The dangers that come with fluids under high pressures are well known.
The risk of workplaces injuries and recent fatalities in longwall scenarios related to contact with fluid under high pressure has only highlighted the dangers.
High pressure fluids or oil in hydraulic systems can be lethal if a fluid line connection point is opened or a hose failure occurs.
Unlike electrical energy and testing procedures, there has never previously been a non invasive pressure detection device that could test whether a hose, tube or pipe is under unreasonable pressure.
In a project funded by the Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP), Custom Fluidpower has developed a handheld non invasive fluid detection device.
Started in 2007, the company has finally created a working prototype.
“The principal use of the Portable Detection Device for Pressure in Hydraulic Hoses (PDD) is to inform an operator using the device on a hydraulic hose if there is high pressure or low pressure in the hose,” Custom Fluidpower engineer Liviu Schintee said
The device operates by applying a safe level of deformation to a hydraulic hose with a clamping device and measuring the deformation of this hose.
It then compares this deformation with data stored in its memory and issues a low pressure, high pressure or re-test notification
“This information is critical in performing isolation procedures in hydraulic circuits where is not possible to connect a pressure detecting device to measure the pressure in contact with the medium or hydraulic oil” he said.
In a complex hydraulic circuit with long lines not all the lines are provided with test points to allow pressure measurement.
“Potential application of this device is in performing the isolation procedure before servicing hydraulic hoses,” Custom Fluidpower sales sirector Neil Martin said
“Some hydraulic installations have stored hydraulic energy even if the installation is stopped.
“Disconnecting a hose under pressure can provoke injury by fluid injection. This hazard can generate a risk that cannot always be eliminated”.
Martin explained that by using the PDD, an operator can substitute the hazard of disconnecting a hose under high pressure with the risk of disconnecting the hose under low pressure.
This risk is more manageable and the risk of personal injury is lower” he said.
A second potential application is in identifying hoses under pressure in installations with long hose lines where the hoses are bundled and connected to different actuators or services.
This procedure will enable the technician to identify high pressure in hoses without unnecessary downtimes.
However, the PDD is not a substitute for existing safe work practices.
2011年4月28日星期四
Cold Water Pressure Washer Supports 1500 PSI, 3 GPM
Daimer Industries, Inc.®, a large-scale supplier of cold water pressure washer equipment, is shipping an electric-powered, non-heated system supporting 1500 psi and 3 GPM. Daimer®'s Super Max™ 8700 model features a high size-to-power ratio for ease of use and low cost.
"This cold water pressure washer offers a blend of power, pressure and size that many customers find appealing," announced Matthew Baratta, a commercial pressure washer systems representative for Daimer.com. "These power washers increase worker productivity and carry a modest price tag."
Cold Water Pressure Washer with All the Trimmings
Each Super Max™ 8700 offers pressure levels of no more than 1500 psi and flow rates topping at 3 GPM. As a result, the machines are ideal for use on fragile surfaces.
The unit is powered by a 3 HP NEMA motor with a direct drive pump guaranteed for up to 5 years of use. For enhanced cleaning, the cold water pressure washer supports chemical infusion/injection with a low pressure system.
The cold water pressure washer is mounted on commercial-grade wheels and is sold with 25 feet of hydraulic/high pressure hose. (Other hose sizes are available as options.) The machine also comes with four nozzles, including a blast option. The bundled 3-foot trigger wand includes the company's Quick-On-Off disconnect capability.
Though the unit is designated as a cold water pressure washer, the system supports an optional hot water feature for temperatures approaching 180°F. The commercial pressure washer comes in a housing that measures 19 inches by 31 inches at the base and 26 inches in height.
"This cold water pressure washer offers a blend of power, pressure and size that many customers find appealing," announced Matthew Baratta, a commercial pressure washer systems representative for Daimer.com. "These power washers increase worker productivity and carry a modest price tag."
Cold Water Pressure Washer with All the Trimmings
Each Super Max™ 8700 offers pressure levels of no more than 1500 psi and flow rates topping at 3 GPM. As a result, the machines are ideal for use on fragile surfaces.
The unit is powered by a 3 HP NEMA motor with a direct drive pump guaranteed for up to 5 years of use. For enhanced cleaning, the cold water pressure washer supports chemical infusion/injection with a low pressure system.
The cold water pressure washer is mounted on commercial-grade wheels and is sold with 25 feet of hydraulic/high pressure hose. (Other hose sizes are available as options.) The machine also comes with four nozzles, including a blast option. The bundled 3-foot trigger wand includes the company's Quick-On-Off disconnect capability.
Though the unit is designated as a cold water pressure washer, the system supports an optional hot water feature for temperatures approaching 180°F. The commercial pressure washer comes in a housing that measures 19 inches by 31 inches at the base and 26 inches in height.
2011年4月26日星期二
NGO ’ready to oppose future mining in Karoo’
The Treasure the Karoo Action Group on Tuesday said it would be illogical for government to selectively impose a moratorium on mining in the region.
It has been reported that the temporary ban announced last week only applies to future mining licences and excludes existing ones.
Several communities across the Karoo are opposed to Shell South Africa’s plans to mine for shale gas using hydraulic fracturing, also know as “fracking”.
The group’s Jonathan Deal said he has not ruled out future legal action to prevent mining in the area.
“Ourselves and the other NGOs - some of the other stakeholders involved - are very committed to using any legal remedy available to us to enforce our rights on behalf of all South Africans,” he said.
It has been reported that the temporary ban announced last week only applies to future mining licences and excludes existing ones.
Several communities across the Karoo are opposed to Shell South Africa’s plans to mine for shale gas using hydraulic fracturing, also know as “fracking”.
The group’s Jonathan Deal said he has not ruled out future legal action to prevent mining in the area.
“Ourselves and the other NGOs - some of the other stakeholders involved - are very committed to using any legal remedy available to us to enforce our rights on behalf of all South Africans,” he said.
Professional Aviation Associates Named As Stratoflex and PPG Distributor
Professional Aviation Associates, a Greenwich AeroGroup company announced it recently signed an agreement with Parker Hannifin Corporation’s Stratoflex Products Division to be an Authorized Stratoflex Hose Distributor.
Professional Aviation has a long relationship with Stratoflex, manufacturing Technical Standard Order (TSO) hoses as a sub-distributor for Parker for the last 18 years. Professional Aviation’s current hose customers include the U.S. government, general aviation, the helicopter industry, original equipment manufacturers, fixed based operators, overhaul/repair shops and brokers/distributors.
Professional Aviation provides TSOA approved hose kits and custom hoses for fuel, oil and hydraulic systems. All of their fabricators, inspectors and the program manager are factory trained.
In addition to the Stratoflex agreement, Professional Aviation has also been named a PPG Aerospace – Transparencies Authorized Windshield Distributor. PPG rebuilds King Air and Beech 1900 windshields. Professional Aviation will be one of only six worldwide distributors.
Professional Aviation has a long relationship with Stratoflex, manufacturing Technical Standard Order (TSO) hoses as a sub-distributor for Parker for the last 18 years. Professional Aviation’s current hose customers include the U.S. government, general aviation, the helicopter industry, original equipment manufacturers, fixed based operators, overhaul/repair shops and brokers/distributors.
Professional Aviation provides TSOA approved hose kits and custom hoses for fuel, oil and hydraulic systems. All of their fabricators, inspectors and the program manager are factory trained.
In addition to the Stratoflex agreement, Professional Aviation has also been named a PPG Aerospace – Transparencies Authorized Windshield Distributor. PPG rebuilds King Air and Beech 1900 windshields. Professional Aviation will be one of only six worldwide distributors.
2011年4月24日星期日
Accident with serious injuries reported in East Utica
Several people were transported to St. Elizabeth Medical Center after a two-vehicle accident with serious injuries was reported Sunday evening in East Utica.
The rollover accident took place shortly before 7:15 p.m. at South Street and Webster Avenue. Emergency officials at the scene reported one person was unresponsive.
Hydraulic equipment was used to remove at least two people from a blue four-door sedan that which came to rest right-side up near a tree and bent down a stop sign.
The second vehicle — a white van — flipped onto its side, and hydraulic equipment also was used on it. Ladders from the van were scattered in the road, and one of the back doors was open.
Pieces of the sedan littered the street, with what looked like its airbags flopped onto the top of the car.
All occupants were removed from the vehicles by 7:25 p.m.
An accident reconstruction unit was at the scene, and the Uniform Patrol Divison and Criminal Investigation Division were investigating. Police officers took photos of the vehicles as local residents stood outside yellow police tape watching. Several witnesses were taken to the police station to be interviewed. Others who looked on said they saw the van speeding southeast on Webster Street.
