free centrifugal air compressor range has been expandedwith designs tomeet the needs for a larger centrifugal air compressor delivered in a standard package. The most compact air compressor in its range, thevirtually silent ZH 1000-3150 provides the optimum combina- tionof highflowand lowenergy consumption. Moving onto the low pressure high-flow ‘blowers’, Van Wyk says that the ZB and ZM centrifugal products as well as the ZS rotary screw and ZL lobe blowers have also been refinedandrefreshed.Mostnotably,theseare now more compact with a smaller footprint to suit customers that are pressed for space. “A smaller footprint is very important when multiple machines have to be installed in rooms with tight dimensions. The service- ability aspect also helps in this regard. While

Above: New service-friendly ZS4 blowers and other compressor designs means that machines can now be packed alongside each other. Left: Atlas Copco’s Optimizer 4.0 is a central point of control for the whole compressed air network, ensuring optimum energy-efficient performance.

we used to need service access space all around themachine, the newservice-friendly designs on the blowers and other compres- sorsmeans thatmachines can nowbe packed alongside each other, needing only front and back service access,” Ainsworth adds. Also integral to the Smart Air Solutions idea isAtlasCopco’s latest Industry4.0-ready Optimizer 4.0 central control and monitor- ing solution. “Our new Optimizer 4.0 range replaces Atlas Copco ES controllers. With all the basic functionality of the older version, this unit adds Industry 4.0 connectivity, data collection, monitoring and analysis options,” notes VanWyk. With the ability to connect andmanage up to 60 compressors from a single unit with up to three different operating pressure bands, AtlasCopco’sOptimizer4.0canautomatically producefinancial,maintenanceandutilisation reports directly from the data collected. “And these units can learn from the data beingmonitored. Over a24-hour periodanda seven-dayweek, compressed air demandwill vary considerably. Optimizer is able to trend the plant-wide demand curve and it can learn to anticipate high and low demand periods,” Ainsworth points out. As well as Optimizer, all new-range Atlas Copco compressed air systems come with SmartLinkdevices built in. “Customers donot have to adopt Optimiser 4.0 to connect their compressors to the Internet. Our SmartLink devices will record and collect data from a variety of important parameters and send

them to us and/or to customer devices such as smartphones or tablets. This helps to add value to our offering through early detection of impending problems, resulting in better reliability for the customer,” Van Wyk suggests. “We are already receiving 500 automatic notifications per day,” continues Ainsworth. “Via dashboards, weekly results are being shared with our service and sales teams to help them to better complete the services scheduled for thatweek, plan services for the comingmonthsandtoidentifyandproactively respond to problems before they become breakdowns,” he notes. Completing theproduct launch, threenew quality air products were introduced: a new range of innovativeMDGrotary drumdryers, which guarantee a dewpoint of -40 °C, while minimisingenergy consumption; anewspace- saving twin filter design; and a new activated carbon tower range. “The downstream components such as low-pressure air filters, dryer and equipment such as nitrogen generators are vital inensur- ing the best possible air quality. These have alsobeen improved for space saving, pressure reduction, reliability and reduced costs. “Atlas Copco offers state-of-the-art to compressors and compressor services. In addition, though, we offer air solutions and packages that deliver the correct quality air at the point of use – at the lowest possible cost. This is what wemean by Smart Air Solutions,” VanWyk concludes. q

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 5

The SAIChE IChemE member profiled for July is Carl Sandrock, BEng (chemical engineering), MEng (control), PrEng. Currently chairperson of SAIChE’s Gauteng branch and a senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria, Sandrock tells of a career underpinned by different aspects of process control principles and thinking. ChemEng and the applications of process control thinking

