Engineers of all stripes might have been forgiven for raising an eyebrow at the close of last year, as the coalition government launched its nattily named Growth Review Framework for Advanced...
Apprenticeships
Operators of the Omnibus building in Reigate, Surrey, report savings of £20,000 per year on HVAC energy costs since installing ABB standard variable speed drives.
Variable Speed Drives
Weihenstephan brewery in Freising near Munich is reporting a 30% reduction in compressed air energy costs since installing a variable speed, oil-free compressor from compare.
Compressors
Material protection specialist Kingfisher says it has solved a problem of rapidly wearing surfaces at an unnamed power station, where two other firms' trial installations had failed.
Furnaces
Tests by leaf chain manufacturer FB Chain reveal that the choice of lubricant, not just the frequency of greasing, has a dramatic impact on forklift truck chain performance.
Lubricants/Greases
Surface treatment technologies specialist AHC Benelux reports that its peristaltic pump is working well, handling aggressive wastewater fluids.
Pumps
This year's tightly focused maintenance technologies event is aimed at engineers, technicians and managers specialising in plant assets. Brian Tinham reports
Vibration Monitoring
Optimised, gearbox-less variable speed fan control, previously developed for cooling tower fans, has now been extended to higher power ratings.
Fans
Test and measurement giant Fluke is offering one free vibration diagnostic report on a suitable plant unit, using its recently introduced handheld Fluke 810 tester.
Vibration Monitoring
Motion and control technologies giant Parker Hannifin is supporting the pioneering Bloodhound SSC project, which should see a car break the 1,000mph land speed barrier.
Hydraulic Components/Equipment
Baxters High Brow Produce says it has increased throughput by 38%, reduced production staff and improved potato packing since installing a new automated bagging line.
Machine Controls
Rio Tinto Alcan reports being saved recently by swift action from the Eriks engineering team, when a large, bespoke-framed fan motor failed at its Lynemouth site.
Electric Motors AC