Jefferson Avenue resident Caesar Tomaselli said he was standing on his porch when he saw the van go by, but did not see the collision. He heard it, though.
“When it hit, I thought a bomb went off,” Tomaselli said.
Police Sgt. Steven Hauck said additional details weren’t immediately available.
“At this point, there’s not much to go on,” he said at about 8:30 p.m.
The rollover accident took place shortly before 7:15 p.m. at South Street and Webster Avenue. Emergency officials at the scene reported one person was unresponsive.
Hydraulic equipment was used to remove at least two people from a blue four-door sedan that which came to rest right-side up near a tree and bent down a stop sign.
The second vehicle — a white van — flipped onto its side, and hydraulic equipment also was used on it. Ladders from the van were scattered in the road, and one of the back doors was open.
Pieces of the sedan littered the street, with what looked like its airbags flopped onto the top of the car.
All occupants were removed from the vehicles by 7:25 p.m.
An accident reconstruction unit was at the scene, and the Uniform Patrol Divison and Criminal Investigation Division were investigating. Police officers took photos of the vehicles as local residents stood outside yellow police tape watching. Several witnesses were taken to the police station to be interviewed. Others who looked on said they saw the van speeding southeast on Webster Street.
Jefferson Avenue resident Caesar Tomaselli said he was standing on his porch when he saw the van go by, but did not see the collision. He heard it, though.
“When it hit, I thought a bomb went off,” Tomaselli said.
Police Sgt. Steven Hauck said additional details weren’t immediately available.
“At this point, there’s not much to go on,” he said at about 8:30 p.m.
Pa. official: End nears for wastewater releases
Pennsylvania's top environmental regulator says he is confident that the natural gas industry is just weeks away from ending one of its more troubling environmental practices: the discharge of vast amounts of polluted brine into rivers used for drinking water.
On Tuesday, the state's new Republican administration called on drillers to stop using riverside treatment plants to get rid of the millions of barrels of ultra-salty, chemically tainted wastewater that gush annually from gas wells.
As drillers have swarmed Pennsylvania's rich Marcellus Shale gas fields, the industry's use and handling of water has been a subject of intense scrutiny.
The state's request was made after some researchers presented evidence that the discharges were altering river chemistry in a way that had the potential to affect drinking water.
For years, the gas industry has bristled and resisted when its environmental practices have been criticized.
But last week, it abruptly took a different tone.
Even before the initiative to end river discharges was announced publicly, it had received the support of drillers. By Wednesday evening, a leading industry group, the Marcellus Shale Coalition, had announced that its members were committed to halting the practice by the state's stated goal of May 19.
"Basically, I see this as a huge success story," said Michael Krancer, acting secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. "This will be a vestige of the past very quickly."
After May 19, almost all drillers will either be sending the waste to deep disposal wells — mostly in Ohio — or recycling it in new well projects, he said.
While the movement to end the wastewater discharges followed years of environmentalists' criticism, the most influential push may have come from within the industry itself.
Among major gas-producing states, Pennsylvania is the only one that allowed the bulk of its well brine to be treated and dumped in rivers and streams. Other states required it to be injected into deep underground shafts.
Publicly, the industry — and the state — argued that the river discharges were harmless to humans and wildlife.
Just months ago, the industry was actively opposing new state regulations intended to protect streams from the brine, saying fears about the river discharges were overblown.
But simultaneously, some companies were concerned.
John Hanger, Krancer's predecessor as Pennsylvania's environmental secretary, said that as early as 2008 he had been approached by two of the state's most active drillers — Range Resources, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Atlas Energy, now a subsidiary of Chevron, warning that the state's permissive rules had left rivers and streams at risk from the salty dissolved solids, particularly bromides, present in produced well water.
"They came to me and said, if this rule doesn't change, there could be enormous amounts of wastewater high in (total dissolved solids) pouring into the rivers," Hanger said.
Almost since then, the companies have been working on alternative disposal methods.
"We never thought that it was a good practice to begin with," said Range Resources spokesman Matt Pitzarella.
For months, drillers have been introducing technology that returns brine to deep wells, rather than discarding it as waste. By the end of last year, this reuse was being considered by most big drillers as the industry's future.
Efforts to curtail the waste flow accelerated, though, after a series of critical media reports, increased pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency, and new research that raised questions about whether drinking water was being compromised.
After reviewing that research, Range Resources began lobbying other drillers to confront the problem once and for all, and to do it publicly, Pitzarella said.
"I don't think that it's a stretch to say that the traditional way this industry has operated isn't going to work in the long run," he said. "We aren't going to fly beneath the radar, nor should we. And when we don't talk about these issues, someone else does."
The water that flows from active wells is often contaminated with traces of chemicals injected into the wells during a drilling procedure called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which breaks up the shale and frees natural gas. The flowback water also brings back from underground such naturally existing contaminants as barium, strontium, and radium.
Worries about the contaminants took on added urgency after the Monongahela River, a western Pennsylvania waterway that serves as a major source of drinking water for Pittsburgh and communities to its south, became so salty in 2008 that people began complaining about the taste.
The Department of Environmental Protection responded by curtailing the amount of wastewater sent to plants on the Monongahela. It also wrote new rules barring wastewater treatment plants from accepting more drilling wastewater than already permitted unless they were capable of turning out effluent with salt levels that met drinking water standards.
Those rules, though, left most of the existing wastewater treatment plants alone, and between 15 and 27 continued to pump out millions of gallons of water that scientists said was still high in some pollutants.
Over the past year and a half, a handful of researchers, including Jeanne VanBriesen, a professor of civil engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanley States, director of water quality at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, have been collecting evidence on an increase in bromide in rivers that were being used for gas wastewater disposal.
By itself, bromide is harmless, but when combined with the chlorine used to sanitize drinking water supplies, it can produce substances called trihalomethanes that have been linked in some studies to increased human cancer rates after years of exposure or consumption.
The industry has, until now, expressed mostly skepticism about any possible link between drilling waste and water quality problems.
When The Associated Press reported in January that some drinking water systems close to gas wastewater treatment plants had struggled to meet EPA standards for trihalomethanes, the article was written off by industry groups as irresponsible, as was a similar report by The New York Times in February that focused on the presence of radium in drilling waste.
But in recent weeks, Range Resources arranged for VanBriesen and States to present some of their preliminary findings on bromide to a gathering of industry representatives.
VanBriesen said she cautioned that her own findings didn't necessarily point the finger decisively at natural gas waste as the main culprit behind rising bromide levels.
Only one of the waterways where she documented high bromide levels, the South Fork Tenmile Creek, even has a gas wastewater plant. It is equally possible, she said, that the majority of the pollution is being caused by wastewater discharges from coal-fired power plants.
"There are lots of power plants, and only a few brine treatment facilities," she noted.
Still, her presentations had an impact, she said.
"I think what you are seeing is a realization that the problem isn't going away," VanBriesen said. "I'm not pushing the panic button ... but it's a directional change that you don't want to continue."
Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber said that after reviewing those findings, her group now believes the industry is partly responsible for the rising bromide levels.
In her letter to Krancer on Wednesday, she promised that the industry was taking action, but also encouraged state officials to evaluate whether other "sources" were contributing to the problem.
Krancer promised that evaluation would indeed happen, but he said he believed the gas industry's actions would lead to immediate improvements in river bromide levels.
"The proof will be in the pudding," he said.
He added that advances in recycling technology had positioned the industry to wean itself from treatment plants that do river discharges.
Recycling wastewater also makes business sense. It saves companies the expense of purchasing vast amounts of clean water to use in hydraulic fracturing, a process that involves injecting fluid deep underground at high pressure to shatter shale beds and free trapped gas.
It also brings substantial public relations benefits.
Gas companies can only drill if they can persuade landowners to lease their rights to the shale, buried deep beneath their properties. And people who think the drilling is going to contaminate their water supply are reluctant to lease.
"More than being a public health issue, it is a public trust issue," Pitzarella said.
Whether the action will lessen overall criticism of the industry, and the practice of hydraulic fracturing, is unknown.
Environmentalists continue to have concerns that methane gas loosed by the process can migrate into aquifers underground and get into people's water wells and homes. There have also been instances in which the high volumes of chemically tainted water injected into the ground during the fracturing process have escaped into the environment.
Last week, an equipment failure in a wellhead connection caused a blowout at a Chesapeake Energy Corp. well in Bradford County, resulting in a spill of several thousands of gallons of tainted water into a farm fields and streams.
