Plant Engineering articles from March 2005

Plant Engineering archives from March 2005

Linking wireless networks and machinery performance.(Forum)
March 1, 2005... The U.S. Department of Energy and three industrial partners are testing the use of wireless networks in evaluating the performance of plant machinery, according to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. The DOE partners in the research...

Demand conditions favor sellers.(Forum)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Among 19 industries that contribute to our factory equipment and tools price index, 13 saw their average industry prices in crease in 2004 at an accelerated pace. However, after averaging all these price hikes together, the PLANT ENGINEERING...

Price/cost/demand roundup.(Forum)(Illustration)
March 1, 2005... Price/cost/demand roundup Construction & maintenance supplies AVERAGE PRODUCT DIRECT PRICES (1) MANUFACTURING % CHANGE COSTS (2) AND ...

Two rules of rebounding.(Comment)
March 1, 2005... Depending on who you talk to, the state of American manufacturing is either robust or just a bust. The numbers are all over the board. Manufacturing production was up 5.1% in 2004, and has been on a steady rising since the third quarter of...

Planning a large layoff? Take care.(Human side)
March 1, 2005... Plant Engineer Hank Selleck had sweated hard times before, but never this tough. The small tool manufacturing plant employed 96 people. The introduction of new technology and other industry changes had all but destroyed the viability of the...

When a plant moves, what's the effect on seniority?(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The lease was up, and after a half dozen meetings, planning executives couldn't agree with the landlord on rent and other details. There was no choice but to relocate. When a good site was found in a neighboring state, only half the problem was...

Only one applicant: must you consider him?(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Maintenance Supervisor Charley Redlich growled to Jake Spatz, his assistant. "This is ridiculous." He had waited three days after posting an opening for Setup Man on the bulletin board. Only one man, Mechanic Class B Andy Genero, had put in a...

Can you make job classification changes unilaterally?(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The question was posed by Maintenance Foreman Don Jablonski to Unit Representative Frank Dominick: "What's the problem?" "It's the new job classifications," the welder replied. "The guys feel they've been screwed." The "guys" referred...

Can you fire a flawed team player?(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Maintenance Foreman George Romanosky declared., "That does it! You're out of here. You can clock out now. Your final paycheck will be mailed to you within a week." The discharge victim was Carpenter Grade II Gerald Shea, an aggressively...

Is taking unauthorized fireable offense?(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Maintenance Supervisor Frank Herreld hurled a few choice words at Mechanic Grade II Charley Garfield: "You've had it, Garfield. What you did in effect was to steal time from the company." "I was just doing my job," Garfield protested. ...

Passing a test in order to bump.(Human side)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... When an Instrument Mechanic job opening was posted on the bulletin board, Field Mechanic Ernie Stohler jumped at the chance. Ernie had the seniority and believed he was due for a promotion. He appeared next morning at Maintenance Foreman...

Factors affecting life cycle of motor control centers.(Management side)
March 1, 2005... This is part two of a two-part series. The first part appeared in the February issue. Maintaining electrical infrastructure in the manufacturing plant is a challenge. In this environment, electrical gear is subjected to every extreme of...

Manufacturing recovery on track, MAPI report finds.(Management side)
March 1, 2005... The manufacturing recovery continues on track and should be sustained through 2006, according to the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Industrial Outlook, a report that analyzes 27 major industries. Fourth-quarter 2004 figures show...

OPC to launch unified architecture.(Plant electronics)(OLE for Process Control)(electronic device description language)(OPC Unified Architecture Developer Conference)
March 1, 2005... The OPC Foundation (OPCF) has joined the international cooperative team of the three leading fieldbus organizations, the Fieldbus Foundation (FF), HART Communication Foundation (HCF), and PROFIBUS Nutzerorganisation e.V. (PNO), to extend the...

Building successful containment piping.(Fluid handling Maintenance)
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS * Double containment piping must withstand the corrosive effects of the fluid being conveyed. * Lack of leak detection compromises the secondary containment pipe. * Cathodic protection for metal pipe overcomes the...

Using small motors for high-cycle applications.(Electrical)
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS ** The motor torque required to drive the application is different at each step of the duty cycle. ** Motors have the ability to provide power above their load rating for a short period of time. ** A VFD allows...