C arl Sandrock was born in Pretoria, but says he is from Johannesburg. His parents are Afrikaans but they brought him up to speak good English. Hewas raisedmostly in SouthAfrica, apart from a year of his childhood in Lytham St Annes in the UK, but instilled with a global perspective. As a teenager, he describes himself as a computer geek, yet his mother refused to allow his father’s computer into the house, believing it would open the door to bring- ing work home. His father was in insurance, while also being a rally car owner, driver and enthusiast. Hisparents shouldperhaps consult onhow to raise well-balanced kids. “I always knew I wanted to do some- thing practical. I had the upbringing of an archetype-engineer, dismantling and fixing machines and embracing every new technol- ogy,” he tells MechChem Africa . “During my school days, I was a bit of

a ‘computer nerd’. My dad had one of the original green-screen Commodore comput- ers, which had to be kept in the garage. I used to buy computer magazines and type in published program code to make things happen,” he says. The young entrepreneur soon started programming for money. “I bought my first car fromtheproceeds of aprogramIwrote for my Dad’s insurance company. People making claims would phone the call centre from all over the country and Iwrote aprogramtofind local service providers based on the insured person’s postcode,” Sandrock recalls. So why go into chemical engineering, we ask? “I had an ‘uncle’ who was a chemical engineer who worked on the mines. I was impressed and wanted to be like him,” he responds. He became a student at the University of Pretoria back in 1997 and graduated with a chemical engineering degree in December 2001. Unsurprisingly, his final project was

based on a computer program: to predict the plume shapes and emission distribution pat- terns from plant stacks. “There was already a strong focus on the environmental side of engineering at UP and we had an active environmental group. We also had to take a formal undergraduateenvironmental course.” Immediately on graduating, Sandrock en- rolled to do his MSc with a focus on process control. His MEng dissertation was based on work done for SAPPI SAICOR in KwaZulu- Natal, where he developed a model-based controller for thebatchpulpdigesters. “These are large reactors which are loaded with 140 t of wood and 150 m 3 of cooking liquor. The wood is ‘cooked’ at 10 bar and 130 °C to remove the lignin and reduce the chain length of the cellulose. Thefinal product is called ‘dis- solving pulp’ andused in textiles and cigarette filters. The challenge is predicting how long the wood should be cooked for and is similar to trying to predict the cooking time of meat in a pressure cooker. “Immediately on completion of myMSc in 2002,Iwasaskedtofillinforthemasstransfer lecturerwhowasemigrating.Iwasofferedthe post full time in 2003 and I have been at the university ever since. I always liked teaching, havingmade extramoney as a student teach- ingpeoplehowtooperateofficemachinesand printers.My superpower is that I actually read the user manuals,” he tells MechChem Africa . As a result of his lecturingduties, Sandrock quickly developed expertise in distillation columns, their design andoptimisation, which quickly translated into consultancy work. “I work mostly in the food-ethanol industry on column designs for the distilling industry. These plants produce the neutral spirits used to make ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs) such as Smirnoff Ice or Brutal Fruit. “Ethanol is azeotropic, which means that no matter howmany times you distil it, it will never become 100% pure. So during the dis- tillation process, there is a very well defined concentration limit. “An ethanol sieve tray distillation column is like a big tube with multiple rows of perfo- rated trays inside. As the vapour rises in the column, it passes from one tray to the next, bubbling through the condensed liquid in the tray above. The liquid, on the other hand, is

A diagram of the ethanol sieve tray distillation process. The more volatile ethanol concentrates as vapour, while water condenses and is channelled down through the trays, becoming less and less concentrated in ethanol as it falls.

