SKF enhanced personnel safety and increased machine reliability boosted uptime, and delivered substantial time and cost savings for a leading paper mill in Morocco with the installation of a complete Maxilube lubrication system on a paper machine.
The customer had little control over the lubrication of bearings on one of its paper machines. Extremely restricted safety procedures prohibited any approach to the running machine. The customer’s only solution, therefore, was to grease the bearings on the wet end when the machine was standing still during programmed stoppages. As lubrication could only be performed on the bearings every 35 to 60 days, lubrication was insufficient when the machine’s running time increased, causing bearings to overheat and ultimately fail prematurely.
The customer subsequently requested SKF to supply and install a lubrication system on the wet end of the paper machine. Following numerous meetings and discussions with the SKF Morocco team, the customer chose the Maxilube monitored dual line solution. As the installation had to take place during planned machine downtime, when all maintenance operations were carried out, SKF had only a five-day window period in which to install the entire lubrication system, and was the only supplier willing to accept this tight deadline.
When the customer postponed the project for approximately four years, SKF faced new challenges. The customer contacted SKF in August 2023, requesting that the team again commence work on the lubrication solution. The complete lubrication system had to be installed before the end of October 2023 to take advantage of the scheduled five-day machine shutdown. Challenge accepted!
Thanks to the support from SKF’s Muurame factory, and also the efforts of all the commercial colleagues at the customer service, SKF managed to get the equipment three days prior to the start of the customer’s technical shutdown, which greatly assisted the team with the necessary preparation work.
The monitored Maxilube lubrication system is connected to a dualset unit with two MPB pumps for automatic drum change when one of the drums is empty. The lubrication solution also includes SGA distributors with cycle and alarm sensors installed on the distributors to monitor the efficiency of lubrication operations. All components are manufactured from AISI316 stainless steel to ensure lasting reliability. The flexible system has the potential to connect alarms to the customer’s DCS going forward.
The SKF team completed the project within ten days, from equipment delivery, assembly and testing to final commissioning and handover; this included five days of downtime during machine shutdown.
According to the customer, SKF achieved the best score amongst all the other projects that were running on the machine at the same time. Extremely satisfied with the SKF Morocco team’s efficiency and professionalism, the customer immediately requested a proposal from SKF for a Flowline oil recirculation system for 110 bearings to potentially replace an existing system.
Solving common automation challenges with Festo’s servo drive and servo motor solutions Festo South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Automation projects face challenges that include limited installation space, the need for precise and repeatable linear motion, rising cycle-speed demands, and seamless integration with existing control architectures. Festo’s servo portfolio directly addresses these issues with compact, modular drive and motor solutions designed for specific applications.
Read more...Inside the Giant Magellan Telescope with mechanical engineering at astronomical scale
Motion Control & Drives
Construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope, set to become the world’s largest Gregorian optical infrared telescope, is well underway. While its scientific mission is to transform astronomy, its performance depends heavily on advanced mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic engineering.
Read more...Filtration as a reliability driver in motion control systems Parker Hannifin - Sales Company South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
This article highlights the importance of filtration in motion control systems, how contamination affects performance, and what fleet managers, operators and maintenance teams in southern Africa can do to reduce downtime, avoidable wear and costly repairs, aided by Baldwin Filters.
Read more...Supporting construction of next-gen floating offshore wind turbines
Motion Control & Drives
While windy locations naturally make ideal spots for offshore wind farms, they bring challenges when it comes to assembling wind turbines, particularly in ports. Mammoet was approached by Euroports to support with the marshalling and assembly of the components that make up the three turbines at Port-la-Nouvelle in France.
Read more...Rollers excel where profits balance on a knife edge igus
Motion Control & Drives
Polymer component specialist manufacturer, igus has developed a range of lubrication-free long-life knife edge rollers designed to improve the transfer of products between conveyor belts in high-speed production environments.
Read more...Bringing physical AI to the factory floor by deploying humanoids in industrial operations Siemens South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Siemens and Humanoid have marked a landmark milestone in the journey to bring physical AI from vision to industrial reality. Humanoid’s humanoid robothas been successfully tested in operations at Siemens’ electronics factory in Germany, performing autonomous logistics tasks.
Read more...Next-generation oil-free motor systems with active magnetic bearings WEG Africa
Motion Control & Drives
WEG and SpinDrive are collaborating to integrate SpinDrive’s AMBs and built-in IoT condition monitoring into WEG’s market-leading electric motor offering, creating an oil-free, maintenance-free drive solution.
Read more...Addressing cost, supply and disease pressures in Africa’s feed industry
Motion Control & Drives
Feed producers across Africa are operating in an increasingly complex and volatile environment. The pressures are forcing producers to rethink how they operate, balancing cost control, production efficiency and the need for greater flexibility in an unpredictable market.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version