Mechanical Technology October 2016

⎪ Power transmission, bearings, bushes and seals ⎪

At Electra Mining this year, BMG highlighted the company’s electro-mechanical range and its integrated engineering solutions and technical services on offer for optimising productivity and enhancing operating reliability and energy efficiency. BMG showcases electro-mechanical range

“ T he focal point of BMG’s Electra Mining exhibit was a display of the company’s extensive electro-mechan- ical range, with representative examples of its industrial drive systems in use by industry across southern Africa. Exhibits featured products from Nord, Sumitomo and Paramax, with whom BMG holds exclusive distribution agreements,” says Mark Barbour, BMG business unit man- ager for electromechanical drives. “Since BMG’s acquisition in 2015 of Hansen Transmissions South Africa, the company has broadened its mechanical drives range and strengthened its long term partnership with Sumitomo as the sole distributor in sub Saharan Africa of Sumitomo speed reducers,” he adds. Decentralised VLT drives BMG’s Danfoss range includes the decen- tralised VLT ® FCD 302 drive, designed for installations where multiple ac motors are spread around a facility. Typical appli- cations include bottling, food preparation and packaging plants. “In these applications, where cabling costs are excessive and control room space is limited, it makes sense to get the speed controller closer to the motors,” says David Dyce, BMG’s electronics man- ager. “Unlike some decentralised drive systems, the FCD 302 drive – which is a one box concept – can be mounted close to, or directly onto motors. This system is designed to minimise design and installation costs, at the same time ensuring efficiency and total reliability of the drive system. There is no need for field distribution or drop down boxes and

no external 24 V dc supply is required. “Another advantage is any drive trip can be quickly and accurately isolated to a particular drive unit, which enables simple maintenance and increases up- time of the system.” This new generation, high perfor- mance decentralised drive is available in two frame sizes to perfectly match the requirements of different production applications, including: dry areas; wash down installations; and for hygienic environments. This new system, which has an IP 66 enclosure – for protection against dust ingress and high-pressure water jets from any direction – meets stringent hygienic standards, including the new ‘European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group’ (EHEDG) regulations. These new drives are proving to be popular with OEMs – there are fewer boxes to be mounted in fewer positions, with less connections and terminations so that labour costs are significantly reduced. The OEM is able to deliver the whole conveying system ex-factory, pre-wired and pre-tested – this reduces commissioning time after installation. The advanced vector control of this system enables compatibility with permanent magnet motors and asyn- chronous motors, without the need for an encoder and the FCD 302’s safety features include a standard safe-stop functionality that prevents the drive from starting unintentionally. R350-million expansion “Another highlight is the R350-million expansion of BMG’s company’s distri-

bution and engineering facilities – BMG World. The objective of this development programme, which is nearing completion, is to centralise functional and support operations onto one site to improve sup- ply chain processes across the Group. Through this rationalisation initiative, BMG strives to achieve cost optimisa- tion, improve regionalised branch office support and enhance customer service capability,” continues Barbour. BMG’s technical resources centre offers services that positively influence a company’s operating efficiencies, by ensuring maximised mechanical reli- ability of plant and machinery. Services include technical applications consulting, product and system design, on-site pro- cess analysis, lab and on-site oil analysis, product quality control and assurance, as well as condition monitoring services. BMG World will also be home to field services. The company now has 140 mo- bile technicians with specialist technical skills and equipment to conduct break- down and routine maintenance on plant. This team carries out trouble-shooting and advises on possible productivity im- provements, to ensure the highest level of plant output and reliability. BMG is committed to providing a 24-hour customer process support for production efficiency and reliability cen- tred maintenance. This is enhanced by advanced technical and design support across all functional disciplines. q

Left : The VLT Automation Drive range is available from BMG in a power range from 0.25 kW to 1.4 MW. Below: BMG’s stand at this year’s Electra Mining exhibi- tion highlighted the company’s electro-mechanical solutions and technical services.

Mechanical Technology — October 2016

13