On Tuesday, the state's new Republican administration called on drillers to stop using riverside treatment plants to get rid of the millions of barrels of ultra-salty, chemically tainted wastewater that gush annually from gas wells.
As drillers have swarmed Pennsylvania's rich Marcellus Shale gas fields, the industry's use and handling of water has been a subject of intense scrutiny.
The state's request was made after some researchers presented evidence that the discharges were altering river chemistry in a way that had the potential to affect drinking water.
For years, the gas industry has bristled and resisted when its environmental practices have been criticized.
But last week, it abruptly took a different tone.
Even before the initiative to end river discharges was announced publicly, it had received the support of drillers. By Wednesday evening, a leading industry group, the Marcellus Shale Coalition, had announced that its members were committed to halting the practice by the state's stated goal of May 19.
"Basically, I see this as a huge success story," said Michael Krancer, acting secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection. "This will be a vestige of the past very quickly."
After May 19, almost all drillers will either be sending the waste to deep disposal wells — mostly in Ohio — or recycling it in new well projects, he said.
While the movement to end the wastewater discharges followed years of environmentalists' criticism, the most influential push may have come from within the industry itself.
Among major gas-producing states, Pennsylvania is the only one that allowed the bulk of its well brine to be treated and dumped in rivers and streams. Other states required it to be injected into deep underground shafts.
Publicly, the industry — and the state — argued that the river discharges were harmless to humans and wildlife.
Just months ago, the industry was actively opposing new state regulations intended to protect streams from the brine, saying fears about the river discharges were overblown.
But simultaneously, some companies were concerned.
John Hanger, Krancer's predecessor as Pennsylvania's environmental secretary, said that as early as 2008 he had been approached by two of the state's most active drillers — Range Resources, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Atlas Energy, now a subsidiary of Chevron, warning that the state's permissive rules had left rivers and streams at risk from the salty dissolved solids, particularly bromides, present in produced well water.
"They came to me and said, if this rule doesn't change, there could be enormous amounts of wastewater high in (total dissolved solids) pouring into the rivers," Hanger said.
Almost since then, the companies have been working on alternative disposal methods.
"We never thought that it was a good practice to begin with," said Range Resources spokesman Matt Pitzarella.
For months, drillers have been introducing technology that returns brine to deep wells, rather than discarding it as waste. By the end of last year, this reuse was being considered by most big drillers as the industry's future.
Efforts to curtail the waste flow accelerated, though, after a series of critical media reports, increased pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency, and new research that raised questions about whether drinking water was being compromised.
After reviewing that research, Range Resources began lobbying other drillers to confront the problem once and for all, and to do it publicly, Pitzarella said.
"I don't think that it's a stretch to say that the traditional way this industry has operated isn't going to work in the long run," he said. "We aren't going to fly beneath the radar, nor should we. And when we don't talk about these issues, someone else does."
The water that flows from active wells is often contaminated with traces of chemicals injected into the wells during a drilling procedure called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which breaks up the shale and frees natural gas. The flowback water also brings back from underground such naturally existing contaminants as barium, strontium, and radium.
Worries about the contaminants took on added urgency after the Monongahela River, a western Pennsylvania waterway that serves as a major source of drinking water for Pittsburgh and communities to its south, became so salty in 2008 that people began complaining about the taste.
The Department of Environmental Protection responded by curtailing the amount of wastewater sent to plants on the Monongahela. It also wrote new rules barring wastewater treatment plants from accepting more drilling wastewater than already permitted unless they were capable of turning out effluent with salt levels that met drinking water standards.
Those rules, though, left most of the existing wastewater treatment plants alone, and between 15 and 27 continued to pump out millions of gallons of water that scientists said was still high in some pollutants.
Over the past year and a half, a handful of researchers, including Jeanne VanBriesen, a professor of civil engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanley States, director of water quality at the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, have been collecting evidence on an increase in bromide in rivers that were being used for gas wastewater disposal.
By itself, bromide is harmless, but when combined with the chlorine used to sanitize drinking water supplies, it can produce substances called trihalomethanes that have been linked in some studies to increased human cancer rates after years of exposure or consumption.
The industry has, until now, expressed mostly skepticism about any possible link between drilling waste and water quality problems.
When The Associated Press reported in January that some drinking water systems close to gas wastewater treatment plants had struggled to meet EPA standards for trihalomethanes, the article was written off by industry groups as irresponsible, as was a similar report by The New York Times in February that focused on the presence of radium in drilling waste.
But in recent weeks, Range Resources arranged for VanBriesen and States to present some of their preliminary findings on bromide to a gathering of industry representatives.
VanBriesen said she cautioned that her own findings didn't necessarily point the finger decisively at natural gas waste as the main culprit behind rising bromide levels.
Only one of the waterways where she documented high bromide levels, the South Fork Tenmile Creek, even has a gas wastewater plant. It is equally possible, she said, that the majority of the pollution is being caused by wastewater discharges from coal-fired power plants.
"There are lots of power plants, and only a few brine treatment facilities," she noted.
Still, her presentations had an impact, she said.
"I think what you are seeing is a realization that the problem isn't going away," VanBriesen said. "I'm not pushing the panic button ... but it's a directional change that you don't want to continue."
Marcellus Shale Coalition President Kathryn Klaber said that after reviewing those findings, her group now believes the industry is partly responsible for the rising bromide levels.
In her letter to Krancer on Wednesday, she promised that the industry was taking action, but also encouraged state officials to evaluate whether other "sources" were contributing to the problem.
Krancer promised that evaluation would indeed happen, but he said he believed the gas industry's actions would lead to immediate improvements in river bromide levels.
"The proof will be in the pudding," he said.
He added that advances in recycling technology had positioned the industry to wean itself from treatment plants that do river discharges.
Recycling wastewater also makes business sense. It saves companies the expense of purchasing vast amounts of clean water to use in hydraulic fracturing, a process that involves injecting fluid deep underground at high pressure to shatter shale beds and free trapped gas.
It also brings substantial public relations benefits.
Gas companies can only drill if they can persuade landowners to lease their rights to the shale, buried deep beneath their properties. And people who think the drilling is going to contaminate their water supply are reluctant to lease.
"More than being a public health issue, it is a public trust issue," Pitzarella said.
Whether the action will lessen overall criticism of the industry, and the practice of hydraulic fracturing, is unknown.
Environmentalists continue to have concerns that methane gas loosed by the process can migrate into aquifers underground and get into people's water wells and homes. There have also been instances in which the high volumes of chemically tainted water injected into the ground during the fracturing process have escaped into the environment.
Last week, an equipment failure in a wellhead connection caused a blowout at a Chesapeake Energy Corp. well in Bradford County, resulting in a spill of several thousands of gallons of tainted water into a farm fields and streams.
2011年4月21日星期四
Pirtek establishes hydraulic testing facilities in Sydney
PIRTEK Fluid Systems has established testing facilities in Sydney to evaluate hydraulic hoses, pipes and other hydraulic products entering the Australian market.
The BPI Technologies testing facilities are the result of Pirtek’s JV with Bridgestone Engineered Products and Intertraco.
Stephen Dutton, Group General Manager of Pirtek acknowledges the challenges and demands faced by hydraulic and industrial hose and fittings providers to the mining industry.
“Lives are at risk when it comes to the high pressures of hydraulic systems within today’s machinery. Ensuring Pirtek products are of the highest standards available in the marketplace is paramount to our company.”
According to Dutton, Pirtek has invested more than a million dollars in state of the art testing equipment along with qualified and experienced engineers to conduct various testing procedures on products specifically for the Australian market.
“We undertake static pressure testing, destructive burst pressure testing (up to 65,000psi) and impulse flex testing. We are also developing procedures for material hardness testing, abrasion testing for hydraulic hoses, and FRAS (Fire Resistant Anti Static) rated testing and salt spray testing.”
While Pirtek is the exclusive distributor of Bridgestone and Intertraco hydraulic hose and fittings products in the Australian market, BPI also tests different brands for other manufacturers and customers.
“Obviously, hydraulics are extremely dangerous. The importance of testing and meeting particular standards is the integrity of the hose assembly. The testing procedures quantify that Pirtek hoses exceed industry standards,” said Dutton.
The BPI Technologies testing facilities are the result of Pirtek’s JV with Bridgestone Engineered Products and Intertraco.
Stephen Dutton, Group General Manager of Pirtek acknowledges the challenges and demands faced by hydraulic and industrial hose and fittings providers to the mining industry.
“Lives are at risk when it comes to the high pressures of hydraulic systems within today’s machinery. Ensuring Pirtek products are of the highest standards available in the marketplace is paramount to our company.”