6 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2018

⎪ SAIChE IChemE news ⎪

SAIChE IChemE SAIChE Board members: President: C Sheridan Imm. Past President D van Vuuren Honorary Treasurer L van Dyk + Vice President: Honorary Secretary: EMObwaka Vice President: D Lokhat Council member: JJ Scholtz Council member: AB Hlatshwayo Council member: K Harding Council Member: M Low Council Member: HMazema Council Member: MChetty Council Member: A de Bondt Council Member: MMabaso Council Member NN Coni Member (co-opted): MD Heydenrych Member (co-opted): MHughes Member (co-opted): CMausse Chair Gauteng: C Sandrock Chair KZN: D Lokhat Chair Western Cape: HMazema Contact details SAIChE PO Box 2125, North Riding, 2162 South Africa business and industry executives – as well as indiverse roles suchas banking and computer programming,” he says. Givingadvicetoyoungchemicalengineers, Sandrock believes it important to focus on much more than the technical side of the engineering role. “We are social creatures and, to succeed, it is important to build up networks of contacts. We can’t just focus our own knowledge and skills. “Also, artificial intelligence (AI) is coming. Rather than watching your role being re- placedbyadvancedtechnology,itisimportant to embrace and use it. Computer systems can never provide the personal touch or the interpretation of ambiguous specifications. “As engineers, we need to dig deep into what makes us unique as humans, learn to wield the power of AI and, by adding human- ity, use it to improve the quality of life for all people,” Sandrock concludes. q

Ethanol facilities produce alcohol and biofuel from organic crops such as maize. Sandrock works mostly in the food- ethanol industry on column designs for the distilling industry.

channelled down the sides of the column, be- comingpurer andpurer inevery tray as it falls. “The vapour concentrates the more volatile constituentswhile the less volatile or lowerboilingpointconstituentbecomesmore concentrated in the liquid phase,” Sandrock explains. “Separationbydistillationistheworkhorse of chemical engineering. It takes 40 to 60%of all the energy used by the chemical industry, andall of these columnswork in the sameway, whether separating ethanol andwater; petrol anddiesel; or producing oxygen, nitrogen and argon from liquefied air,” Sandrock explains. “I participate on all levels of design for these systems, includingfirst-principledesign, design validation and I consult on the optimi- sation of built units,” he informs MechChem Africa , adding that his specific expertise involves small systems such as the Nuffield distillery in Springs. “On big multi-million rand plants, sophisticated centralised con- trol systems and SCADAs are installed that enable the whole plant to be controlled and optimisedwhile sitting in a control room. But on smaller systems, one often has to climb a column and take some measurements to find out what is going wrong. “A key indicator is the pressure drop be- tween the bottom and top of the column. If the operator tries to push too much product through, instead of the condensed liquid trickling gently down though the catchment trays, the column can end up full of foam. This is called flooding and when it happens the pressure goes sky high and the system trips. “By characterising the column to deter- mine its unique best operating point, the controls can be tuned to stabilise production for continuous operation,” he explains. MPC: Model predictive control Another string to Sandrock’s bow is a differ- ent approach to modelling that arose due to his talent for programming. “I worked with a company called Blue Nickel to developed the original implementationof amodel predictive control (MPC) programcalledPsibyl,” he says. Explaining what Psibyl does, he says that process control using traditional PID

(proportional, integral, differential) involves measuringwhat is happening and feeding the results back through an electronic controller to regulate one or two output variables. “Predictive control involvesmodelling the process in advance, via an algorithm, and then predictingwhat will happen to every variable under different circumstances – soPsibyl can accommodate multivariable control. “Alittleadditionalplantcharacterisationof the physical plant is required in order to use MPC systems, which is done via simple step testing. Oncedone, though, Psibyl will predict what will happen when circumstances or any input variables changes,” Sandrock explains. “In addition, the characterisation process is itself a healthy exercise for plant operators as it gives onsite engineers a much clearer idea of how their plant responds, where the important set points are andwhich conditions to avoid,” he adds. Currently, Carl Sandrock is back to teach- ing process control. “But there is still a de- mand for distillation plant work, particularly for small bespoke designs that are not bound by existing patents and royalty issues,” he notes. On his involvement with SAIChE IChemE, he says that he has been a member since his undergraduate years. “Uys Grimsehl used to recruit students in return for discounts at his social events and braais,” he reminisces. “I firmly believe that, rather than simply becoming qualified and getting on with our jobs, engineering professions need to be looked after. Collaboratively and voluntarily, when we see things going wrong, we should get involved to seek ways of putting our profession right again,” he says, adding that collectiveaction is veryeffective in setting the long termdirection and establishing stability. When asked why youngsters should choose to study chemical engineering, Sandrock responds that the discipline has the broadest reach. “Because of the process thinking approach that permeates our work, chemical engineering graduates understand how large systems interact and work. This makes them ideal candidates for C-suite ca- reers – as CEOs, COOs, and CFOs and senior

