Due to the increase in demand, Hytec Fluid Technology (HFT), a Bosch Rexroth Africa Group company, reopened its Oil Analysis Laboratory in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, on 3 January 2024 with a bolstered service offering.

The state-of-the-art laboratory caters to a range of industries where the reliability and performance of hydraulic fluids, glycols, and related substances are crucial for manufacturing and industrial facilities, power generation plants and chemical processing plants.

To further enhance the laboratory’s service offerings, it now features new technologies. These technologies include the CIX system, which assesses particle level contamination in hydraulic fluids, assisting clients in achieving industry-required ISO 4406 levels of cleanliness in their oil. Another new technology includes the X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) machine, which identifies various elements and provides detailed chemical breakdowns of materials.

“The reopening of the laboratory marks an impressive milestone for HFT and Bosch Rexroth Africa. It is equipped to assist clients in achieving optimal performance through advanced analysis techniques. The reopening reflects a continued commitment to resuming full-scale operations and contributes to meeting the industry’s demands for analysis of hydraulic fluids,” said Abigal Nel, Laboratory Analyst, HFT.

With its experience in Africa and its agility in executing projects rapidly, Trafo Power Solutions is supplying three mini-substations and two transformers to a copper-zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

David Claassen, Managing Director of Trafo Power Solutions, says the pressure was on from early in the planning stages to ensure this critical equipment would be available on time – to facilitate the continued  mine expansion. From the date of the contract award, the company will deliver the units to the mine site within just four months – despite most of South African industry taking an annual December break.

“We have conducted projects previously with the end-client and the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, so have a good understanding of their requirements,” explains Claassen. “This experience – combined with our history in the DRC and in the mining sector – gave us the edge in expediting the whole process.”

The order was for two 2000 kVA transformers to step down the electricity supply from 6,6 kV to 550V, as well as three dry-type miniature substations. Two of the mini-substations are rated 315 kVA and 6,6 kV to 400 V, while the third is a 630 kVA unit which also steps down from 6,6 kV to 400 V.

“This equipment is an important part of the mine’s electrical infrastructure upgrade,” he says. “Of particular interest were the dry-type mini-substations, which were quite unique in certain respects.”

As a specialist in dry-type transformer applications, Trafo Power Solutions designed the mini-substations in an IP54 configuration – ensuring that the units are completely sealed from dust and water. This level of insulation usually requires a forced air solution to ensure adequate air movement for cooling.

“For this application, the requirement was for natural air cooling – so the installation would not include external fans and related control instrumentation,” he says. “This option enhances simplicity and further reduces any chance of ancillary equipment needing attention.”

The design of the enclosure and the transformer therefore took account of this configuration, allowing enough natural cooling despite the high ambient daytime temperatures in the region. Another demanding aspect of the contract was that the two 2000 kVA transformers are to replace units in the mine’s existing substation. This required innovative design to ensure that the new equipment fits into the available space.

“Our replacement units have a higher power rating than the ones they will replace, so the design was customised to ensure the mine does not have to re-engineer the space,” says Claassen. “This highlights our flexibility in designing solutions to optimise ease of installation.”

Delivery to site will take place after a factory acceptance test (FAT) has been conducted. While the functional commissioning of the units is not part of Trafo Power Solutions’ scope of supply on this contract, the company offers a standard commissioning and assistance service. This is part of its value-add to any of its contracts.

“The rapid pace of this project indicates a growing trend not only in mining but in other sectors, towards fast tracking new developments and expansions,” he notes. “Clients are expecting their supply partners to deliver on shorter timelines, so one of our key strategies is to learn from each project and apply those lessons going forward.”

This keeps Trafo Power Solutions at the forefront of efficient project execution, focusing actively on quality and communication. This ensures first-time accuracy and customised designs, so that no time is lost by unnecessarily revisiting aspects of the project as it progresses.

“Our non-corporate approach means that we can take decisions and act quickly on matters commercial and technical,” says Claassen. “Our proven skill is in achieving these goals without compromising on quality.”

Contact information

On behalf of Trafo Power Solutions

Website: https://www.trafo.co.za/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trafopowersolutions/

Twitter: @trafo_power

Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/trafo_power

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trafopowersolutions/

NSK and the German Aerospace Centre are developing a robotic hand system that will help
automate manual tasks, particularly in the service industry. The concept centres on a
customisable robot hand comprising individually configurable finger modules, thought to be
an industry-first. Through a combination of versatility and affordability, this innovative new
product will contribute to the automation of manual work that involves grasping a broad
variety of objects.

