Plant Engineering articles from August 2007

Plant Engineering archives from August 2007

Necessity for solving problems is the mother of Tips & Tricks.
August 15, 2007... By Bob Vavra, Editor When Tips & Tricks first debuted in the 1980s, maintenance (and manufacturing for that matter) was straddling that line between high-tech and low-tech. There were increasing uses of monitoring equipment and sensors...

ISA introduces Technology Exchanges at EXPO 2007.
August 15, 2007... By Jack Smith, Managing Editor The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society continues to bring new ideas to its main event, ISA EXPO, which will be held Oct. 2 to Oct. 4 at the Reliant Center in Houston. New for 2007 are Technology...

Collaboration offers hope in a fractured world.
August 15, 2007... Bob Vavra, Editor The world is a fairly fractured place these days. War and politics and Yankees fans and Red Sox fans - it's enough to make you yearn for the good old days of the Cold War. So the ARC Advisory Group's discussion of...

Understanding harmonics:.
August 15, 2007... Rudy T. Wodrich, Schneider Electric/Square D Winning the fight against 'electrical pollution' By now, every electrical engineer has heard something about harmonics. Harmonics are generated by nonlinear loads such as traditional...

'Combined capabilities' of IBM, MRO on display at Maximo World.
August 15, 2007... Bob Vavra If attendees at this year's Maximo World event in Orlando came with doubt about IBM's intentions for Maximo and MRO Software, which IBM acquired in 2006, they were quickly swept away by Al Zollar's opening presentation at Maximo...

Experts lay out a case for ROI of maintenance.
August 15, 2007... Bob Vavra Maintenance has always been a cost center in manufacturing, but experts at the July 19 Webcast presented by PLANT ENGINEERING and sponsored by UNICCO Service Company made a compelling case that a proper maintenance program can...

Don't wait for regulations; address global warming today.
August 15, 2007... By Marc Hoffman, Executive Director, Consortium for Energy Efficiency It can be a confusing world out there when it comes to energy. Climate change, rising energy costs, availability and new energy technologies all vie for our time and...

Standards committee proposes Security Compliance Institute.
August 15, 2007... Staff At a May 2007 meeting with the ISA-sponsored Automation Standards Compliance Institute, an ad-hoc group of asset owners and suppliers of industrial automation technology and services moved forward with a plan to establish an ISA...

Trade show season heats up.
August 15, 2007... Kevin Campbell As the heat and humidity of summer begins to fade to the cool and arid conditions of fall, the trade show and conference season really begins to heat up. Whether your primary interest is maintenance, wireless technology or a...

The power of persistence realized in a lifelong dream completed.
August 15, 2007... By Ray Dreyfack It was 1937. Headlines told of hard times and breadlines. I had just graduated Evander Childs High School in the Bronx. My plan was to work days to help my family weather the recession while attending City College of New...

Act, don't react, for greater asset optimization.
August 15, 2007... By Bill Broussard, Emerson Process Management How does your maintenance department stack up? You'll know if it's an industry leader if no more than 10% of total maintenance hours are spent responding to unexpected equipment failures. That's...

Up-to-date data measures profits down to the minute.
August 15, 2007... By Richard Batty, Maxager, Inc. A challenge faced by many manufacturers is the lack of a common metric for making the myriad daily, weekly and monthly operating decisions that impact corporate profitability. In the steel industry, for...

Mixing Lean and 'green' delivers sustainability for manufacturer.(Company overview)
August 15, 2007... By John Vicklund, Washington Manufacturing Services Not every company is as environmentally focused as Canyon Creek Cabinet Company in Monroe, WA. With a five-year plan to reduce toxic waste emissions, a mission statement that requires...

Find 2007 Product of the Year, Top Plant applications on line.
August 15, 2007... Staff September is the entry deadline for the 2007 Product of the Year and Top Plant awards, and applications for both awards are now available at www.PlantEngineering.com . Top Plant honors the outstanding manufacturing facilities in...

Four summer Webcasts land in online archive.
August 15, 2007... Staff The PLANT ENGINEERING Summer of Webcasts series is now complete, but the ability to gain knowledge on these topics continues. The four latest Webcasts have been put in the archive at PlantEngineering.com and are available for review...

Highlights from ASEE event now on website.
August 15, 2007... Staff The 114th annual American Society for Engineering Education took place in June in Honolulu. Highlights are now available at the association Website, www.asee.org . The plenary session, attended by more than 2,000 educators and...

Dream It. Do It. videos focus on career motivation.
August 15, 2007... Staff A series of new videos at www.dreamit-doit.com feature young plant engineers and manufacturing workers talking about their career goals and motivations for choosing manufacturing careers. The videos include young men and women...

CECO presentation studies ways to cut energy costs.
August 15, 2007... Staff A new downloadable presentation from CECO Energy Management details the cost impact of wasted energy in industrial buildings and processes, and explains how to reduce the energy component of manufacturing costs. Posted on the...