The best of maintenance tips & tricks.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Winner of the 2004 "Maintenance Tip of the Year" is Jason Barron, Diversified Technology, Inc., Ridgeland, MS. He received $1,000 for his suggestion on how to install a pipe under a sidewalk. Runners-up were Craig Deluhery, Formosa Plastics,...

Laser alignment hits the mark.(Power transmission Maintenance)
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS * Laser alignment has replaced optical and wire methods. * Lasers can determine parallelism and squareness. * Roller crowns or profiles can easily be checked using a laser. ********** Machinery and equipment...

Find the right method for stainless steel welding.(Welding Maintenance)
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS * Selection of the welding process depends on the composition of the stainless steel used. * There are at least four welding processes available for most jobs. * Flux selection can affect to quality of the weld. ...

Choosing the right vehicle restraint.(Facilities Material handling/Safety)(restraint system)(Dock safety )
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS * Preventing trailers from separating from a loading dock is a major factor in dock safety. * Restraints are available to match nearly any kind of vehicle using loading docks. * The wide variety of available...

Maintain concrete properly to preserve its strength.(reference File: Facilities)
March 1, 2005... KEY CONCEPTS * Concrete requires preventive maintenance to ward off eventual deterioration. * Deterioration is caused by both natural and manmade factors. * Good concrete repair is a process involving many important decisions...

Schneider Electric broadens base with two acquisitions.(Electrical: News)
March 1, 2005... Chicago-based Schneider Electric has expanded its corporate portfolio with the announcement of two acquisitions in the last month. Schneider Electric has purchased the Magnecraft product range from MSD, Inc., a leading U.S. supplier of...

Asia to drive relay market.(Electrical: News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The global market for electromechanical and solid-state relays is expected to reach $4.2 billion by 2007 according to a study by Venture Development Corp. Although global relay consumption contracted between 2000 and 2002, demand rebounded in...

Motor protection relay.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... SEL-749 protects against nuisance trips while enabling maximum motor horsepower. Relay protects motors from locked rotor, running overload, and negative sequence current imbalance by accurately tracking the heating effects of load and current...

AC drive line expanded.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... ACH550 ac drives line has been expanded to include 600-V class. Drives feature built in fieldbus connectivity, harmonic mitigation, and programmability. Intended for powering fans, pumps, cooling towers, and other motors common to HVAC systems,...

Push wire connector.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... WALL-NUTS 773 series of push wire connectors has been expanded to include an AWG #10, 3-conductor, which offers a safer, more flexible alternative to traditional twist-wire connectors that accept both solid and stranded wire. Wiring time is...

Split CT.(Electrical: Products)(Pharmaceutical industry)
March 1, 2005... Split core transducers allow easy assembly and greater retrofit applications because they can be installed without causing equipment downtime. The latch, which splits the core, opens to allow installation, and secures conductors when closed can...

Switch disconnects.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... SD1 series nonfused disconnects allow breaking and disconnecting on equipment loads of up to 600 V ac at a nominal current range from 16-40 A. SD2 series allows breaking and disconnecting from 63-125 A for the same voltage range. Both series...

Power factor controller.(Electrical: Products)(Pharmaceutical industry)
March 1, 2005... BLR-CX power factor controller features universal voltage and current input capability, 4-quadrant measurement of reactive power, and constant supervision of inductive/capacitive loads. Correct capacitor step size for power factor compensation...

Compact motor starter.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... CSXi compact motor starter series combines cost effective motor soft starting, bypass, and soft stopping functions with essential built in motor protection against overload, phase sequence and imbalance, motor temperature, excess start time,...

E-Stop push-button.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... PITestop emergency stop push-button is designed with a safety contact block that prevents contact elements on the device without detection. Black ring at the actuator base makes it easy to detect when the e-stop has been operated--even from a...

Terminal block system.(Electrical: Products)
March 1, 2005... CLIPLINE Complete terminal blocks include screw clamp, spring cage, auto-spring, and insulation displacement connection technologies. The connection systems work with each other via dual bridge system, which accepts the same push-in jumpers and...

Power control brochure.(Electrical: Literature)
March 1, 2005... PowerCommand Digital Control Technology is an 8-page brochure that describes the company's range of available power control technologies from simple standalone standby systems to complex paralleling applications. Brochure lists various power...

Enclosures catalog.(Electrical: Literature)
March 1, 2005... Standard products catalog SPC-40 is a comprehensive 64-pp color enclosure reference guide. Product offering includes large cabinet racks, communication products, cabinets, plastic boxes, diecast aluminum boxes, open racks, small metal...