Many countries around the world, including several in Europe, are facing serious labour
shortages across a number of important industries. Robots that can take on manual work
represent a good way to overcome this increasingly prevalent situation. However, the
introduction of robots has not progressed sufficiently in the retail, restaurant and some
manufacturing sectors for tasks that require a high degree of dexterity. A significant factor
here is price. While the price of robot hands that can grasp only a single type or size of
object is low, robot hands that can grasp a diverse range of objects are extremely
expensive.

Against this backdrop, NSK and the German Aerospace Centre are working in tandem to
develop a robotic hand system with finger modules that offer easy reconfiguration according
to each use case. The individual finger modules enable the construction of robot hands with
the minimum configuration required to meet customer needs: it is easy to create a robot
hand that grips only standard products or a robot hand that grips a variety of objects.
Notably, by limiting production to individual finger modules, NSK aims to achieve a low unit
cost through mass production. This should prove highly appealing to companies with target
applications that require smooth finger movement, easy layout changes and optimised
finger module placement.

The smooth motion and gentle gripping of diverse objects arrives through the wire drive
technology of the German Aerospace Centre, while NSK’s proprietary detachable magnetic
mechanism makes it quick and easy to alter the layout of finger modules simply by pulling a
lever to attach or detach accordingly. In terms of finger module placement, NSK’s digital
twin technology led to the development of an algorithm that optimises this task according to
object size and shape.

To contribute to mechanisation and automation in a wide range of industries, including food
service, retail, manufacturing, logistics and agriculture, NSK is now in the process of
making solution proposals to robotic system integrators and customers with existing robot equipment. Field tests will commence imminently.

Major miners like BHP, Rio, MMG, and Codelco are stopping material losses in the supply chain. Sealed in a container at the Pit and opened in the ship, CBH saves 2% material loss and has no pollution.

CBH is a zero-loss dust-suppression logistics solution that allows the exporting of dry bulk from any port and any crane type. It can be started in six months with low capex.

CBH – a proven dust-free bulk handling solution

The CBH solution is already a  proven solution to the issues of dust generation during the transportation and handling of dry bulk commodities.

By using sealed open-top containers for transport and storage, the CBH system also uses a rotating spreader called ‘revolver’ to handle the container and remove the lid before gently rotating the container 360 degrees to decant the commodity at its destination.

Environmental best practice

The solution is environmentally best practice, as the commodity only sees the light of day immediately before being decanted, with a dust suppression system around the ship’s hatch containing the dust plume generated during the unloading process.

The dust suppression system produces microscopic droplets, creating a wall of dry fog around the ship’s cell to contain the commodity.

Box clever: Zero material loss

Not only does Revolver CBH protect the environment and reduce particulate matter, but it also protects valuable commodities from loss or contamination.

Most bulk logistics systems lose between one and three percent in the handling process with multiple handling and dust generation; CBH stops this. RAM has saved customers more than two million USD annually for mineral concentrates using the CBH system.

Lifting the lid on bulk handling

CBH follows a simple and easy handling process of load & seal, transport, store, and unload. From its initial process of loading the bulk into open-top containers, a lid is placed locking the commodity, where it is transported either by road or rail, then can be stored without stockpiles or storage sheds, and finally picked up and unloaded by the ‘revolver’.

The ‘revolver’ locks onto the container as a standard spreader does, removes the lid from the sealed container before rotating the container and replaces the lid back onto the empty container, completing the lift cycle.

Low CAPEX – Fast to market

CBH is a highly flexible logistics solution, enabling all types of dry bulk to be exported from any port, allowing export from the nearest port, shortening the entire support chain and allowing ports to store multiple types of commodities without stockpiling or cross-contamination.

With most equipment readily available at the port, CBH bulk export can be launched quickly with the RAM ‘revolver’ and sealed open-top containers is all that is required to begin exporting.

A global success – 10 years of Operations in Africa

Since its introduction in Australia in 2011, with the same machine still in operation today, the RAM CBH system has also been used in Africa for over ten years, with the first unit deployed in Port Elizabeth for Elitheni handling coal. Other RAM CHB projects followed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Eritrea and Mauritania.

Today, ‘revolver’ CBH has gained worldwide popularity, supporting the operations of some of the largest mining companies in the world, including the UAE, Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Telephone:           +44 (0) 1695 556355

Telefax:                +44 (0) 1695 556356

E-mail:                  p.draper@ramspreaders.com

Web:                    www.ramspreaders.com