Tel: +27 11 704 5915 Fax: +27 86 672 9430 email: saiche@mweb.co.za saiche@icheme.org website: www.saiche.co.za

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 7

Agri-Smart integrated solutions launched at NAMPO

MechChemAfrica visits the BI (Bearings International) stand at NAMPO in Bothaville and talks to Gerhard Pienaar, manager for the agriculture sector, about the new Agri-Smart product range.

A cross the globe, the farming indus- try is becoming more and more important. According to the UN FoodandAgricultureOrganization, compared to total agricultural production in 2006, farmerswill need toproduce70%more by 2050 to feed our planet’s growing popula- tion. And, as always, farmers have to rely on mechanisation and modern technology in order to meet this growing demand. It was no surprise, therefore, to see a John Deere quad track tractor, the 9570 RX, launched at NAMPO, with South African farmers being some of the first outside the USA to see these machines. Featuring the company’s Generation 4 CommandCenter touchscreen display, the machines can be controlled ‘as easily as using a smartphone’ and feature GPS-based driverless navigation via a StarFire receiver and AutoTrac. The Internet of Things has arrived on South African farms. BI’s new Agri-Smart product range is designed to support the advancement of this technology froman aftermarket perspective.

“We strive tooffer our agricultural customers total solutions for their specific requirements and conditions and we are continuously developing new products to meet the mod- ern needs of our farming community,” says Pienaar. “We believe that the agricultural industry is of utmost importance to food security, and therefore to the economic development of our country. We strive to offer excellence to our customers in both service and product provision,” he adds. With the agricultural sector under in- creasing pressure to cut costs and improve productivity, BI has both the experience and expertise, backedupby someof thebest prod- ucts available on themarket, to assist farming customers in reducing their downtime and boosting productivity. BI’s diverse product line-up for the agri- cultural industry, under itsAgri-Smart banner, runs the gamut from supplying bearings and chain to couplings and transmission products for arduous farming applications such as ploughing, planting, harvesting, and baling.

It carries a comprehensive stockholding of critical spares, in addition to chain and V-belt drives, that can be dispatched to customers’ sites at short notice. BI supplies bearings for agricultural equip- ment such as combine harvesters, planters, balers, tractors, spreaders, mixers, and ham- mer mills. Sprockets, chains, and accessories are available for major combine-harvester brands such as John Deere, Claas, Case, Clayson, Fahr, Laverda, Massey Fergusson, and Slattery. Highlighting key initiatives introduced at NAMPO 2018, Pienaar first takes us to a new set of Jonnesway hand tools, developed by farmers for farmers. “When we asked farmers what tools they needed, their first response was that they could never get the right box. Because they travel so much, they need the toolbox to fit out-of-sight behind or underneath the seat of their vehicles for the times when visiting towns or remote areas of their farms. So this is the starting point of our BI/Jonnesway solution,” says Pienaar. With respect to tools, the kit is fitted with spanners and sockets from M8 to M32. “Then they said they wanted a meaty ham- mer, but a 4 lb hammer is too big, so we have included a 2 lb one instead. A hacksaw was seenas essential, but farmers alsocomplained about never being able to carry replacement blades, so we have included a hacksaw that carries blades inside its handle,” Pienaar tells MechChem Africa . A substantial set of pliers, a vice grip; cir- clip pliers; a 2-inch shifting spanner, a robust knife and electricians screwdrivers are also key tools in the kit, along with “moer my” screwdrivers designed towithstand being hit by a hammer. “This is a robust well-designed set of tools designed to suit the routinemain- tenance tasks on farms, such as removing and repairing a PTO shaft or replacing planter hub bearings. Our goal is to help farmers to be more efficient, because the one thing we can’t get more of is time. So anything we

John Deere’s 9570 RX quad track tractor features GPS-based driverless navigation via a StarFire receiver and AutoTrac.