According to Dutton, Pirtek has invested more than a million dollars in state of the art testing equipment along with qualified and experienced engineers to conduct various testing procedures on products specifically for the Australian market.
“We undertake static pressure testing, destructive burst pressure testing (up to 65,000psi) and impulse flex testing. We are also developing procedures for material hardness testing, abrasion testing for hydraulic hoses, and FRAS (Fire Resistant Anti Static) rated testing and salt spray testing.”
While Pirtek is the exclusive distributor of Bridgestone and Intertraco hydraulic hose and fittings products in the Australian market, BPI also tests different brands for other manufacturers and customers.
“Obviously, hydraulics are extremely dangerous. The importance of testing and meeting particular standards is the integrity of the hose assembly. The testing procedures quantify that Pirtek hoses exceed industry standards,” said Dutton.
2011年4月20日星期三
Godwin Pumps Announces New Branch in Dallas, TX
Godwin Pumps, manufacturer of the Dri-Prime automatic self-priming, dry-running pump announced the opening of a new branch office in Dallas, TX. The office is co-located with ITT Flowtronics.
The new facility provides sales, rentals, and service of the Dri-Prime, hydraulic submersible Heidra and gasoline-powered Wet-Prime pumps. Available are also pipe, hose and other accessories.
The new Dallas branch has already contributed pumps and systems for a bypass through Bar Constructors at a local wastewater treatment plant. This six-month job features CD400M Dri-Prime pumps. The team is actively offering services to municipalities and contractors and at wastewater treatment plants throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"Our progress in Dallas is an example of ITT's intent to organically grow its Water and Wastewater business through its existing footprint, not only internationally, but also within the U.S.," says Ron Askin, vice president of sales for Godwin Pumps. "The progress the Texas team has already made is a model for the future."
Customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area now have access to a range of Godwin pumps, including the CD series for high volume dewatering applications, and the HL series of high head pumps. Godwin pumps all have a sturdy design for reliable running and low maintenance cost. They are self-priming for easy start and minimal monitoring. A unique oil-bath seal allows the pump to run dry, without damage.
The new facility provides sales, rentals, and service of the Dri-Prime, hydraulic submersible Heidra and gasoline-powered Wet-Prime pumps. Available are also pipe, hose and other accessories.
The new Dallas branch has already contributed pumps and systems for a bypass through Bar Constructors at a local wastewater treatment plant. This six-month job features CD400M Dri-Prime pumps. The team is actively offering services to municipalities and contractors and at wastewater treatment plants throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"Our progress in Dallas is an example of ITT's intent to organically grow its Water and Wastewater business through its existing footprint, not only internationally, but also within the U.S.," says Ron Askin, vice president of sales for Godwin Pumps. "The progress the Texas team has already made is a model for the future."
Customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area now have access to a range of Godwin pumps, including the CD series for high volume dewatering applications, and the HL series of high head pumps. Godwin pumps all have a sturdy design for reliable running and low maintenance cost. They are self-priming for easy start and minimal monitoring. A unique oil-bath seal allows the pump to run dry, without damage.
2011年4月19日星期二
Prior to the explosion incident in June 2008
The franchisor, Parker Hannifin (Australia) Pty Ltd (Parker Hannifin) was in the business of supplying motion control products including fluid connector products, hydraulic components, filtration and automation products. The franchisor purchased the ENZED Group in June 1989 and developed the ENZED franchise network. Hose Doctor franchisees were granted the right to operate a mobile hose and fitting service business. Parker Hannifin has 61 franchised ENZED Service Centres, 129 franchised Hose Doctor mobile businesses and 67 of its employees working directly for the ENZED Service Centres throughout Australia.
Mr Michael Pascoe was the working director of MCP Maintenance & Contracting Pty Ltd (MCP), a Hose Doctor franchisee of Parker Hannifin. MCP purchased the Hose Doctor franchise in March 2007.
The franchised business provided mobile servicing of high pressure hoses and hydraulic hose fittings and accessories. Hose Doctor franchisees drive vans that are specially fitted with a rear workshop and report to an ENZED Service Centre which allocates clients and performs administrative tasks. MCP utilised an ENZED Service Centre located at Wetherill Park. That centre was operated by Ricomore Pty Limited (Ricomore).
Hose Doctor franchisees were required to comply with Parker Hannifin’s mandatory specifications, standards, operating procedures and training requirements. Parker Hannifin had documented occupational health and safety procedures that MCP was required to follow. MCP was required to lease or purchase a van for the operation of its franchise and the van was to be painted and customised at the cost of MCP and stocked by Ricomore. There were also obligations on MCP to maintain the van in good repair. There was no obligation in the franchise agreement requiring MCP to have the van approved by Parker Hannifin.
Prior to the explosion incident in June 2008, Parker Hannifin had not considered it had any responsibility to ensure that the vans used by the Hose Doctor franchisees complied with the relevant State occupational health and safety laws or Australian Standards regarding such matters as the carriage of dangerous gases.
Parker Hannifin understood that because the Hose Doctor franchisees had purchased, owned and operated their vans, each Hose Doctor franchisee was responsible under their franchise agreement for ensuring that their vans complied with the relevant occupational health and safety laws. In June 2008, Mr Pascoe was driving his Isuzu van from a client’s premises to a supplier’s premises when there was an explosion in the workshop compartment of his van. The force of the explosion sent metal into its cabin and blew out the front windscreen.
Pascoe escaped with minor injuries, but as a result of this incident Parker Hannifin was charged with and pleaded guilty to breaching s10(1) (duties of controllers) of the New South Wales Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 for the failure to require that any motor vehicle used by a Hose Doctor franchisee contained a ventilation system that would eliminate the possibility of oxygen and acetylene building up.
Although Parker Hannifin exercised control over Hose Doctor franchisees, its mandatory specification standards and operating procedures did not ensure that Hose Doctor franchisees complied with Australian Standards in respect of the storage and transport of flammable substances. The Australian Standards require proper ventilation in the carrying of dangerous gases. The judgement of Marks J in Inspector Townsend v Carrier Air Conditioning Pty Ltd [2008] NSWIRComm 74 which was handed down two months prior to the incident was said to demonstrate the forseeability or obviousness of the risks, the serious consequences of dangerous gases exploding and the simple remedial steps of ventilation available that underlined the objective seriousness of Parker Hannifin’s offence.
Parker Hannifin contended that MCP could have put into place additional safety systems and noted that Mr Pascoe’s injuries were only minor. It was also noted in the report commissioned by WorkCover that the “root cause” of the explosion was poor trade practice on the part of the person who had left the valves in the workshop compartment of the van open.
In the course of the proceedings, Parker Hannifin admitted that it had made misguided assumptions about the extent of its safety obligations towards its Hose Doctor franchisees and confirmed that after the incident new safety processes including procedures for storing flammable gases had been introduced.
Mr Michael Pascoe was the working director of MCP Maintenance & Contracting Pty Ltd (MCP), a Hose Doctor franchisee of Parker Hannifin. MCP purchased the Hose Doctor franchise in March 2007.
The franchised business provided mobile servicing of high pressure hoses and hydraulic hose fittings and accessories. Hose Doctor franchisees drive vans that are specially fitted with a rear workshop and report to an ENZED Service Centre which allocates clients and performs administrative tasks. MCP utilised an ENZED Service Centre located at Wetherill Park. That centre was operated by Ricomore Pty Limited (Ricomore).
Hose Doctor franchisees were required to comply with Parker Hannifin’s mandatory specifications, standards, operating procedures and training requirements. Parker Hannifin had documented occupational health and safety procedures that MCP was required to follow. MCP was required to lease or purchase a van for the operation of its franchise and the van was to be painted and customised at the cost of MCP and stocked by Ricomore. There were also obligations on MCP to maintain the van in good repair. There was no obligation in the franchise agreement requiring MCP to have the van approved by Parker Hannifin.
Prior to the explosion incident in June 2008, Parker Hannifin had not considered it had any responsibility to ensure that the vans used by the Hose Doctor franchisees complied with the relevant State occupational health and safety laws or Australian Standards regarding such matters as the carriage of dangerous gases.
Parker Hannifin understood that because the Hose Doctor franchisees had purchased, owned and operated their vans, each Hose Doctor franchisee was responsible under their franchise agreement for ensuring that their vans complied with the relevant occupational health and safety laws. In June 2008, Mr Pascoe was driving his Isuzu van from a client’s premises to a supplier’s premises when there was an explosion in the workshop compartment of his van. The force of the explosion sent metal into its cabin and blew out the front windscreen.
