amt: jan/feb 2010

Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010 1

2 Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010 �

Jan/Feb 2010

ContentsCover Story4 KEW Foundries – Casting Excellence

Stockists and Service Centres8 Ready to Steel Market Share

Machining10 Pimp my CNC Machine

Castings, Forgings, Furnaces and Refractories12 Change Founded in Adversity

Industry Leaders Profile14 Raw Energy Drives Power Supply Project

Alternative Materials21 Ancient Wonder Material

Design Companies and Software Programmes24 Red Hot Manufacturing Software

Customising27 Hot Iron, Shiny Wings and a Highway to Heaven

International News33 International News

Industry News36 Industry News

Endorsing BodiesSAIMechE (SA Institution of Mechanical Engineering)

AFSA (Aluminium Federation of SA)

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DTP: Zinobia Docrat and Sanette Lehanie

DisclaimerNeither PROMECH Publishing nor its endorsing bodies are responsible for the opinions expressed by individuals.

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CopyrightAll rights reserved. No edi-torial matter published in “Advanced Materials Today” may be reproduced in any form or language without written permission of the publishers. While every effort is made to ensure accurate reproduction the editor, authors, publishers and their employees or agents shall not be responsible or in any way liable for any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the publication whether arising from negligence or otherwise or for any conse-quences arising therefrom. The inclusion or exclusion of any product does not mean that the publisher or editorial board advocates or rejects its use either generally or in any particular field or fields.

KEW FoundriesTel: (053) 841-0474Fax: (053) 841-0473Email:[email protected]: www.kewfoundries.co.za

� Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

The bearing swivels were cast in SG 60 iron, while the bearing housings have been manu-factured using 250 grade grey cast iron. The housings have a 2160 mm diameter and

are 813mm wide. The housings will operate with a lead bronze bush bearing in a hydrodynamic bearing assembly. The bearings will be required to handle loads of up to three hundred tons each.

KEW Foundries has standardised on manufactur-

KEW Foundries – Casting ExcellenceKEW Foundries, South Africa’s oldest foundry and an international supplier of a wide range of cast products, recently completed its largest casting project to date – the manufacture of bearing swivels and main trunnion

bearing housings, with the bearing housing base alone, weighing 6450 kilograms. The castings, which re-quired a challenging two ladle pour, were manufactured for New Concept Projects and will be used on a 2800

kW ball mill, being supplied to El Brocal for the Huaraucaca project in Peru.

ing products from all grades of SG iron and grey iron in order to capitalise on the many benefits that the materials provide over steel. According to John Bryson, foundry director, KEW Foundries, the company’s use of SG iron in its casting work, represents a shift in typical production methods which has inherent benefits for clients. “The market place is now awakening to the benefits of using SG iron castings due to the lower prices associated with casting and the reduced machining costs. Steel castings can take up to two years to deliver, whereas KEW Foundries can supply SG iron cast-ings in a matter of weeks, including machining and pattern manufacture.”

KEW Foundries manufactures a wide variety of products cast in SG iron, including solid sheave wheels, gearbox castings, bearing housings, valve bodies and discs, fly wheels and other crusher parts, slag pots, chill moulds and small to large pump casings.

To accomplish the manufacture of a high quality product range the company’s manufacturing plant comprises foundry equipment, a machine shop and laboratory testing facilities. The foundry features two furan sand foundries which are capable of produc-ing castings from 1 kg to 7 500 kg, in both single and complex shapes. The foundries are supplied with metal from a 6 000 kg induction furnace and either of the company’s two 3 000 kg furnaces feeding off a common power pack. The machine shop is fully equipped to enable it to undertake almost any machining application.

Quality standards are maintained using laboratory facilities equipped with an extensive arsenal of testing equipment. Equipment includes an ARL 3460 Ret B optical emission spectrometer, a metallographic testing division and a sand testing section. The company also conducts non-destructive testing in-house, using magnetic particle, die-penetrant and

KEW Foundries recently cast the largest sheave wheels ever manufactured on the African continent with an outer diameter of 21.5 foot

The company also conducts non-destructive testing in-house, using magnetic particle, die-penetrant and

ultrasonic testing methods

COVER STORY


COVER STORY

ultrasonic testing methods – to ensure that clients receive quality products free of defects.

To ensure the ideal casting is manufactured for each and every application, KEW Foundries has a dedicated design department capable of advising and collaborating with clients, or working autono-mously, to achieve application specific designs. Accompanying this is an extensive pattern library, as well as the facilities and expertise to design, manufacture and store unique client patterns.

At KEW Foundries’ manufacturing facility, quality, delivery and co-operation are the three elements which form the basis of the company’s service offering. “As a supplier to various industries, we are always evaluating and expanding our product range, testing its quality and ensuring that we run the most efficient operation possible,” says Bryson. The company prides itself on developing lasting client relationships, built on unrivalled service and delivering high quality solutions with an emphasis placed upon product reliability.

Sheave WheelsIn addition to the foundry side of the business, KEW Foundries has a dedicated department for manufacturing and machining sheave wheels, and currently holds the title of Africa’s sole manufacturer of large, cast headgear sheave wheels.

KEW Foundries’ sheave wheel solutions feature an 80 percent grey cast iron construction. The compa-ny’s design criteria differ from conventional sheave wheel designs, which utilise welded assembly construc-tion methods.