8 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2018

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

BI’s new BAA003 bearing hub, which has a better sealing arrangement than any OEM or premium- brand equivalent and the same aftermarket unit can be used on cutting discs, front depth wheels and furrow closing wheels, simply by selecting the matching adapter shaft. can do to save a farmer time when having to fix something, is invaluable,” says Pretorius. Moving to the front of the stand, he shows us the new range of purpose-designed after- market hub units designed and developed by BI in consultation with KML for multi-row V-seeding coulters. “A12-rowseeding coulter has two cuttingdiscs inaV to cut the furrow, a front depthwheel and a furrowclosingwheel at the back – and each of these has a different bearing hub. Thatmeans there are48hubs on each 12-row planter,” Pienaar explains. BI has developed an aftermarket solution for thesemachines basedon thenewBAA003 bearing hub, which has a better sealing ar- rangement than anyOEMor premium-brand equivalent. “Also, though, we have modula- rised this unit so that the same bearing can be used for all three applications. We have designed three different adapter shafts so that the same bearing can be used for all 48 of the seed coulter’s plantingwheels,” Pienaar reveals, while showing how the shaft for the depth gaugewheel canbe replacedby one for a closing wheel. From a reliability perspective, he says that the bearing itself includes a triple-lip or tri-ply seal, which comes pre-sealed and pre- greased. “This is not simply an aftermarket part. It’s a better and more cost-effective solutiondesigned to suit our harsh conditions with sandy, abrasive soils,” he says, adding that these units are easier to replace and much longer-lasting than the original OEM equivalents. Also on display and for sale at NAMPO were BI’s range of sprockets for agricul-

A working display of BI’s extensive product range at the company’s NAMPO stand. A VSD-driven motor is driving a bucket wheel elevator (right) using a misaligned PTO shaft and several of the company’s gearboxes, couplings, drive chain and other components.

A new set of BI/Jonnesway hand tools, developed by farmers for farmers.

tural implements, standard V-pulleys with adaptor sleeve bosses and axle couplings. Gearboxes can be supplied for slashers and cutters, production equipment, and other agricultural implements. Oils, hydraulic seals, and hoses are also available, as well as power take-off (PTO) shafts and variable speed drives (VSDs) to raise the efficiency of electric motors – ideal for centre-point

irrigation systems, for example. Adhesives, sealants, and surface treat- ment from Loctite were also represented, as were Bauer aluminium three-phase 380 V and 525 V motors, Citronol environment- friendlyhandcleanersanddegreasers,Makita cordless power tools, Rocol lubricants, and Dodge bearings, housing and shaft-mounted gearboxes. q

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 9

Product vs REP: a split approach to managing bearings

MechChem Africa introduces SKF South Africa’s MD, Mahdi Sebti, who talks about the company’s new split approach to bringing its bearing and related product offering to the industrial market.

B orn inMorocco, Sebti moved to the USwhenhewas12yearsoldwhere, after completinghigh school, he en- rolled atMichigan State University to study mechanical engineering. “I joined SKF in 2001. I was 19 at the time and started out as an applications engineer in the automotive sector. Then SKF landed a $500-millionprojectwithGMand Iwent over to project management, launching the wheel hub manufacturing lines for GM’s SUVs,” Mahdi tells MechChem Africa . “When my boss was moved to Europe to run the automotive global engineering department, I movedwith him tomanage the Renault and Nissan accounts, first to Turin and then to Paris for three years,” he adds. By then, the renewable energy sector was beginning to boom, so Sebti returned to the US tostart developingSKF’s emerging renew- able energy product lines andmarket –wind, wave, tidal and solar. “I then came to manage the North, West, and Central Africa region alongside the French territories and Indian Ocean, initially fromParis but I soonmovedback toMorocco, wherewehave establisheda local platformto service the region. Morocco has a 180 MW solar trough concentrated solar power (CSP) plant and it is also currently installing a 200MWplant,whichbothhave solar tracking systems. By 2022, up to 2 000 MW of re-