Pascoe escaped with minor injuries, but as a result of this incident Parker Hannifin was charged with and pleaded guilty to breaching s10(1) (duties of controllers) of the New South Wales Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 for the failure to require that any motor vehicle used by a Hose Doctor franchisee contained a ventilation system that would eliminate the possibility of oxygen and acetylene building up.
Although Parker Hannifin exercised control over Hose Doctor franchisees, its mandatory specification standards and operating procedures did not ensure that Hose Doctor franchisees complied with Australian Standards in respect of the storage and transport of flammable substances. The Australian Standards require proper ventilation in the carrying of dangerous gases. The judgement of Marks J in Inspector Townsend v Carrier Air Conditioning Pty Ltd [2008] NSWIRComm 74 which was handed down two months prior to the incident was said to demonstrate the forseeability or obviousness of the risks, the serious consequences of dangerous gases exploding and the simple remedial steps of ventilation available that underlined the objective seriousness of Parker Hannifin’s offence.
Parker Hannifin contended that MCP could have put into place additional safety systems and noted that Mr Pascoe’s injuries were only minor. It was also noted in the report commissioned by WorkCover that the “root cause” of the explosion was poor trade practice on the part of the person who had left the valves in the workshop compartment of the van open.
In the course of the proceedings, Parker Hannifin admitted that it had made misguided assumptions about the extent of its safety obligations towards its Hose Doctor franchisees and confirmed that after the incident new safety processes including procedures for storing flammable gases had been introduced.
2011年4月18日星期一
Godwin Pumps Announces New Branch In Dallas, TX
Godwin Pumps, manufacturer of the Dri-Prime® automatic self-priming, dry-running pump announced the opening of a new branch office at 10661 Newkirk Street in Dallas, TX, telephone (469) 221-1444. The office is co- located with ITT Flowtronics.
The new facility provides sales, rentals, and service of the Dri-Prime, hydraulic submersible Heidra® and gasoline-powered Wet-Prime pumps. Available are also pipe, hose and other accessories.
The new Dallas branch has already contributed pumps and systems for a bypass through Bar Constructors at a local wastewater treatment plant. This six-month job features CD400M pumps. The team is actively offering services to municipalities and contractors and at wastewater treatment plants throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"Our progress in Dallas is an example of ITT's intent to organically grow its Water and Wastewater business through its existing footprint, not only internationally, but also within the US," says Ron Askin, VP of Sales for Godwin Pumps. "The progress the Texas team has already made is a model for the future."
Customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area now have access to a range of Godwin pumps, including the CD series for high volume dewatering applications, and the HL series of high head pumps. Godwin pumps all have a sturdy design for reliable running and low maintenance cost. They are self-priming for easy start and minimal monitoring. A unique oil- bath seal allows the pump to run dry, without damage.
The new facility provides sales, rentals, and service of the Dri-Prime, hydraulic submersible Heidra® and gasoline-powered Wet-Prime pumps. Available are also pipe, hose and other accessories.
The new Dallas branch has already contributed pumps and systems for a bypass through Bar Constructors at a local wastewater treatment plant. This six-month job features CD400M pumps. The team is actively offering services to municipalities and contractors and at wastewater treatment plants throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
"Our progress in Dallas is an example of ITT's intent to organically grow its Water and Wastewater business through its existing footprint, not only internationally, but also within the US," says Ron Askin, VP of Sales for Godwin Pumps. "The progress the Texas team has already made is a model for the future."
Customers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area now have access to a range of Godwin pumps, including the CD series for high volume dewatering applications, and the HL series of high head pumps. Godwin pumps all have a sturdy design for reliable running and low maintenance cost. They are self-priming for easy start and minimal monitoring. A unique oil- bath seal allows the pump to run dry, without damage.
2011年4月17日星期日
Oil, Gas Companies Injected Toxic Chemicals Into Ground, U.S. Report Shows
Fourteen oil and gas companies used 780 million gallons of hydraulic-fracturing products from 2005 and 2009, including toxic substances like benzene and lead, to extract gas from shale rock, according to a report by Democrats in the U.S. Congress.
More than 2,500 products containing 750 chemicals and other components were used, Representatives Henry Waxman, Edward Markey and Diana DeGette wrote in the report.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique that involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to extract oil or gas. From 2005 and 2009, the 14 companies used fracking products containing 29 chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act for their risks to human health or listed as hazardous air pollutants, according to the report.
“In many instances, the oil and gas service companies were unable to identify these proprietary chemicals, suggesting that the companies are injecting fluids containing chemicals that they themselves cannot identify,” Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.
The most widely used chemical in fracking during this period was methanol, a hazardous air pollutant, the report shows. The Democratic study was reported earlier by the New York Times.
“Hydraulic fracturing has opened access to vast domestic reserves of natural gas that could provide an important stepping stone to a clean energy future,” according to the report. “Yet questions about the safety of hydraulic fracturing persist, which are compounded by the secrecy surrounding the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids.”
Shale-Gas Output
Shale-gas output in the U.S. rose more than eightfold in the last decade as operators started fields in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana and North Dakota. Increased supplies could help reduce the amount of energy the U.S. imports, the Energy Information Administration said in December.
President Barack Obama said last month the U.S. should tap its shale-gas deposits as part of a long-term plan to guarantee energy security. Shale gas may account for 45 percent of total U.S. gas output by 2035 compared with 14 percent in 2009, EIA data show.
More than 2,500 products containing 750 chemicals and other components were used, Representatives Henry Waxman, Edward Markey and Diana DeGette wrote in the report.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique that involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to extract oil or gas. From 2005 and 2009, the 14 companies used fracking products containing 29 chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act for their risks to human health or listed as hazardous air pollutants, according to the report.
“In many instances, the oil and gas service companies were unable to identify these proprietary chemicals, suggesting that the companies are injecting fluids containing chemicals that they themselves cannot identify,” Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.
The most widely used chemical in fracking during this period was methanol, a hazardous air pollutant, the report shows. The Democratic study was reported earlier by the New York Times.
“Hydraulic fracturing has opened access to vast domestic reserves of natural gas that could provide an important stepping stone to a clean energy future,” according to the report. “Yet questions about the safety of hydraulic fracturing persist, which are compounded by the secrecy surrounding the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing fluids.”
Shale-Gas Output
Shale-gas output in the U.S. rose more than eightfold in the last decade as operators started fields in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana and North Dakota. Increased supplies could help reduce the amount of energy the U.S. imports, the Energy Information Administration said in December.
President Barack Obama said last month the U.S. should tap its shale-gas deposits as part of a long-term plan to guarantee energy security. Shale gas may account for 45 percent of total U.S. gas output by 2035 compared with 14 percent in 2009, EIA data show.
2011年4月14日星期四
Hope Technology – A photo tour
In a world where mass production and economy of scale is king, where bringing a product to market seems to involves scouring a generic parts catalogue and the hard part of design comes down to which logo you’re going to put on it, there are fewer bike companies that design and manufacture from the ground up.
A blast from the past. Worth remembering that Hope did Centrelock about a decade before Shimano...
It’s not always been like that – at the birth of mountain biking in Britain and across the world there were plenty of small companies, usually stereotyped as men in sheds with lathes and milling machines. Indeed, most of the time the stereotype was pretty accurate. They were usually staffed by passionate people who could react to niche demands quickly and made products that were excellent just as often as they were awful. Times have changed now – the industry seemingly dominated by the big players, and with manufacturing in decline across the UK you’d have thought it’d be tough times for a company such Hope Technology, who insist on making everything they can in the UK.
The truth is anything but. They’re thriving. They’ve just moved to a new even, bigger, brighter and more modern refurbished mill in Barnoldswick and their capability to produce can only just keep with demand for their products.
They’re always looking for the next market and having seen co-owner Ian Weatherill in full flow it’s easy to understand why. His enthusiasm is infectious, with a genuine and unshakeable belief that him and his colleagues can find gaps in the market, make something that works better than the competition and then keep making them at a price people can afford – and all from a small town in Lancashire that doesn’t even have an A-road going in to it.
Of course, parallels will be drawn with another Northern manufacturing success story over in Halifax, but Hope’s mantra of making or sourcing everything they can within the UK makes the fact their products are priced to compete with the Far Eastern competition even more surprising. When asked if they’d consider moving production elsewhere the reply is puzzlement; “we’ve got just the same machines as them, why would we?”
Listening to the inner workings of Hope you find a mix of enthusiasm for modern technology and production techniques mixed up with good old fashioned business sense and a love of what they do. They’ve got some great tales too – the specialist test machinery picked up for an absolute steal from bankrupt defence contractors, buying second hand CNC machines the same ages as their but with a fraction of the working time on them and many more. The new factory premises were bought at a knock down price when the previous owners, who printed scratch cards for the Daily Mail, went bust – which could have been something to do with the flamboyant decor and lighting they chose to install.
