Using vacuum to handle products such as paper sheets, small
packages, and small food products is straightforward enough.
However, vacuum is often used in the pick-up and transfer of
heavy products such as marble slabs, sheet metal for automotive
manufacturing, concrete formed products, wooden door
panels, and other large items.
These types of applications require a safety consideration. The
worst thing that could happen when lifting something heavy is
to drop it. Obvious enough, but rarely is this event accommodated
for in vacuum lifting systems.
Bearings fall into two main categories – naked or mounted.
While both types require similar thought processes for proper
selection, installation and maintenance, there are enough
differences that it’s best to approach them separately.
A belt conveyor is essentially a giant rubber band, stretched tight and threaded through a maze of obstructions and pinch points. This band is then burdened with a heavy load and then pulled at high speed. The forces applied are significant and potentially dangerous. These forces create risks to personnel who are working on or in the vicinity of belt conveyors. Part of the problem is that conveyors have become “part of the landscape.” They are not seen as a hazard, but rather a fact of life, like driving a car or using a phone. The average employee does not see the risks inherent in the conveyor, because they have not been trained to see (and avoid) the risks.
In the linked white-paper, Martin Engineering’s Larry Goldbeck looks at the safety record of conveyors and discusses the proper training to improve this record. He will review the general topics to be included in conveyor training and discuss the site-specific analysis required. He will show how this training can provide a double benefit by improving worker safety while boosting an operation’s overall efficiency.
In recent years, manufacturing plants have recognized the importance of improving compressed air system efficiencies. Two key points for plant engineers and energy conservation champions to focus on are to eliminate leaks and to reduce air compressor operating pressure to the lowest set-point possible.
Leaks and pressure drops can occur anywhere, both on the supply side and demand side. These two wasteful energy consumers are typically most prevalent within the final 30 ft between the main distribution headers and the operating equipment, commonly referred to as the “Dirty 30.” This includes pipe runs and associated items such as valves, pressure regulators, filters, lubricators, quick disconnects, hoses, and flexible connections.
Contact Binkelmman Corporation Fluid Power Product Specialist, Mike Thomas, mike.thomas@binkelman.local or 419.537.9333 to schedule an appointment to discuss air loss and to conduct a survey at your facility.