Morocco managing SKF’s business North, West, andCentral Africa region alongside the French territories and Indian Ocean, Mahdi Sebti was additionally appointed managing director of SKF in South Africa. Two value propositions “SKF has long found itself being pinched be- tween two easily distinguished but uniquely different customers. On the one hand, we see a discerning set of customers who seek tomaximise the performance of their critical equipment. These customers understand the importance of reliability, high availability, efficiency and extended service life. They demand tailored engineering solutions that use the best possible components available. “On the other hand, though, we have cus- tomerswho simplywant a bearing or compo- nent at the lowest possible price to solve an immediate problem,” Sebti explains. “These customers simply want a correctly specified, cost-effective product delivered to the right place, at the right time,” he says. In response to this ”reality” SKF has come up with two different value propositions to enable its customers to be served in themost appropriate way. For those looking tomeet component spe- cific needs, SKF has introduced its ‘Products valueproposition’,which focusesonsupplying the right product at the right cost at the right time, at the right place. “We provide thou- sands of products and related technologies to OEM and aftermarket customers around the world, in every major industry for every phase of an asset’s lifecycle. These

SKF’s Rotation for Life service involves the installation of permanent 24/7 monitoring systems such at its IMX Multilog On-line. productshaveallbeendevelopedusingathor- ough understanding of rotating equipment and they are readily available, competitively priced and, typically, interchangeable with components that have been in operation for many years,” Sebti points out. SKF has long been known, however, for its unquestionablequalityandhigh-reliabilityso- lutions that are purposely selected, designed andcombined toensure that criticalmachines perform at their optimal level. “When choos- ing such an equipment-specific solution, the price and the brand are of secondary importance to maximising reliability. This is where our second value proposition comes in, which we call REP: Rotating Equipment Performance,” he continues. Sebti tells the story of how the REP idea came about: “SKF was called in to look at issues on a mine’s conveyor systems. The discussions took twodistinct directions, price and technical merit. In response, our CEO decided not to sell the bearings at all. Instead, he decided to sell rotation to the mine. “He offered to install SKF bearings into the conveyor systems at no cost, maintain them for free and then charge a fee directly linked to material output at the end of the conveyor line. “If a competitor bearing lasts 1 000 hours andweareconfident ourswill last 4000hours then, instead of trying to convince the opera- tor of the truevalueof our solutions, webreak the payment down based on output rotation and/or uptime. If we deliver, SKF gets paid the true value, but if we don’t, the operator

newable energy will be installed there,” says Mahdi. After six years in

Rotation for life is a key offering for the wind power industry. Generally, up to 5% of the value of a wind turbine consists of SKF products.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • July 2018