The old, ‘Made in Britain’ image of men in overalls standing by lathes and milling machines, smoking rollies as they stand in a mix of dust and grease is massively out of date. The Hope factory floor is a well organised and spotlessly clean environment where the most up to date and expensive, multi pallet, five axis CNC machines can work on thirty-two separate machining jobs one after the other – moving from making integrated top crowns for downhill forks to machining up brake callipers. And Hope have five of these machines, running day and night.
The wire EDM technique means accurate shapes can be cut from hard materials with little distortion or change in the material's properties. Ideal for highy stressed hub pawls...
This is the reason that Hope can stay competitive when at first glance it seems so unlikely. One man looks after five machines and as they run 24 hours a day, the productivity per machine is sky high. The machines are the same as you’d find in a top Taiwainese factory, the floor is temperature controlled so that tolerances can be kept accurate to thousandths of a millimetre and where practical, the latest techniques are used, such as the wire EDM which can cut through hardened steel plate thicker than 200mm to accurately produce the tiny freehub pawls.
It’s the same with their design. Because production is so rapid and idea can go from the virtual world of the CAD suite to a physical prototype incredibly quickly. They don’t need to wait for a pre-production sample to be shipped across the world.
They’ve invested in the latest rapid prototyping technology so that issues with fit can be found and rectified before an aluminium blank goes anywhere near a hardened steel bit, much less a customer’s bike.
One for the 'cross lot - STI brake lever to hydraulic disc adaptor. Ian thinks they'll probably mount it as a stem spacer with one hydraulic hose going straight down and one out back.
It speaks miles about Hope’s attitude that while we were at the factory, their 3D printer was busy making a local A Level student’s final project, in-between printing out the bulb fixtures and surrounds for their Vision range of lights.
Ideas come from everywhere – indeed, some of their most successful bits of kit have come from someone in the factory wanting a one-off made for their own bike and then being surprised by the demand from people that see it out on the trail.
When they decide to make something it seems that they first attempt to do it themselves and if that doesn’t pan out – such as when they bought the machine that made phenolic brake pistons and the production process stunk the factory out – it’s only then that they move to find an external supplier.
Looking round their new premises and seeing the plans for the bike test track it seems like the place was made specifically forthem. It’s entirely modern and far removed from the ‘grim Northern mill’ that the phrase ‘British manufacturing’ seems to conjure.The reception is filled with bikes and bits from their past – a full twenty years now – and their design and sales rooms are just down from the room they’ve set aside for their social club. They’re trying to blur the line between the factory floor and the ‘carpet dwellers’ in the offices upstairs.
It seems that their approach of making what they themselves feel a need for is a recipe for success when traditional manufacturing is in decline all around them. Here’s a rather full photo-tour of their factory….
A blast from the past. Worth remembering that Hope did Centrelock about a decade before Shimano...
It’s not always been like that – at the birth of mountain biking in Britain and across the world there were plenty of small companies, usually stereotyped as men in sheds with lathes and milling machines. Indeed, most of the time the stereotype was pretty accurate. They were usually staffed by passionate people who could react to niche demands quickly and made products that were excellent just as often as they were awful. Times have changed now – the industry seemingly dominated by the big players, and with manufacturing in decline across the UK you’d have thought it’d be tough times for a company such Hope Technology, who insist on making everything they can in the UK.
The truth is anything but. They’re thriving. They’ve just moved to a new even, bigger, brighter and more modern refurbished mill in Barnoldswick and their capability to produce can only just keep with demand for their products.
They’re always looking for the next market and having seen co-owner Ian Weatherill in full flow it’s easy to understand why. His enthusiasm is infectious, with a genuine and unshakeable belief that him and his colleagues can find gaps in the market, make something that works better than the competition and then keep making them at a price people can afford – and all from a small town in Lancashire that doesn’t even have an A-road going in to it.
Of course, parallels will be drawn with another Northern manufacturing success story over in Halifax, but Hope’s mantra of making or sourcing everything they can within the UK makes the fact their products are priced to compete with the Far Eastern competition even more surprising. When asked if they’d consider moving production elsewhere the reply is puzzlement; “we’ve got just the same machines as them, why would we?”
Listening to the inner workings of Hope you find a mix of enthusiasm for modern technology and production techniques mixed up with good old fashioned business sense and a love of what they do. They’ve got some great tales too – the specialist test machinery picked up for an absolute steal from bankrupt defence contractors, buying second hand CNC machines the same ages as their but with a fraction of the working time on them and many more. The new factory premises were bought at a knock down price when the previous owners, who printed scratch cards for the Daily Mail, went bust – which could have been something to do with the flamboyant decor and lighting they chose to install.
The old, ‘Made in Britain’ image of men in overalls standing by lathes and milling machines, smoking rollies as they stand in a mix of dust and grease is massively out of date. The Hope factory floor is a well organised and spotlessly clean environment where the most up to date and expensive, multi pallet, five axis CNC machines can work on thirty-two separate machining jobs one after the other – moving from making integrated top crowns for downhill forks to machining up brake callipers. And Hope have five of these machines, running day and night.
The wire EDM technique means accurate shapes can be cut from hard materials with little distortion or change in the material's properties. Ideal for highy stressed hub pawls...
This is the reason that Hope can stay competitive when at first glance it seems so unlikely. One man looks after five machines and as they run 24 hours a day, the productivity per machine is sky high. The machines are the same as you’d find in a top Taiwainese factory, the floor is temperature controlled so that tolerances can be kept accurate to thousandths of a millimetre and where practical, the latest techniques are used, such as the wire EDM which can cut through hardened steel plate thicker than 200mm to accurately produce the tiny freehub pawls.
It’s the same with their design. Because production is so rapid and idea can go from the virtual world of the CAD suite to a physical prototype incredibly quickly. They don’t need to wait for a pre-production sample to be shipped across the world.
They’ve invested in the latest rapid prototyping technology so that issues with fit can be found and rectified before an aluminium blank goes anywhere near a hardened steel bit, much less a customer’s bike.
One for the 'cross lot - STI brake lever to hydraulic disc adaptor. Ian thinks they'll probably mount it as a stem spacer with one hydraulic hose going straight down and one out back.
It speaks miles about Hope’s attitude that while we were at the factory, their 3D printer was busy making a local A Level student’s final project, in-between printing out the bulb fixtures and surrounds for their Vision range of lights.
Ideas come from everywhere – indeed, some of their most successful bits of kit have come from someone in the factory wanting a one-off made for their own bike and then being surprised by the demand from people that see it out on the trail.
When they decide to make something it seems that they first attempt to do it themselves and if that doesn’t pan out – such as when they bought the machine that made phenolic brake pistons and the production process stunk the factory out – it’s only then that they move to find an external supplier.
Looking round their new premises and seeing the plans for the bike test track it seems like the place was made specifically forthem. It’s entirely modern and far removed from the ‘grim Northern mill’ that the phrase ‘British manufacturing’ seems to conjure.The reception is filled with bikes and bits from their past – a full twenty years now – and their design and sales rooms are just down from the room they’ve set aside for their social club. They’re trying to blur the line between the factory floor and the ‘carpet dwellers’ in the offices upstairs.
It seems that their approach of making what they themselves feel a need for is a recipe for success when traditional manufacturing is in decline all around them. Here’s a rather full photo-tour of their factory….
2011年4月13日星期三
Dharne & Co. redesigns Ecommerce website for Three Day Tool Service
Dharne & Co. is pleased to announce the launch of a new and improved Ecommerce website for Three Day Tool Service, Inc.
Three Day Tool Service is a reputed industrial tools and equipment dealer and repair firm. The firm specializes in providing semi-trailer- truck body tooling, grinding tools, riveting and hydraulic tools, air tool parts with hose fittings, accessories and supplies. The firm wanted a website that was easy to navigate for visitors and easy to manage for the site administrator. Three Day Tool Service offers a wide range of tools across several product categories. A new website was needed to display the tools in an effective manner according to the different product domains.
Dharne & Co designed an improved version of the website with each product vertical having a separate domain and path. The home page serves as a common interface for the different product domains accessible by way of the menu bar at the top of the page. The new website considerably improves the user experience making it easy to shop for the various products. Customers can now shop across the different product domains without having to manually enter the details every time a new order is to be made.
