As an increasing number of Australians head off camping to experience one of the great Australian dreams, recreational vehicle manufacturer Jayco needed to expand manufacturing capacity to keep up with demand.

There was a time when this building rubble would end up as landfill, but more recently new waste minimisation strategies have emerged. Here, concrete recycling processes are proving extremely valuable, both economically and environmentally.

Video monitoring is a proven technology for security monitoring in many industries. So why not use video to monitor process control and automation systems?

Temperature measurement is complicated by the fact that the amount of infrared energy emitted by a surface is proportional to the emissivity as well as the temperature of the measured target.

A variable frequency drive (VFD) regulates the speed of a three-phase AC electric motor by controlling the frequency and voltage of the power it delivers to the motor.

Maintenance of pipelines can be a tricky business. Sealing and testing operations need to be conducted not only with complete safety and environmental security but also with considerable speed, to maintain flows of liquids and gases.

KSB Germany is set to deliver a huge vertical tubular casing pump for an intake structure in Saudi Arabia. Driven by a powerful and energy-efficient 4200 kW synchronous motor, the SEZA 24-160 pump unit will handle more than 16,000 L of seawater per second. The water will be pumped into a piping system to supply Yanbu’s industrial park.

With growth in the volume of trade and rising consumer awareness of food safety guidelines, the kiwifruit supply chain encapsulates major logistical challenges that must be met to ensure the New Zealand kiwifruit industry’s competitive position in the marketplace.

Microfluidics is associated with the control of very small volumes of fluids. Throughout life science industries the precise control of fluids is a major factor in the successful design of devices and instruments often used in testing and analysis processes. Accurate and repeatable results and reliable performance can often only be obtained through the correct selection and application of specialised valve technology.

Set up in 1963, Victorian-based Wang Components was initially involved in the water pumping and irrigation business before moving into the manufacture of quality clamps and couplings. Over the past few years, the company was able to use the features of Profibus to implement a creative automation plan.

Retrofitting equipment to use waste heat for production and upgrades at a process plant to improve energy efficiency are among 12 projects to be funded under the latest round of Re-tooling for Climate Change.
 

Selecting the right air compressor can be confusing. There are numerous compressor types, variants and options to consider — each of which can impact energy efficiency and operating costs. Identifying a compressor’s ‘sweet-spot’ can help determine if it is right for the application.

Today’s manufacturing companies face many pressures, including rising costs for raw materials, labour and distribution, not to mention customer demands for higher quality at lower prices. Yet these significant challenges can be used to spark new opportunities to improve the way businesses are run.

The largest consumer of energy on a mine site is the technology used to break the raw ore into smaller pieces for processing or transport. Last year, Perth-based mining services company Scanalyse was awarded an AusIndustry Climate Ready grant to the value of nearly $1.8 million to support their research into improving the energy efficiency of mine-site ore grinding.

Highly successful control engineers didn’t become that way by accident. The most successful engineers develop habits that improve results and the recognition of those results.