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

pays less, so he will not have paid a premium for no reason. “That was the starting point for REP and we are now offering these performance services for conveyor systems, mills, wind turbines, and much more,” Sebti reveals. As well as incorporating the best possible component solutions into critical equipment, REP also involves maintenance and service packages. “Within SKF’s REP offering are two service programmes: SKF Premium and Rotation for Life. For a bearing to reach its intended life and to performas anticipated, it must be properlymaintained–fitted, aligned, sealed, lubricated, monitored, etc. With this comes the need and knowledge to measure, collect data and analyse it. “We at SKF have been working on moni- toring for several decades now, first through our hand-helddata logger, which is a suitcase- like solution that can be taken to a machine, connected to up to four vibration sensors and the data collected and taken back to the office for analysis. But to use these vibration instruments, the operator really needs train- ing – in Level 1, 2 or 3 vibration monitoring and analysis, for example. “Today, we have our QuickCollect sensor, which is a vibration sensor, acceleration and temperature sensing unit with connectiv- ity. Instead of having to have a suitcase, QuickCollect sensor connects to IOS- or Android-based smartphones or tablets. The data is uploaded to the operator’s device, typically via Bluetooth, and from there via wireless networks directly to on- or offsite analysis centres,” says Sebti. Inaddition,softwareonthedevicesupplies immediate information and alerts (based on analyticscompletedinthedevice)totheopera- tor, based on simple inputs as to themachine’s power, size and rotational speed. “This was launched locally in South Africa in February this year and its intention is tomake condition monitoring far more accessible,” he explains. In addition, SKF offers a DataCollect service, in which SKF technicians or trained customer operators develop a condition- monitoring route for their plant equipment. By placing QuickCollect sensors on each machine en route, the data is collected and uploaded directly to the Cloud for download and analysis anywhere in the world,” he says. Using services such as these, the SKF Premium programme helps SKF bearing

By placing QuickCollect sensors on each machine en route, data is collected using tablets or smartphones and uploaded directly to the Cloud for download and analysis anywhere in the world.

customers to identify maintenance and op- erational needs, leading to cost reductions. “SKFPremiumhelps customers to adopt best maintenance practices for assets fitted with SKF bearings and components, resulting in significant machine reliability and uptime improvements,” notes Sebti. At the highest REP level of service is SKF’s Rotation For Life programme, which guaran- tees the reliability and availability of selected critical rotating machinery assets, reducing risks and ownership costs for customers over an agreed contract period. “Whatever might be going wrong on a machine – gearing issues, misalignment, under – or over-lubrication, overloading or imminent bearing failure – will be picked up by ‘listening’ to and analysing acceleration over the frequency spectrum of the bearing. “On critical equipment such as turbines or mills, it is vital that the machine is protected and shut down automatically should any problembedetected.Atthislevelofcriticality, SKF’s Rotation for Life service involves the installation of permanent 24/7 monitoring systems such at its IMX Multilog On-line or SKF Insight,” Sebti explains. These permanent installations enable imminent failure, reliability and remaining life analysis to be determined. SKF Insight,

for example, was first used on the axle boxes of trains. A small sensor mounted on each axle box logs, tracks and communicates the condition of each wheel bearing. That way, any problem can be dealt with conveniently and safely. Rotation for life is also a key offering for wind turbines. “Generally, up to 5% of the value of a wind turbine consists of SKF prod- ucts: three slewing bearings for the blades, one for thenacelle, themain shaft bearing and housing, the couplings, thedozens of bearings in the gearbox and the generator, along with our automatic lubrication system,WindLube. “We also incorporate ourmonitoring solu- tion, WindCon, which monitors every critical point of the turbine and sends the informa- tion to our dedicated diagnostic centre in Germany. “The rotating equipment performance (REP) market is growing all over the world, with customers increasingly focused on harnessing the IoT to improve productivity and competiveness. We also know, however, that many customers simply want to use our cost-effective, quality components in their new designs or as end-of-life replacements. “By splitting our value propositions into two, we can better service both of these market needs,” Sebti concludes. q

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

To match its global parent’s standards and to offer faster and better drive solutions to its African customers, Bonfiglioli South Africa is currently expanding its Linbro Park facility. MechChemAfrica talks to MD, Robert Rohman. Benchmarked custom -drive solutions