Metering pumps brochure.
August 15, 2007... By Staff A ten-page brochure details the Tacmina PZ Series of electronic metering pumps. The patented pumps are available in manual control, external input and programmable models. Models PZD-32/52 and all PZiG models have built-in...

Controller.
August 15, 2007... By Staff Native communications capability for integration of wireless field networks has been added to the ROC-800 Series remote operations controller. The enhancement of the controller adds wireless functionality to the company's Smart...

Lockout device.
August 15, 2007... By Staff A safety clamp that can be positively locked to ensure that only authorized personnel have access to it is the most recent addition to the company's line of sanitary fittings. A hex-head nut that secures the clamp is covered by an...

Chain hoists.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The SMB Silver Series manual chain hoists feature a high-strength, all-stamped-steel construction to provide decreased weight and impact resistance. The series comprises six models with rated capacities ranging from 1/2 ton to 5...

Touchscreen interfaces.
August 15, 2007... By Staff ATLAS industrial-grade LCD color monitors are available in 15-, 17-, and 19-inch sizes. Housed in a heavy-duty steel chassis and powder-coated machined aluminum bezels, all models are equipped with 100-240 Vac input power supplies...

Radar level transmitter.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The SITRANS LR 250 radar level transmitter with new process intelligence advanced signal processing is a compact, plug-and-play, 25-GHz two-wire device. It can be used to measure a variety of liquid and slurry-level applications...

TIG welder.
August 15, 2007... By Staff Updates to the Invertec V205-T AC/DC compact TIG power source include added circuitry in the stick crisp mode for improved welding performance, improved TIG arc starting, selectable start polarity and adjustable TIG strike...

Industrial heaters.
August 15, 2007... By Staff Vari-Max IFRG precision high efficiency indirect gas fired heaters are more than 90% efficient and are capable of a 1,000 F temperature rise with a 1,200 F discharge temperature. They provide heated, contaminant-free process air...

Lubricant.
August 15, 2007... By Staff Molykote L-0501 high-performance lubricant is a multi-purpose, penetrating oil formulated to loosen rusted parts, stop squeaks and provide corrosion resistance. Available in liquid and aerosol formulations featuring a no-clog...

Counterbalanced lift truck.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The Model 4400 three-wheel, sit-down electric lift truck is attachment-ready and has lift capacities ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. Counter-rotating motors on the drive wheels give the truck a tight turning radius. Features...

Servo card.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The Model 8720 intelligent servo card can achieve scan rates between 1,000 to 2,000 scans per second. It has advanced diagnostic capability and can be operated in single, dual or triple-modular redundant configurations, providing...

Flow monitor.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The digital FlowCom Register provides simultaneous flow rate and volumetric totalized flow data for the Mc Propeller Series flow meter. The FlowCom Model FC100 features a two-line display that indicates flow rate and volumetric...

High-speed camera system.
August 15, 2007... By Staff Network-ready, the InLine high-speed digital camera system captures line stoppages and automatically downloads the images, via gigabit Ethernet, to a pre-selected computer for analysis. System cameras continually monitor...

HVLS ceiling fan.
August 15, 2007... By Staff PowerfoilPlus high-volume/low-speed ceiling fans use patent-pending hybrid airfoil technology that redirects airflow away from the floor, creating a more widespread air pattern capable of passing over obstructions. Instead of...

Cylinder and pin clamp.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The redesigned Power Lock cylinder provides more power and greater holding force, and the enhanced standard pin clamp adds vanadium carbide coating, providing extra hardness and resistance to wear. The pin clamp can be designed...

Flow meters.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The VersaFlow high-performance flow meters line features electromagnetic, Coriolis, ultrasonic and vortex models. The ultrasonic version is designed for liquid applications and provides flow measurements independent of...

Arc flash prevention components.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The FlashGard low-voltage motor control center offers disconnect units from the vertical bus with the door closed and an optional, remote-operated racking device so users can advance and retract the stabs from distances up to 25...

Data converter.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The IC11 intelligent RS-232 to RS-422/485 converter can be selected for half/full duplex and allows transmission distances of up to 4,000 feet. The converter accommodates data transfer rates of up to 120 kbps. Power is acquired...

Industrial vacuum.
August 15, 2007... By Staff The CFM 125 is a lightweight, polypropylene-constructed industrial vacuum designed to help maintain a dust-free environment in the concrete industry. Powered by two 800-watt motors, the vacuum is suitable for use with surface...

Tips & Tricks.(proper maintenance of plant-floor systems)(Column)
August 15, 2007... By Bob Vavra, editor Brawn and brains work together to solve plant-floor problems The collision of the creative and practical parts of the brain gives us the world's great inventions. The basic tools man has invented - the lever, the...