The website is built using a robust Ecommerce platform, the Zen Cart. The shopping cart comes with several features enabling prospective buyers to shop easily in a minimum number of steps. The site administrator can add products and categories without requiring much technical know-how. The website provides for a secure mode of payment using offline credit card processing facility. Dharne & Co also configured a shipping calculator into the website to provide an estimate of the shipping costs and enable quicker order processing.
The website layout was designed using an attractive theme and different color schemes for each product domain. A revolving Flash banner provides first time visitors with an eye-view of the product range according to different categories. The website has been custom designed from start to end to provide a convenient shopping experience for customers.
About Dharne & Co: Dharne & Co. is a professional website design firm based near Irvine, Orange County, California that offers website design service to clients across several industry verticals. The company has a proven record of delivering expert website design and development solutions to businesses in the Greater Los Angeles Area with clients across LA, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, San Bernardino and Riverside.
Three Day Tool Service is a reputed industrial tools and equipment dealer and repair firm. The firm specializes in providing semi-trailer- truck body tooling, grinding tools, riveting and hydraulic tools, air tool parts with hose fittings, accessories and supplies. The firm wanted a website that was easy to navigate for visitors and easy to manage for the site administrator. Three Day Tool Service offers a wide range of tools across several product categories. A new website was needed to display the tools in an effective manner according to the different product domains.
Dharne & Co designed an improved version of the website with each product vertical having a separate domain and path. The home page serves as a common interface for the different product domains accessible by way of the menu bar at the top of the page. The new website considerably improves the user experience making it easy to shop for the various products. Customers can now shop across the different product domains without having to manually enter the details every time a new order is to be made.
The website is built using a robust Ecommerce platform, the Zen Cart. The shopping cart comes with several features enabling prospective buyers to shop easily in a minimum number of steps. The site administrator can add products and categories without requiring much technical know-how. The website provides for a secure mode of payment using offline credit card processing facility. Dharne & Co also configured a shipping calculator into the website to provide an estimate of the shipping costs and enable quicker order processing.
The website layout was designed using an attractive theme and different color schemes for each product domain. A revolving Flash banner provides first time visitors with an eye-view of the product range according to different categories. The website has been custom designed from start to end to provide a convenient shopping experience for customers.
About Dharne & Co: Dharne & Co. is a professional website design firm based near Irvine, Orange County, California that offers website design service to clients across several industry verticals. The company has a proven record of delivering expert website design and development solutions to businesses in the Greater Los Angeles Area with clients across LA, Long Beach, Anaheim, Santa Ana, San Bernardino and Riverside.
2011年4月11日星期一
O'Fallon fire district has H-O-P-E
Maybe the old saying should be changed to "the fourth time's the charm."
Since 2005, voters had rejected three previous requests by the O'Fallon Fire Protection District for additional funding. But the April 5 election was a different story, as voters authorized $10.9 million in general obligation bonds that will be used to buy new equipment, update Station 1 in O'Fallon and perhaps build a new fire station near St. Paul.
"I really offer a big thanks to the residents and customers for supporting us," Chief Mike Ballmann said. "We put together a straightforward capital improvement plan and it was the one thing that helped seal it more than any one thing."
A $14.2 million bond issue failed in 2010, but this time the revamped Proposition H-O-P-E garnered 62.5 percent, exceeding the four-sevenths' majority (57.1 percent) needed for passage. The vote was 5,818 to 3,480.
"I went home and told my wife this is what it must feel like to win the lottery," Ballmann said. "The one thing about firefighters is they take a tremendous amount of pride in their apparatus. We'll be upgrading to more modern equipment. They really enjoy working on projects like that."
District spokesman Scott Avery said officials had decided to reduce this year's proposal by scale back the district's building plans, even though the number of residents served by the district has increased by 34,000 since 1999.
Passage of the bond issue means property owners in the district will see their tax bills increase by an estimated 7 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The owner of a $200,000 home, for example, would pay an additional $26 per year in property taxes; the owner of a $300,000 home would pay an additional $39 per year.
Ballmann said it's a matter of time before the district builds a new station north of Interstate 70, but renovating Station 1 has become the higher priority.
"Our office space is split in two; a large part of the administration side is on the other side of the station," Ballmann said. "The sewer system is 50 years old and it's starting to fail. We want to remodel the station to make it more workable."
Ballmann said the bond issue will allow the district to retire debts on a ladder truck and lease/purchase agreements for stations 4 and 5.
The bond money will go for mostly larger capital improvements: equipment, Hurst tools, fire stations, trucks, hydraulic tools and turnout gear. The purchase of a new pumper truck could cost the district as much as $500,000. But that does come with a hose.
Since 2005, voters had rejected three previous requests by the O'Fallon Fire Protection District for additional funding. But the April 5 election was a different story, as voters authorized $10.9 million in general obligation bonds that will be used to buy new equipment, update Station 1 in O'Fallon and perhaps build a new fire station near St. Paul.
"I really offer a big thanks to the residents and customers for supporting us," Chief Mike Ballmann said. "We put together a straightforward capital improvement plan and it was the one thing that helped seal it more than any one thing."
A $14.2 million bond issue failed in 2010, but this time the revamped Proposition H-O-P-E garnered 62.5 percent, exceeding the four-sevenths' majority (57.1 percent) needed for passage. The vote was 5,818 to 3,480.
"I went home and told my wife this is what it must feel like to win the lottery," Ballmann said. "The one thing about firefighters is they take a tremendous amount of pride in their apparatus. We'll be upgrading to more modern equipment. They really enjoy working on projects like that."
District spokesman Scott Avery said officials had decided to reduce this year's proposal by scale back the district's building plans, even though the number of residents served by the district has increased by 34,000 since 1999.
Passage of the bond issue means property owners in the district will see their tax bills increase by an estimated 7 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The owner of a $200,000 home, for example, would pay an additional $26 per year in property taxes; the owner of a $300,000 home would pay an additional $39 per year.
Ballmann said it's a matter of time before the district builds a new station north of Interstate 70, but renovating Station 1 has become the higher priority.
"Our office space is split in two; a large part of the administration side is on the other side of the station," Ballmann said. "The sewer system is 50 years old and it's starting to fail. We want to remodel the station to make it more workable."
Ballmann said the bond issue will allow the district to retire debts on a ladder truck and lease/purchase agreements for stations 4 and 5.
The bond money will go for mostly larger capital improvements: equipment, Hurst tools, fire stations, trucks, hydraulic tools and turnout gear. The purchase of a new pumper truck could cost the district as much as $500,000. But that does come with a hose.
BHP hoses down Woodside takeover speculation
An article in this morning's Financial Review reported that BHP has been holding
talks with Royal Dutch Shell about acquiring its 24.3 per cent stake in Woodside, as
a precursor to a full takeover offer by BHP for the Western Australian-based oil and
gas producer.
BHP has responded to the speculation in a release to the ASX, saying that "the
market is fully informed of all material information", and that BHP is not aware of
the basis for the takeover speculation.
BHP Billiton also noted that it has not been relying on the confidentiality
exception to disclosure obligations in the ASX listing rules.
The statement saw Woodside shares plummet from a high of $50.85 earlier this
morning, to be only 0.5 per cent higher for the day at $47.49 by 12:57pm (AEST).
In contrast, BHP Billiton shares had surged 3 per cent higher to $49.20, with most
of the gains coming after the company's statement was released.
Woodside has not made any comment.
However, Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has warned BHP not to consider a
takeover.
"Woodside seems to be under siege. Nothing new in that, it has happened a couple of
times before and I am not an advocate or defendant for Woodside but can I just make
the observation. If Woodside were taken over your industry would lose something, you
would lose a closeness to government that you would probably not be able to
recreate," he cautioned.
"I just urge you, hands off Woodside. Not a good move for your industry. There are
more important things to do - develop the new fields, find gas, find oil, find
customers - just keep your hands off Woodside."
talks with Royal Dutch Shell about acquiring its 24.3 per cent stake in Woodside, as
a precursor to a full takeover offer by BHP for the Western Australian-based oil and
gas producer.
BHP has responded to the speculation in a release to the ASX, saying that "the
market is fully informed of all material information", and that BHP is not aware of
the basis for the takeover speculation.
BHP Billiton also noted that it has not been relying on the confidentiality
exception to disclosure obligations in the ASX listing rules.
The statement saw Woodside shares plummet from a high of $50.85 earlier this
morning, to be only 0.5 per cent higher for the day at $47.49 by 12:57pm (AEST).
In contrast, BHP Billiton shares had surged 3 per cent higher to $49.20, with most
of the gains coming after the company's statement was released.
Woodside has not made any comment.
However, Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett has warned BHP not to consider a
takeover.
