I decided to get out ahead of the curve this morning and I registered for the upcoming NFPA Annual Conference. This important annual event is scheduled for February 2-5, 2014 at the Eau Palm Beach, Manalapan, Florida (just south of Palm Beach). Registration just opened up this week, and you can check it out for […]
Get a Hold on ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ Grippers
by Paul J. Heney, Editorial Director Grippers grasp or enclose parts for transfer, insertion, or assembly in a variety of manufacturing situations. ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ grippers provide their motion and actuation by introducing compressed air into a chamber of the device and powering a piston or a rolling diaphragm attached to a rod. The resultant motion of […]
Compressed air fail: Taking the cheap and easy route
A large automobile auction house on the outskirts of a city was having problems with its small reciprocating air compressor. The 15-hp compressor was used to feed the compressed air tools used in the automotive repair shops within the facility, which previously required about 7 cfm of average flow. At one time, the compressor was […]
Compressed air fail: A little bit of luck goes a long way
A metal foundry was struggling for years with their compressed air system. Dirty water was fouling the air compressor cooling systems. Prying fingers were altering compressor set points. Units were shutting down so often that the plant was forced to rent three expensive diesel unitsβfor two years!βjust to keep their plant pressure from falling like […]
Bosch Rexroth selling pneumatics business to Triton
Big news in the fluid power industry as Bosch Rexroth Corp. has said that it has signed papers to sell its global pneumatics businessβRexroth ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟsβto Triton, a German-Scandinavian investor group. ApproximatelyΒ 2100 employees worldwide will be affected, mostly at manufacturing sites in Laatzen, Germany; Lexington, Kentucky; Wujin, China; Eger, Hungary; and Bonneville, France. . It has […]
Safety takes center stage at PackExpo
When people at a trade show find out youβre a journalist, they tend to ask, βWhatβs the theme of the show?β While thatβs a fair question, often times there isnβt an easy answer. There are so many industrial trade shows these daysβwith both regional and national locations, it seems as though there is one every […]
Compressed air fail: What a non-standard component!
An auditor recently received a call about low pressure from a client operating a printing plant. The main presses were having production issues and the plant pressure needed to be increased to compensate. Because the client had received a financial incentive for lowering his pressure, the power company was breathing down his neck to return […]
A short-sighted purchase policy on compressed air equipment?
An emergency call was placed to a compressed air auditor recently to help solve a problem with a new collating machine at a local printing. This plant had previously upgraded their compressed air system to state-of-the-art variable speed drive control and had been able to drop their plant pressure by 20 psi due to the […]
Pressure measurement: 8 things to know
1. Pressure is the force applied to an area. There are many different systems of pressure measurement. Absolute pressure and sealed gauge pressure are two of the most common. There are many differences between these two measurements of pressure that have significant effects on their use and measurement. Depending on why you are measuring pressure, […]
9 questions for choosing your next pressure transducer
1. Do your measurements need to be in volts or in milliamps? What type of output does your application require? 2. What pressure range is needed?Β How will you measure it, gauge, absolute or differential? 3. What is your sampling environment? Is the transducer rated only for low-risk environments such as clean, dry air? Or is […]