EASA seminars and convention.(Electrical: Events)
March 1, 2005... Electrical Apparatus Service Association has announced its Spring 2005 seminar schedule. Attendance is open to members and nonmembers. Seminars Mechanical Repair Fundamentals of Electric Motors seminar addresses the basic mechanical...

Troubleshooting and maintenance.(Electrical: Events)
March 1, 2005... "Hands-On" Electrical Troubleshooting & Preventive Maintenance seminar provides the opportunity for attendees to work with real-world components found in industrial plants. Attendees will use CAT III industrial meters, wire basic electrical...

Code training.(Electrical: Events)
March 1, 2005... The 2005 National Electric Code training course highlights changes to the 2002 code and stresses the importance of the 2005 code. The course covers how to apply the code in your work situations, the importance of code compliance, how the code...

New LED offering.(Illumination: Products)
March 1, 2005... Luxeon high-power LED family is being expanded. The new emitters offer up to 65 lumens in white at 350 mA, 185 C allowable junction temperature, and a JEDEC moisture sensitivity level of 2a, which allows extended unsealed life before final...

DALI ballasts.(Illumination: Products)
March 1, 2005... DaliPro is a user-friendly, dimmable ballast designed for use with DALI controls. Digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) is the new industry standard for digital communications between ballasts and control systems. These ballasts can be...

Ballast upgrade.(Illumination: Products)
March 1, 2005... Centium HCN-4S54-90C-2LSG electronic ballast line has been expanded to include a 4-lamp model for 54-W T5/HO applications. Ballasts include Intellivolt-Hi technology, which enables 347-480-V operation. Its 480-V operation eliminates the need to...

LED illumination.(Illumination: Products)
March 1, 2005... SLL003 series ultra slim shoebox LED cluster light module uses only 20 W, but can replace 75-W HPS fixtures. Light module features 400 white 5 mm LEDs mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), consumes only 20 W, emits 656 candela of light, and...

Lighting catalog.(Illumination: Literature)
March 1, 2005... The 2005 Ruud Lighting full-line catalog is now available. The 300-page color catalog contains detailed product descriptions and photos, performance photometrics, and application photography. Featured new products include compact fluorescent...

Work light brochure.(Illumination: Literature)
March 1, 2005... Wobble Light brochure contains easy-to-read grids, testimonials, and informative product details about the self-righting work light that bounces back from abuse. Brochure illustrates features such as impact-resistant polycarbonate dome,...

Predictive diagnostic smart transmitter.(Automation)
March 1, 2005... CSI 9210 machinery health transmitter is the cornerstone of Smart Machinery Health Management and reportedly the first FOUNDATION fieldbus transmitter that diagnoses conditions including motor-pump bearing failure, coupling misalignment, motor...

Machine safeguarding gains.(Automation: Automation trends)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The North American market for machine automatic safeguarding products is gaining ground on Europe, according to a recent market study by Venture Development Corp. The compounded annual growth rate from 2004-2007 for Europe is projected to be...

Touch screens displacing keypads.(Automation: Automation trends)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... There is a continuing shift toward greater use of touch screens instead of keypads as input devices for operator interface terminals. VDC cites several reasons for this upswing. Touch screens provide an easy-to-use graphic interface for...

I/O modules provide stepper motor control.(Automation: Products)
March 1, 2005... KL2531 and KL2541 stepper motor terminals are I/O alternatives to traditional stepper controls. These provide compact motion control for small stepper motors up to 200 W. With a width of only 12 mm, the KL2531 integrates into a 24V dc control...

Touch screen computers.(Automation: Products)
March 1, 2005... Operator Interface Computers combine ruggedized hardware with InTouch human-machine interface (HMI) software to replace proprietary operator interface panels. These computers provide hundreds of device integration servers. The open and...

Flexible CMMS.(Automation: Products)
March 1, 2005... ProTeus IV, based on the ProTeus III line, is next-generation computerized maintenance management software that integrates preventive maintenance scheduling, demand maintenance work order processing, inventory, and equipment tracking. Software...

Adaptable asset management.(Automation: Products)
March 1, 2005... Indus Asset Suite asset management software features an adaptable user interface based on services-oriented architecture. The software enables organizations to harness best-of-breed, process-oriented business applications for asset, customer,...