"Woodside seems to be under siege. Nothing new in that, it has happened a couple of
times before and I am not an advocate or defendant for Woodside but can I just make
the observation. If Woodside were taken over your industry would lose something, you
would lose a closeness to government that you would probably not be able to
recreate," he cautioned.
"I just urge you, hands off Woodside. Not a good move for your industry. There are
more important things to do - develop the new fields, find gas, find oil, find
customers - just keep your hands off Woodside."
2011年4月7日星期四
Energy companies to post fracking chemicals online
Oil and gas companies operating in Colorado are among many that say they will voluntarily disclose the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing.
The technique — also known as "fracking" — that blasts water, sand and chemicals into rock layers deep underground to unlock oil and gas.
The companies are uploading data, including well locations, this week to a website created by the Groundwater Protection Council, a national association of groundwater protection agencies, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, an interstate commission created in 1935. Both are located in Oklahoma City.
The technique — also known as "fracking" — that blasts water, sand and chemicals into rock layers deep underground to unlock oil and gas.
The companies are uploading data, including well locations, this week to a website created by the Groundwater Protection Council, a national association of groundwater protection agencies, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, an interstate commission created in 1935. Both are located in Oklahoma City.
2011年4月6日星期三
Volunteer firefighter in Lincoln Park charged with stabbing colleague in boat dispute
A volunteer firefighter is charged with stabbing another firefighter in an argument over a fire boat they were working on, police said.
Police were dispatched Monday at 9:15 p.m. to Lincoln Park Volunteer Fire Department Hose Company 1 on Chapel Hill Road on a report that a firefighter had been stabbed in the forearm during a dispute, according to Sgt. William Karback, a police department spokesman.
Officers arriving on the scene were told that a 20-year-old man had been stabbed after a dispute with Travis Donka, who is also a volunteer firefighter.
Police were told the two had gotten into an argument over the fire boat they were servicing, and that Donka had stabbed the other man, according to Karback, who said officers recovered a lock blade knife that had been used by Donka.
The victim, whose name was not released by police, was transported to the Chilton Memorial Hospital where he received medical attention for the wound and was later released.
Donka, 22, of Lincoln Park, was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
Bail was set by Municipal Court Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst at $2,500. Donka was later released after posting bail, but he was terminated as a member of the fire department, Karback said.
The fire chief could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Police were dispatched Monday at 9:15 p.m. to Lincoln Park Volunteer Fire Department Hose Company 1 on Chapel Hill Road on a report that a firefighter had been stabbed in the forearm during a dispute, according to Sgt. William Karback, a police department spokesman.
Officers arriving on the scene were told that a 20-year-old man had been stabbed after a dispute with Travis Donka, who is also a volunteer firefighter.
Police were told the two had gotten into an argument over the fire boat they were servicing, and that Donka had stabbed the other man, according to Karback, who said officers recovered a lock blade knife that had been used by Donka.
The victim, whose name was not released by police, was transported to the Chilton Memorial Hospital where he received medical attention for the wound and was later released.
Donka, 22, of Lincoln Park, was placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters where he was processed and charged with one count of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.
Bail was set by Municipal Court Judge Andrew Wubbenhorst at $2,500. Donka was later released after posting bail, but he was terminated as a member of the fire department, Karback said.
The fire chief could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
2011年4月5日星期二
Kaman Awarded $19.8 Million Joint Programmable Fuze Order Raising Program Backlog to $159 Million
Kaman Corporation announced today that its Aerospace segment has been awarded a contract modification in the amount of $19.8 million for the procurement of Joint Programmable Fuzes (JPF). The award is a follow-on order under Option 8 of Kaman's JPF contract with the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Delivery of these fuzes is anticipated to occur in 2013.
"This award raises orders under Option 8 to $43.8 million and total JPF orders since March 2010 to $170 million. Additionally, it secures our JPF backlog of $159 million further into 2013. The JPF is an important program to the U.S. and allied militaries around the world due to the high reliability and operational flexibility that it provides," commented Greg Steiner, President of Kaman Aerospace Group.
Kaman is the sole provider of the JPF, an electro-mechanical bomb safing and arming device, to the USAF and eighteen other nations. The JPF allows the settings of a weapon to be programmed in flight and is the current bomb fuze of choice of the USAF. The JPF is used with a number of weapons including general purpose bombs, and guided bombs that use JDAM or Paveway kits, on U.S. aircraft such as F-15, F-16, F-22, A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52 and the MQ-9 UAV as well as on international aircraft such as Mirage 3 and Gripen. Kaman's regular production schedule is more than 2,000 JPFs per month from facilities in Orlando, Florida and Middletown, Connecticut.
About Kaman Corporation
Kaman Corporation, founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut conducts business in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft; aerostructure engineering design analysis and FAA certification services; safe and arm solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; subcontract helicopter work; and support for the company's SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters and K-MAX medium-to-heavy lift helicopters. The company is a leading distributor of industrial parts, and operates more than 200 customer service centers and five distribution centers across North America. Kaman offers more than four million items including bearings, mechanical power transmission, electrical, material handling, motion control, fluid power, automation and MRO supplies to customers in virtually every industry. Additionally, Kaman provides engineering, design and support for automation, electrical, linear, hydraulic and pneumatic systems as well as belting and rubber fabrication, customized mechanical services, hose assemblies, repair, fluid analysis and motor management.
"This award raises orders under Option 8 to $43.8 million and total JPF orders since March 2010 to $170 million. Additionally, it secures our JPF backlog of $159 million further into 2013. The JPF is an important program to the U.S. and allied militaries around the world due to the high reliability and operational flexibility that it provides," commented Greg Steiner, President of Kaman Aerospace Group.
Kaman is the sole provider of the JPF, an electro-mechanical bomb safing and arming device, to the USAF and eighteen other nations. The JPF allows the settings of a weapon to be programmed in flight and is the current bomb fuze of choice of the USAF. The JPF is used with a number of weapons including general purpose bombs, and guided bombs that use JDAM or Paveway kits, on U.S. aircraft such as F-15, F-16, F-22, A-10, B-1, B-2, B-52 and the MQ-9 UAV as well as on international aircraft such as Mirage 3 and Gripen. Kaman's regular production schedule is more than 2,000 JPFs per month from facilities in Orlando, Florida and Middletown, Connecticut.
About Kaman Corporation
Kaman Corporation, founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut conducts business in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aircraft bearings and components; complex metallic and composite aerostructures for commercial, military and general aviation fixed and rotary wing aircraft; aerostructure engineering design analysis and FAA certification services; safe and arm solutions for missile and bomb systems for the U.S. and allied militaries; subcontract helicopter work; and support for the company's SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopters and K-MAX medium-to-heavy lift helicopters. The company is a leading distributor of industrial parts, and operates more than 200 customer service centers and five distribution centers across North America. Kaman offers more than four million items including bearings, mechanical power transmission, electrical, material handling, motion control, fluid power, automation and MRO supplies to customers in virtually every industry. Additionally, Kaman provides engineering, design and support for automation, electrical, linear, hydraulic and pneumatic systems as well as belting and rubber fabrication, customized mechanical services, hose assemblies, repair, fluid analysis and motor management.
2011年4月1日星期五
Plane makes emergency landing at Fort St. John Airport
A Central Mountain Air flight had to make an emergency landing at the Fort St. John Airport Friday afternoon.
The plane had just taken off from the airport when the crew registered a problem with a hydraulic hose on the plane's brakes, says Moira Green, managing director for the North Peace Airport Services.
The Hawkair Dash 8 plane was flying for a Central Mountain Air scheduled flight to Fort Nelson. It had just taken off from the airport with around 20 passengers when it had to return because of the problem.
Emergency crews were called out to the airport at approximately 1:52 p.m. Fort St. John Fire Chief Fred Burrows says that the plane landed without incident and was able to taxi to the airport building to be checked out.
Green says the plane will either be fixed or Central Mountain Air will bring in another plane to transport the passengers to Fort Nelson.
The plane had just taken off from the airport when the crew registered a problem with a hydraulic hose on the plane's brakes, says Moira Green, managing director for the North Peace Airport Services.
The Hawkair Dash 8 plane was flying for a Central Mountain Air scheduled flight to Fort Nelson. It had just taken off from the airport with around 20 passengers when it had to return because of the problem.
Emergency crews were called out to the airport at approximately 1:52 p.m. Fort St. John Fire Chief Fred Burrows says that the plane landed without incident and was able to taxi to the airport building to be checked out.
Green says the plane will either be fixed or Central Mountain Air will bring in another plane to transport the passengers to Fort Nelson.
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