Plant Engineering articles from June 2005

Plant Engineering archives from June 2005

The Peters principle: aim higher.(Comment)(Tom Peters )
June 1, 2005... Tom Peters is one of those management gurus paid a princely sum for stating the obvious. His books, including In Search of Excellence and The Pursuit of Wow! are great not just because they find and illuminate the best of our collective...

Grease tips for getting into tight spots.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... I had two problems with the "Solutions" about getting grease into tight places in the April issue of Plant Engineering as presented. First was that the illustration was essentially backward in that it showed the Zerk fitting on the grease gun...

Two sides to every discipline story.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... Let me start by saying that PLANT ENGINEERING is one of my favorite trade journals; each issue contains several interesting and informative articles that are helpful to my business. That said, I have to register a complaint with your Human...

Speedbuck changers, drives and gears end.(Forum)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Price, demand and margin trends moved in the same direction for most of the 19 industries in our factory tools and equipment market basket. First of all, average product prices accelerated. The strained budgets that plant engineers manage can...

Price/cost/demand roundup.(Forum)(Illustration)
June 1, 2005... Price/cost/demand roundup Factory Equipment & Tools AVERAGE PRODUCT PRICES (1) % CHANGE DURING 12 MONTHS EDDING Industry 3 months ago Current month Hand & edge...

Some people do it, and the payoffs are there.(LETTERS TO THE EDITOR)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... On the subject of Bob Vavra's comment in the April issue, "Why isn't everyone doing it"?, I've done a Six Sigma Green Belt project on water conservation and purchasing of pipe, valve and fittings at our site. We saved $200,000 on the...

'Sustainable' expansion on track, NAM says.(FORUM NEWS)(National Association of Manufacturers )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... With the Labor Department reporting that the economy created a much higher than expected 274,000 new non-farm payroll jobs in April while the unemployment rate held steady at 5.2%, National Association of Manufacturers Chief Economist David...

Commerce Dept. to create 'roadmap' for standards.(FORUM NEWS)
June 1, 2005... An initiative to "roadmap" the nation's future measurement needs was announced in May by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology. "The nation's measurement system is a vital element of our innovation...

Collaboration a message at ABB user forum.(FORUM NEWS)
June 1, 2005... Integrating products is one key for an automation company's success. Another, as speakers at the 2005 ABB Automation World Conference noted, is to find collaboration between companies working to find integration solutions. That was the...

Bentley CEO sees acquisition, evolution coming in the future.(FORUM NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... As it touted its plant information products to users at its annual conference, Bentley Corp. is also looking to evolving the next generation of end users in the plant environment. To do that, Bentley CEO Keith Bentley says the pitch has to go...

Incentive bonuses also affect overtime pay.(Human side)
June 1, 2005... Global Products' unexpectedly large rush order, specifying a July 15th delivery date, created a hectic work situation plant wide. As the shipping date drew alarmingly close, a management meeting was held to deal with the situation. ...

When 39 days on the job add up to 45 days of work.(Human side)
June 1, 2005... When a new product line went into full swing the customary early fall peak period disappeared. The heavy work pace was continuous, described by one production supervisor as "perpetual peak." Everything was behind schedule. Overtime...

Finding a compromise when vacation plans and work conflict.(Human side)
June 1, 2005... Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men conflict with the best-laid plans of mice and men. In this case two men (no mice) were involved. Carpenter Grade II Joel Dumont, his wife Irene and two teen-aged boys, had been looking forward...

Junior's seniority makes him the choice for the job.(Human side)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... When a group leader vacancy occurred in the maintenance department, Maintenance Supervisor Harry Grossman combed the roster carefully. The contest wound down to a choice of two men: Carlos Fuentes and Vincent Stuckel. Carlos, a two-year...

Refusing to clean up is insubordination.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Most arbitrators agree with supervisors that a dirty and cluttered workplace is an unsafe workplace. But some skilled employees are prone to be uppity when instructed to do cleanup work. Mechanic Grade I Joe Romanski was one such worker....

