Industrial Factory Automation

Siemens has supplied a bevel helical Flender FZG gearbox for British Sugar's Wissington plant in King's Lynn. When a worm gear drive crown wheel failed - owing to overload on a crucial conveyor belt at the Wissington plant - the priority was to get things running again quickly, and the ultimate result was a minimum of 10 per cent improved efficiency. The conveyor fed limestone and coke into a kiln to help purify the sugar at the plant. In the run-up to the plant's busiest time of year, two men and a shovel loader were hired to manually load the feeder for 24 hours per day, but this could only be a temporary measure because of cost. British Sugar approached Siemens Industry's Mechanical Handling Division, which had supplied the original Flender Cavex 280 worm gear unit in 1997. Any delivery delay could have affected the start of British Sugar's next 'campaign' period and would also have meant there would be no time for running in and appropriate checks. ...

Gearing from Siemens Industry Automation and Drive Technologies have helped a UK oil refinery reduce failures and downtime on its high-speed gear units. The refinery produces petrol and other useable by-products every day and the crude oil coming in requires sophisticated handling systems, performance and reliability to ensure that production levels are maintained. There are 26 Flender gear units serving several processes within the refinery, which have been in service for more than 30 years. Previously, reverse-engineered gearing was supplied by a third party, allowing the refinery to refurbish its gear units in house, but downtime was proving to be an increasing problem and efficiency needed to be improved. The company reverted to having new, original Flender gearing and associated parts supplied by Siemens Automation and Drive Technologies, in five different sizes to solve the issue. The first units were provided more than four years ago and, so far, no failures have been recorded....

An exclusive 10-year business agreement with Scottishpower is set to secure further work at Siemens Energy 's Newcastle facility until 2019. The contract for parts, shop repairs and field service for three gas turbines, generators and a steam turbine at Rye House power station in Hertfordshire commenced on 1 January 2010. The contract will be managed by the Siemens project and order management teams based in Newcastle, with all required site works executed by the UK-based field service team. The project has already provided a boost for Siemens' Energy Service employees. This deal follows on from the five-year business agreement between Siemens and Scottishpower, signed in 2005, to cover parts, shop repair and field service for the gas turbines, generators and the steam turbine. The project has resulted in Rye House reducing its emissions and improving efficiency while maintaining a high level of availability. The 10-year business agreement, split into two five-year terms (the f...

Siemens PLM Software, a unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) services, has released four D-Cubed component software products. Version 40.0 of the 3D Dimensional Constraint Manager (3D DCM), the Assembly Engineering Manager (AEM), the Collision Detection Manager (CDM) and the Hidden Line Manager (HLM) have been enhanced to improve function and performance, according to the company. PLM components are software tools that promote interoperability in applications involving computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering (CAE) and PLM. Siemens PLM Software develops these components, uses them throughout its own applications and licenses them to independent software vendors and end-user organisations. PLM components include the Parasolid software and D-Cubed products: widely used technologies that provide 3D part and assembly modelling, editing and interoperability, 2D/3D paramet...

The Siemens range of vibrating level switches has been extended with the addition of a switch designed for use in dry bulk solid applications. The Sitrans LVS100 is suitable for applications with high, low or demand levels of dry bulk solids in bins, silos or hoppers. The device can detect the presence of materials with bulk densities in excess of 60 litres, and is ideal for use in industries such as mining, food, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and hazardous applications. The Sitrans LVS100 has a compact design that can be top, side, or angle-mounted. The rotating enclosures ensure easy installation and wiring, and it can be easily connected to an alarm system or control room. The level switch offers high durability with no moving parts, and is unaffected by external vibrations. The vibrating fork design ensures the sensing tines are kept clean, reducing the need for maintenance. The stainless steel process connections and rugged aluminium housing provide extra protection agains...