MechChem Africa October 2017

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

Contactless energy transfer for Sasol Wax

therefore much more cost-effective.” SEW-EURODRIVE installed awireless PROFIBUS systemto send control signals to themoving trolleys toavoid theneed for communication cables in the drag chain. A laser-based direct line-of-sight optical system was also adopted to send signals to the moving trolleys. At the same time, the trolleys were modified to operate off SEW-EURODRIVE’s MOVIMOT ® gear- motor drives, a VSD-driven system using the PROFIBUS-compatible MOVILINK ® protocol for serial communication. A line-cable loop was installed on the floor of thewax plant, covered by installa- tion plates between the rails of the trans- verse trolleys to avoid cutting a groove in the concrete floor. Two pick-up plates under each trolley transfer the electri- cal power to the MOVIMOT ® gearmotor drives. Energy-transfer efficiency is en- hanced by generating medium-frequency ac current. www.sew.co.za side of the business, AfriSam’s outbound logistics manager, Rob Sansom, says it was a great reward to be recognised as the best fleet. “It is worth remembering how impor- tant our fleet is to the image and reputa- tionof the company,” he says. “Members of thepublicwilloftenseeoneofourbranded readymix trucks out on the road. Each vehicle is like a billboard for the company, so itmust always deliver apositive impact,” Sansom adds. Vehicle checks are strictly applied, so the Gauteng contractors who are appointed to run the branded readymix trucks must have them inspected every threemonths atAfriSam’s transport depot in Spartan. According to Amit Dawneerangen, AfriSam’s generalmanager (readymix), the SARMA awards represent a highly prized acknowledgement – from the experts in the concrete industry – that a company is at the top of its game. www.afrisam.com

Construction materials leader, AfriSam, dominated at the recent SouthernAfrican ReadyMix Association (SARMA) awards by winning two of the four accolades be- stowed on the industry’s top performers for 2017. AfriSam won ‘Best Plant’ award for its Wynberg readymix facility and ‘Best Fleet’ award for its Gauteng readymix fleet. “The team is justifiably excited about win- ning this prestigious honour,” says Kevin Naidoo, AfriSam’s operations manager for the company’s central cluster, which includes the two large plants that share the site at Wynberg. These plants serve the fast-growing region that encompasses Sandton and Rosebank. “There is an added pressure on a plant when its production demands are high, and we feel proud that we can maintain suchhigh levels of safety, qualityandother standards while still meeting the output that our customers need,” he says. The SARMA awards are based on detailed compliance audits that measure This is where the MOVITRANS ® Contactless Energy Transfer system pro- vided an excellent solution, according to national sales manager, Norman Maleka. “The system is based on the principle of inductive energy transfer, whereby electrical energy is transferred without contact from a fixed conductor. The elec- tromagnetic connection required is made via an air gap, whichmeans it is not subject to wear, making it maintenance-free and These used to be powered via a drag chain that carried the power and com- munication cables. This was not an ideal solution, for numerous reasons, one being that the chain linkswouldbecome clogged with wax, impeding their free movement. Operatorswere then required to step into the cell and often stepped on the chain inadvertently, causing it tobreak, resulting in costly downtime.

SEW-EURODRIVEhas supplied itsMOVI­ TRANS ® Contactless Energy Transfer sys- tem to Sasol Wax, which manufactures a comprehensive range ofmineral oil-based and synthetic paraffin waxes, petroleum jellies, and liquid paraffin. As soon as a pallet is loaded with a product,itisconveyedtowardsthealigned transfer trolley. The pallet then moves across to align with the exit conveyor, which takes it to the pallet-wrapping machine. The two transverse trolleys, which were traditionally poweredby drag chains in the centre of the rails, each service the conveyor lines from one of the packing robots. The transverse trolleys each have two motors: one to drive the conveyor rollers and another to move the trolley along the rails.

Concrete industry honours AfriSam

MOVITRANS ® is an ideal power transfer system for connect- ing to mobile trolleys and vehicles.

Tape bonding solution from 3M Recently released into South Africa, 3M’s new VHB Tape GPH series is a permanent tape-based bonding solution that can replace traditional mechanical fasteners and liquidadhesives in chal- lenging, high temperature applications. It uses a conformable, acrylic foamcore to provide a good balance of strength and conformability. The new series helps break the barriers of traditional construction elements. It adheres instantlywith high initial tack on a broad range of substrates such asmetal, glass, ABS plastics, rigid PVC, andpolycarbonate. Applicationpossibilities are almost endless, and users can design projects with total freedom. The series has excellent temperature resis- tance and works under severe conditions. It combines high temperature resistance, andmulti- material bonding. Its strong bond tometals, com- bined with a short-term temperature resistance of up to +230 °C, make it ideal for permanent bonding, even in tough high temperature applica- tions such as powder coating or liquid painting. www.3M.com

safety, health, trans- port, environment and quality at mem- bers’ readymix plants. The wide range of cri- teria includes hazard identification, risk assessment, legal re- quirements, commu- nication, participation and documentation. On the transport

Construction materials leader, AfriSam, dominated at the recent Southern African ReadyMix Association (SARMA) awards.

34 ¦ MechChem Africa • October 2017