Is performance a factor in meting out discipline?
June 1, 2005... There are too many grouches in this world, Instrument Repair-man Dominick Castro believed. "You gotta have a sense of humor." Castro made it known that he admired people who had a good sense of humor. Unfortunately, the mechanic's own...

Find a way to help employees when health, safety are an issue.(Human side)
June 1, 2005... Painter First Class Larry Brewer, age 45, was head of a family of five, and a six-year member of the maintenance department. On at least three occasions in the past he had suffered epileptic seizures on the job. His most recent attack found him...

New equipment doesn't mean a rate change is needed.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The initiation of operational change is normally held to be a management prerogative. Similarly judged is the right to introduce new equipment in an effort to improve product, reduce costs, or increase productivity. However, when a new machine...

Five keys to effective inventory management.(Management side)
June 1, 2005... Maintaining an efficient inventory management strategy can help industrial plant mangers improve and ensure the success of their operations. When addressing inventory management, there are several major factors to consider. Perhaps the...

Brushing up on ac circuit fundamentals.
June 1, 2005... Compared with dc theory, which was discussed in the May issue, the subject of ac theory is more complex. A dc current flows only one direction, hence the name direct current. With ac, or alternating current, electricity flows back and forth,...

Create an inplant training center by design.
June 1, 2005... Do any of these training experiences sound familiar? "I don't know if I can sit in this chair for another hour, let alone another day!" "Why don't they arrange these chairs so I don't have to sit sideways half the time?" "I wish the guy in...

Overcurrent protective devices preserve system integrity.(Electrical)
June 1, 2005... The selection of overcurrent protective devices can have a tremendous impact on the performance of an electrical system. Too often overcurrent protective devices are selected based only on voltage and current ratings. There are many other...

Inverter-based welding power cuts maintenance costs.
June 1, 2005... If time means money, then an inverter-based welder and plasma cutter may provide the best return on investment using inhouse plant maintenance and repair personnel. If experiencing any of the following problems, inverter-based technology can...

Condition-based approach rewrites the book on lubrication.
June 1, 2005... Ask any maintenance manager how frequently his machinery is lubricated and you'll probably hear this reply: "We go by the book," referring to instructions in the factory manual that comes with new equipment. Lubricating by the...

Energy value is crucial in compressor selection.(Compressors/ energy management)
June 1, 2005... Since an air compressor is the heart of a compressed air system, proper choice and selection of the right model, capacity, and performance criteria is essential to the entire system. For this reason, most customers traditionally consider the...

Profits from power? Onsite generation pays big dividends.
June 1, 2005... Ten years ago, when electricity supplies were abundant and prices stable, industrial plants had little reason to generate their own power. Today, the picture has changed. Energy prices have become more volatile--especially during peak usage. In...

Become a Pneumatic Specialist.(Training)
June 1, 2005... The Fluid Power Society (FPS), the Industrial Training Zone (ITZ), and CFC-Solar have joined forces to offer interactive computer-based training for FPS Pneumatic Specialist certification. The course combines interactive learning modules and 16...

Troubleshoot hydraulic systems.(Training)
June 1, 2005... About 50% of the components replaced may not be the source of hydraulic system problems. Could problems be prevented or repaired more quickly with better trained personnel? Hydraulics Training seminar has a 3-day agenda that covers solving...

Maintain hydraulic systems.(Suggestions)
June 1, 2005... A free Safe Hydraulics and Preventive Maintenance seminar is available for qualified organizations. A qualified instructor will be sent to your location to help identify component weaknesses and develop safety procedures for your organization....

Cam followers for high/low temperatures.(Products)
June 1, 2005... GRAPHALLOY yoke style cam followers work in temperatures up to 750 degrees F and require no grease or oil that can burn up or gum up in cold temperature or wash out when submerged. Under load, they will not soften or extrude. Cam followers,...

Port connectors.(Products)
June 1, 2005... ADACONN port connectors offer enhanced pressure capabilities for 37 degree male end fitting connections. When used with ADAFLANGE adapters and/or ADAFLANGEPORT adaptors, they give greater flexibility in plumbing compact SAE four-bolt flange...