I n spite of some difficult times in recent years, Bonfiglioli South African has weathered the storm. “Over the past few years, we have been continuously improving our standards, streamlining our business practices, reducing our costs and finding better ways of adding value to Bon- figlioli geared drive solutions. Today, we find ourselves positioned to offer excellent services at the best possible returns. “Not only do we offer the products that industry needs, more than at any previous time in our history we can engineer best-fit solutions that are tailored to the application and conditions involved, while meeting the high-level global quality standards required by our European parent,” begins Rohman. “Because of our age, experience and will- ingness to service specific market needs, the range, suitability and industry spread of our products has expanded and, if anything, our reputation for the supply of drive solutions is better than ever,” he adds. “In recent years, we have been connected to Bonfiglioli’s global quality and engineer- ing e-business portal, which exploits the full potential of the Internet to provide better customised solutions for customers across the globe,” he continues. The system guides engineers through the selection and con- figuration of drive applications and provides all the relevant technical documentation to back it up. “More importantly, it also supports our engineering department in the system de- sign process. All successfully implemented Bonfiglioli drive solutions are uploaded as references and their design and technical de- tails are available to us. This enables our local engineers to fast-track projects using proven global experience gleaned frombest-practice projects,” Rohman tells MechChem Africa . “If a customer needs a mixer drive for a wastewater application, for example, thenwe can search the portal for every other mixer drive application we have ever done. When we find a similar application, we can quickly see where the oil pump was placed, how the drivewas coupled andmounted and a host of otherdetailsthatneedtobedevelopedbefore a solution can be finalised,” he explains. The system, he says, has already enabled Bonfiglioli South Africa to branch out from its traditional strengths in mining and sugar intonewareas, such aswater treatment. “Our initial success was the Eastern Basin Acid

MineDrainage (AMD) water treatment plant in Springs, where we developed and supplied 80 mixer drives. With a treatment capacity of 110 Mℓ/day, this is one of the largest high- density sludge (HDS) plants in the world,” Rohman notes. “We are continuing to leverage our e-busi- ness portal to service the increasing demand forwastewater treatment solutions – andwe are currently supplying a further eight mixer drives for a municipal wastewater treatment plant in Hammersdale in KwaZulu-Natal,” he adds. To meet the requirements of the compa- ny’sheadoffice in Italy, Bonfiglioli isupgrading its local engineering and technical resource capacity at its Linbro Park premises, expand- ing its team of engineers and building a new engineering design office to better deal with demand and to make collaboration easier. “The aim is to be better able to offer turn- key and sophisticated engineered solutions thatincludealloftheaccountabilityandtrace- abilityassociatedwithglobalOEMstandards,” Rohman tells MechChem Africa . To increase the total available floor area of the Linbropark premises, a newmezzanine floor is being installed to house the new en- gineering services division and other offices. In addition, high racking storage systems, all colour coded to match Bonfiglioli’s Italian standards, have been installed. “The current walls separating the ware- house from the assembly area will disappear, which will enable us to expand the shop floor assembly area,” Rohman says. An additional assembly press for its HD

range of in- dustrial gear

unitswill be installed and the heavy cranewill run the full length of the new bay. Additional assembly stations for smaller units and cus- tomisations will also be added. “We hope to double up on the assembly area, most notably for our heavy duty prod- ucts, which are still among the most robust mining solutionson themarket,” saysRohman, pointingtowardsacompletedbatchof ‘combo drives’ for a Fluorspar project in theNorthern Province. “We do significant amounts of customisa- tion work and all of it requires engineering. A particular strength is our combination plan- etary bevel-helical drives, which enable us to useelectricmotorstoachieveverylow-speed, high-torque rotationwithout having to resort to expensive hydraulic systems,” he explains. Pointing towards a large planetary drive, he says that sugar remains buoyant. “Our planetary solutions are ideal for high torque and other demanding requirements of this industry and we are benefitting from RCL Foods upgrades in Pongola and Umfolozi,” he notes. “For the first time since 2008, Europe is booming and lead times are increasing.While this is not happening here yet, we expect to see a pull through effect in the near future. “We have survived the worst times and are now readying for the upturn – and we find ourselves much more efficient and bet- ter able to offer globally benchmarked engi- neered reducer and drive solutions,” Rohman concludes. q

Bonfiglioli combination planetary bevel-helical drives, ready for shipment.

July 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 13