Mechanical Technology January 2016

⎪ January 2016 contents ⎪

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ON THE COVER

Features Special report 8 Columbus Stainless: A plant tour MechTech takes a tour of South Africa’s Columbus Stainless plant in Middelburg and talks to Lucien Matthews, the company’s CEO. Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals 12 New mill drive system for improved efficiencies Metso’s latest innovation, the Metso QdX4 Mill Drive system is mooted to help customers achieve high efficiencies in mining operations.

15 New brand identity centres on customer service 16 Innovative solutions for powering the future 19 Planetary final drives for industrial equipment Computer-aided engineering 20 Weight optimisation: an elevator success story

The impressive height of modern buildings brings with it a unique set of challenges, one of which is how to efficiently transport people from the ground floor to the top. This case study highlights the use of Altair’s OptiStruct solution for weight and material placement optimisation of elevator cabin structures. 23 Winners of the 2015 antenna design competition Hydraulic and pneumatic systems: power packs, compressors and valves 24 Gas pipeline operators rely on Voith coupling technologies Voith Turbo’s Derain Pillay, vice president of power, oil and gas, talks about some of the company’s coupling solutions for dual drive gas compression equipment used in the oil and gas industry. 27 Majuba compressors and service agreements 28 VSD compressor technology for forward-thinking industries Structural engineering materials, metals and non-metals 30 Towards a sustainable stainless steel industry in SA MechTech talks to sassda executive director, John Tarboton about the current state of the stainless steel industry in South Africa and the association’s outlook. 33 Thermoplastic oil tank for dry sump engines 34 Materials engineering in practice: the product-centred approach Innovative engineering 36 Hybrid automation and efficient pneumatics and hydraulics In this article, Tectra Automation’s Kevin Lombard talks about the integration and hybridisation of pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric motion systems, driven by IT connectivity and Industry 4.0 technology innovations. Regulars 1 Comment 4 On the cover: The Aquada UV water purification system 6 Industry forum 38 Products and services 40 Nota bene

The Aquada UV water purification system The global team for WEDECO, a flagship Xylem brand; has developed the Aquada UV range of residential and commercial water purifiers, which use ultra-violet (UV) light to eliminate bacteria, viruses and protozoa in drinking water. Gerhardt Crous, growth centre manager for treat- ment at Xylem South Africa, introduces WEDECO and explains how its UV tech- nology works. For more information contact: Gerhardt Crous, GC manager: treatment, Xylem SA +27 11 966 9300 gerhardt.crous@xyleminc.com www.xyleminc.com

Mechanical Technology — January 2016

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