Stop motor/shaft bearing current.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Aegis Shaft Grounding Coupling (SGC) prevents electrical damage to bearings of ac motors by safely passing harmful shaft current to ground. Extremely effective yet low-cost, the coupling provides an ultra-low impedance path from shaft to frame,...

Preventing pump failure.
June 1, 2005... Better than learning how to replace or repair a pump, wouldn't it be more efficient and cost saving to know how to prevent a pump from failing in the first place? This seminar teaches students how to identify the real problems causing pump...

Replacement pump parts.(Literature)
June 1, 2005... A four-color, fully illustrated, 8-page brochure describes why selecting OEM replacement parts remains the most economical pump repair choice. One section contains an 8-point checklist for shaft inspections along with a 5-point sleeve...

Visual flow indicators.(Literature)
June 1, 2005... A broad line of precision-engineered visual flow indicators is described in a 4-page, illustrated product bulletin. Both standard view-through and 360 degree full-view designs are included. Technical data includes standard sizes, which range...

Pump saves money.(Products)
June 1, 2005... The 2000 CC pump is an economical, close-coupled pump with pumping capabilities that enhance performance and extend service life to reduce costs. Cost-saving features include a space-saving, compact size and rugged gear-drive joint design that...

Expanded valve line.(Products)
June 1, 2005... The S Series are compact solenoid valves for 2-way and 3-way applications to control air, inert gas, water, steam, light oil, and steam. With compact sizes and easy-to-install DIN connections, the valves save space, reduce installation time,...

Pressure relief valves.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Compact metal relief valves can be preset from 0.5 to 150 psi. Settings are accurate to [+ or -]5%. The psi setting is stamped on the valve. Brass relief valves are standard, with aluminum and 316 stainless steel optional. Valves are available...

Pumps for hazardous applications.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Series 500 diaPUMPs have explosion-proof motors and NEMA 7 stroke positioners for use in hazardous environments. They are hydraulically actuated diaphragm pumps that provide leak-free metering of a wide variety of corrosive, flammable, or...

Insulated tubing bundles.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Electric and steam traced, pre-insulated bundled tubing provides process fluid freeze protection and temperature maintenance versus field traced and insulated tubing systems. Electric traced bundled tubing features a self-regulating electric...

Combined tools.(Products)
June 1, 2005... The 1587 and 1577 insulation multimeters combine a digital insulation tester with a full-featured, true-RMS multimeter in a single, compact, hand-held unit. The meter includes the functionality of an insulation tester that generates up to 1 kV...

Portable chart recorder.(Products)
June 1, 2005... CTXL Series Superecorder battery-operated, portable chart recorder is available in three models: temperature and relative humidity, dual thermocouple input and dual process input. Offered in computer-room white or charcoal gray, its temperature...

Metal detection sensor.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Uprox+ sensor line detects materials such as steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum and brass. Its patented multicoil system replaces traditional wound coil found in ferrite core inductive sensors, resulting in sensing distances that are up...

Pressure transmitter.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Barcon PPC pressure transmitter with a ceramic sensing face offers continuous measurement of a wide range of process pressures for gases, vapors and liquids. Intrinsically safe models allow installations in explosive areas with CSA, FM and ATEX...

Equipment health monitoring.(Products)
June 1, 2005... EHM devices monitor the steady-state temperature, vibration and other characteristics of equipment and automatically activate an alarm when operating values vary from predefined settings. Types of monitors include temperature loss, fluid flow,...

Modular temperature indicators.(Products)
June 1, 2005... Plus series 1/16 and 1/8 DIN digital indicators for the Partlow and West brand controller lines are fully configurable using plug in output boards. Users buy only the outputs needed for the application, which reduces stocking requirements....

Small clamp meter VFD DMM.(Products)
June 1, 2005... DC400 single-function dc clamp meter focuses on measuring only dc up to 400 A with a 3.5% basic accuracy. Features include overload protection, auto power off and one touch auto zero to compensate for zero offset. The jaw extends 1.2 inches....