Software for PACs.(Automation: Products)
March 1, 2005... FactoryFloor 4.1 software is designed for use with the company's process automation controllers, typically combined with its SNAP Ethernet I/O and SNAP Serial I/O products. Software enables users to develop powerful and diverse control...

OMAC merger with ISA approved.(Instrumentation: News)
March 1, 2005... The executive board of the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society has approved a merger to create a subsidiary organization for the Open Modular Architecture Controls Users' Group. The merger allows the two organizations to build...

Smart level sensor.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... TrueCap Model MK-2 RF capacitance point level sensor features a universal power supply, external LED status indication, automatic temperature/capacitance compensation, push-button calibration, and remote option for applications with high...

Process controller.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... Series 3820 process controller has a selectable alternating function for pump up or pump down applications. A standard feature is the on-delay for the second pump after a power failure condition, which lowers power demand. Controller can...

Limit controller.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... The "+" family of controllers is expanded to include limit control. Limit controllers shut down a process if process parameters exceed preset safe-condition limits. Used to prevent safety hazards and equipment damage in ovens and furnace in the...

Precision flowmeters.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... FL-3600 through FL-3900 series precision flowmeters measure air, water, and gases with up to [+ or -]2% of full-scale accuracy and 0.25% of full-scale repeatability. Units feature easy-to-read millimeter scales, and are supplied with...

Thermal imaging.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... ThermoView Ti30 thermal imager is designed specifically for infrared (IR) predictive maintenance (PdM). IR thermography is important to PdM because a radiometric, thermal image shows absolute temperatures across a full, two-dimensional picture...

Temperature controllers.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... ETR-8300 and ETR-4300 temperature controllers feature digital communications, multiple error protection modes, remote setpoint input, event input capabilities, dual input delta-T control, heater alarm, and current monitoring. Controllers use an...

Redundancy modules.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... SDN2.5-20RED redundancy module is designed for use with the 2.5, 4, 5, 10, and 20-A SDN-P Performance Series power supplies with either single or 3-phase inputs. The SDN3040RED is designed for use with the 30 or 40 A, 3-phase input SDN-P power...

Data logger.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... HOBO U9 light on/off logger is a compact, direct-USB data logger for recording light usage. Unit performs constant monitoring of lighting on/off status, and uses accompanying Windows-based software to convert the recorded data into...

Cylindrical prox sensors.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... X Series inductive proximity sensors is now available with sensing ranges of 6 mm, 10 mm, 20 mm, and 40 mm. This newest series is IP67 rated with nickel-plated brass housing and Crastin sensing face for long life and reliable operation. Sensors...

Multifunction controllers.(Instrumentation: Products)
March 1, 2005... Platinum series X line of controllers includes a choice of analog, heat/cool, and valve control outputs. Controllers provide options for interfacing with other devices via multiple communications protocols, analog retransmission, remote...

Test tools catalog.(Instrumentation: Literature)
March 1, 2005... The Meterman HVAC/R Catalog, volume 1 features the PM55 ultra-compact digital multimeter (DMM) and other instruments critical to HVAC/R applications, such as thermometers, temperature meters, humidity meters, and anemometers. [ILLUSTRATION...

PID tuning guide.(Instrumentation: Literature)
March 1, 2005... PID Loop Tuning Pocket Guide, version 2.0 is now available for download from the company's web site. The expanded guide includes open and closed loop tuning procedures to augment the reference material in the first version. The guide also...

Product handbook.(Instrumentation: Literature)
March 1, 2005... Action Instruments Product Handbook, volume 17, 2005 edition, is available. The handbook contains 350 pages of application notes, technical tips, engineering data, and product selection information. New to this volume are articles on...

Doctoring the problem.(Solutions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PROBLEM: A very small amount of adhesive or sealant must be applied to a precise spot. Is there an easy way to do this? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOLUTION: Become a doctor. Get a syringe for accurate placement. Several needle sizes are...

Catching the dust.(Solutions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PROBLEM: Drilling holes in drywall, concrete, or other wall materials makes a mess. How can the dust generated be caught to cut cleanup time? SOLUTION: After marking the hole location, take a 3 X 5 in. self-stick note and fold it...

Lip seals: which way?(Solutions)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PROBLEM: You've just replaced a bearing and are now installing a lip seal. You don't remember the orientation of the seal, and it can be installed either way. Which way should it be installed? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SOLUTION: The...