The effects of water on oil and the system being lubricated are insidious. Water is one of the most destructive contaminants in lubricants. It attacks the base oil, the additives blended into the oil, and the mechanical system being lubricated. Water can hasten the oxidation of a lubricant and ultimately shorten its service life. It encourages the buildup of sludge and varnish, and causes metal parts to rust and corrode.
Water can also deplete the lubricant’s film strength making components more vulnerable to wear while stripping the lubricant’s additives, which impacts its performance and diminishes its ability to protect metal surfaces. Many oils separate well enough from water on their own, but some base oils and additives are prone to forming a stable emulsion when water is present and require the addition of a demulsifier additive.
Demulsifier additives prevent the formation of a stable oil-water mixture or an emulsion by changing the interfacial tension of the oil so that water will coalesce and separate more readily from the oil. This is an important characteristic for lubricants exposed to steam or water, where they cause free water to settle out and be drained off easily at a reservoir. Most engine, gear, hydraulic and turbine lubricants are formulated with this additive.
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Motion Control & Drives
Mechatronics is something engineers have been working toward for decades, designing machines where the mechanical, electrical and control systems work together as one. What’s changed is the level of sophistication we can now achieve, and the expectation that we should.
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With different contractors working on the same site operating a wealth of machinery and equipment, effective planning and communication are critical to ensure a successful nuclear construction project.
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Motion Control & Drives
OST-Africa has developed the E-Base system, which is a precision-engineered belt drive base system, developed to optimise tension, alignment and efficiency in pump and motor applications in mining and heavy industry.
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Motion Control & Drives
To build Abu Dhabi’s Zayed National Museum, the construction team focused on a modular approach that could reduce work at height, accelerate build time, and limit disruption across an active construction site with multiple trades and tower cranes operating at the same time.
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The PSE 30x-8 positioning systems from Vepac are intelligent, compact drives for the automatic adjustment of auxiliary and positioning axes comprising an EC-motor, gear, controller, measuring system and several bus interfaces or IO-Link interface.
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Motion Control & Drives
Kollmorgen Corporation has released the next update for the SafeMotion Monitor (SMM) firmware, SMM 3.0. This upgrade expands functional safety support for linear motors and linear axes, helping machine builders implement functional safety in industrial applications that require safety.
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Motion Control & Drives
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Read more...Major software release for Parker PSD servo drives Parker Hannifin - Sales Company South Africa
Motion Control & Drives
Parker Hannifin has released its PSD servo drive family delivering new control modes, advanced synchronisation functions and performance optimisations designed to improve throughput, accuracy and system efficiency in demanding industrial applications.
Read more...Robotic positioning system drastically reduces changeover times Beckhoff Automation
Motion Control & Drives
At the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, California, an advanced robotic system by Square One Systems Design and Beckhoff speeds up high-energy physics experiments.
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