MechChem Africa May-June 2022

⎪ Cover story ⎪

or sprockets also extends operating life and, as a result of reduced friction, lowers power consumption. Many chain drives also require correct lubrication toensure trouble-free and efficient operation. Tsubaki’s lube-free roller chain, however, is ideal for use in industries where clean en vironments are required and where product contamination cannot be tolerated, in food processing, pharmaceutical and electron ics’ manufacturing, for example. Tsubaki’s Lambda chain is also suitable for environ ments where abrasive contamination is prominent, as is the case in wood processing and the paper and packaging industries. Similarly, Timken Quick-Flex couplings require minimal maintenance and are able to beused inawide rangeof critical applications, including hydraulic pumps, motors, industrial gearboxes, compressors, vibrating screens and ventilation fans. These couplings are designed toaccommodateshaftmisalignment within the drive and to also dampen vibration and torque fluctuations. “Quick-Flex drive couplings can directly replace virtually any similarly sized coupling. They require no lu bricationandare alsoeasy to install andmain tain,” saysBrandonBouillon, productmanager for BMG’s Power Transmission division. Through its offeringof awide rangeof high quality engineering components, along with associatedstructuredmaintenanceandservice programmes,BMGstrivestokeepplantsfreeof the breakdowns and stoppages that unneces sarily affect efficiency and productivity. “We are committed to ensuring every plant keeps operating by providing 24-hour customer process support for production efficiency and structured reliability-centred maintenance pro grammes,” concludesCarloBeukes. www.bmgworld.net

replacement of parts. “Optimum filtration performance, in conjunction with lower dif ferential pressures (∆P) through the system, significantly reduce energy consumption and fuel efficiency. BMG’s fluid technology

units. This information is used in conjunction with gear unit parameters and specific opera tional parameters to precisely calculate the most appropriateoil change time, without the need for any additional sensors. The company’s electromechanical special ists are able to extend and adjustNORDdrive equipment for specific automation tasks, including drive monitoring, drive control and process control. The team is also able to advise customers about the correct PLC software architecture for any application. Power transmission solutions Stock availability and a wide range of stan dardised power transmission components, which are machined to accept taper-lock sleeveswith bore sizes to suit a range of stan dard shafts, make for easy access and fitting of components to the shafts of machinery, such as motors and gearboxes. Components, such as vee belts, sprockets, couplings, slat top chain, belt systems, taper bushes, belt and chain tensioners and geared motors, ac commodate broad power input and torque capacity requirements, as well as a wide speed range. The accurate installation of correct power transmission equipment ensures long-term savings in equipment replacement costs, as well as reduced plant downtime and main tenance requirements. When alignment has been meticulously completed, it is critical that all components are securely located and doweled. This will ensure reduced wear, resulting in lower power losses, improved ef ficiency and the elimination of vibration. The net effect is an extended operating life for all drive components. In belt and chain drives, the correct ten sioning and accurate alignment of pulleys

services include solutions for fuel and industrial filtration systems, hydraulics and pneumatics, lubrication, hydraulic hose and fit tings, as well as in strumentation, pumps and industrial valves,” notes Lamprecht. Predictive solutions for drives BMG’s NORD predic tive maintenance solu tions offer fast, efficient

and comprehensive evaluation of analogue anddigital data toen hancetheoperational efficiencyand safety of machines. “BMG specialists use predictive maintenance as a methodical extension of condition-based maintenance, with the prime objective of proactively maintaining machinery and equipment and the early detection of operational changes. “OurNORDstatus-orientedmaintenance systemreplaces traditional time-basedmain tenance to enhance the performance of the gear units, electric motors and frequency in verters, for increased efficiency of the entire plant as well as reduced downtime,” explains Deon Crous, national product specialist for NORD Drive Systems. “Digitalisation boosts the added value our customers can derive from drive data, especially when used to monitor critical ap plications where a drive failure may cause severe damage,” says Crous. BMG’s NORD drives for condition moni toring arebasedon intelligent algorithms and software in an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) environment, where networked drive units collect condition data in the inverter’s integrated Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and pre-process it, together with data from connected sensors and actuators. “An important advantage of this system is it offers our customers dependable data analysis, rather than rawdata. Results of pre processedor complete data canbe optionally transmitted to an edge device, from which the data from all subsystems is managed and evaluated. This information is then available as pre-selected and edited smart data for further use and clear visualisation,” explains Crous. A common application example is the sensorless determination of the optimum oil change period based on the oil temperature, which is the key indicator of oil ageing in gear

BMG’s NORD predictive maintenance solutions offer fast, efficient and comprehensive evaluation of analogue and digital data, to enhance the operational efficiency and safety of machines.

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