Jamie Goncalves, technical director, KEW Foundries, says that a cast sheave wheel design is more robust and delivers a solution which requires less main-tenance. “Our cast sheave wheels are just one example of how KEW Foundries is making innovations which increase personnel safety while reducing unsched-uled downtime. Sheave wheels are safety critical components and, by their very nature, are subjected to heavy loads under harsh operating conditions. Our

A completed valve body ready for final assembly

With an extensively equipped machine shop KEW Foundries is capable conducting all machining work on-site, including the machining of large sheave wheels

KEW Foundries is making innovations which increase personnel safety while

reducing unscheduled downtime


KEW Foundries’ largest casting to date - a bearing housing to be used on a 2800 kW ball mill. The base alone weighed a staggering 6450 kilograms and required a two ladle pour

KEW Foundries manufactures a wide variety of bearing housings suitable to a multitude of applications

sheave wheels feature a bolted assembly which is highly resilient to operational stresses. By comparison, sheave wheels which make use of a welded assembly develop stress cracks which need to be continually maintained. With safety critical components, reliability becomes imperative. Our sheave wheel solutions also improve operational productivity as a direct result of the reduction in unplanned downtime.”

Recently KEW Foundries designed and manufac-tured the largest cast sheave wheel ever assembled on the African continent – a 21,5 foot (6,5 metre diameter) wheel to be used as part of a cluster arrangement on one of the new platinum mines in the Phokeng area.

KEW Foundries’ sheave wheel range includes headgear, dragline doubling down, compensating, kibble and stage sheave wheel assemblies for both opencast and underground mining. In addition, the sheave wheel division offers on-site checking and re-conditioning of existing installations.

Goncalves notes that as a result of the company’s extensive industry experience, and its strong re-lationships with mining houses, it has developed a “best of specification” for its sheave wheel solutions. “We have taken the best requirements of the mining house specifications to produce sheave wheels and related equipment that meets and even exceeds our clients’ requirements. KEW Foundries’ specifications have been adopted by a number of mines that were without a detailed specification.”

KEW Foundries’ is strategically based in Kimberley on the national grid, creating fast and efficient access to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban. This ensures fast movement of products for export. The company also operates its own fleet of vehicles, with purpose built trailers, in compliance with the road act, that ensure timeous deliveries into sub-Saharan Africa. KEW Foundries regularly supplies cast solutions to clients in global arenas, with recent casting be-ing delivered to India, Russia, Zambia, Australia, America, Canada, Chile, Ghana, Finland, Tanzania, Angola and Namibia. The company has the core capabilities and the ingenuity to supply cast solutions to anywhere in the world.

KEW Foundries, John Bryson, Tel: (053) 841 0474, Fax: (053) 841 0473, Email: [email protected], Web: www.kewfoundries.co.za

COVER STORY

It has developed a “best of specification” for its sheave wheel

solutions


Shrewd management of its resources has left the company in a position to go into

the new year with a plan that centres around provid-ing superior customer ser-vice. Chief Executive Officer, Sampie van Rooyen, says the

main area of growth will be to enhance offerings at its existing service centres around the country and to ensure customers can access all their met-als requirements at KMG without the need to shop around. Simultaneously the company will itself be shopping around for value adding acquisitions of

Ready to Steel Market Share

Kulungile Metals Group (KMG) has a bullish outlook on the year ahead with bold plans to expand its offerings to clients through value added services and the possibility of an expanded footprint in new centres

around the country. Having emerged from the recession in good shape and with a healthy balance sheet, group executives are scanning the

aftermath of the economic downturn eager to expand through acquisi-tions or to fill voids left by those that did not survive last year’s cruel

blows.

either service enhancing machinery or businesses that fulfill the needs of the organization.

He predicts that stockists will come under pressure as the market turns positive and that required restock-ing will drain the financial resources of especially the smaller stockists or those that have not been prudent in the management of cash.

“We will certainly be on the look out to acquire businesses that add value to our customers and that fit into our growth strategy. We will also move quickly to fill voids left by those stockists that either can’t replenish stock in time or that fold under the financial burden.

InvestmentNotably the group has recently invested in machinery and equipment that will enable service centres to handle higher volumes of work through the service

Metals are cut shaped and sized at the KMG Service Centres

Kulungile Metals Group (KMG) CEO, Sampie van Rooyen

Johan Foord is a divisional director of KMG

STOCKISTS AND SERVICE CENTRES

Restocking will drain the financial resources of especially the smaller stockists


One of KMG’s plasma cutters

A decoiling machine prepares rolls for plate cutting

centres. The ability to cut, drill and machine metals received in coil, plate and structural steel sections of varying thicknesses has been enhanced with the addition of high definition plasma cutting machine that cuts precise forms up to 80 mm thick. Three lazer cutting machines are in operation, while less precise work can be cut on gas fuel cutters or guillotines.

A new vertical machine centre has just been in-stalled at the main Isando branch, while a high pressure 600 ton press break is being installed for up to 5 m bends of plate up to 95 mm thickness. New drills and rolling machines will be brought on line through the year to enable drilling and rolling of structural steel. The additional services will be made available to clients throughout the country through KMG regional service centres.

ServicesOn a recent tour of KMG’s main Isando branch Advanced Materials Today asked divisional director, Johan Foord, how the company differentiates itself from the competition.

“We maintain our stock of carbon, stainless steel and aluminium at optimal levels so customers are assured they get what they need when they need it. The metals are available in coils, flat plate or struc-tural steel lengths and customers can take delivery of their material requirements in the manner that best suits them.

“The extend of our services ranges from decoiling and cutting steel into manageable plate sizes to the full treatment where we take care of design requirements, cut profiles and drill the metal ready for assembly. Structural steel can be cut, drilled and bent to shape. The client can specify the techniques used to ensure ease of assembly of the completed shapes,” Johan says.

He quotes an example where a com-plete boiler was designed, metals supplied to specification, profiled and cut to requirement. “All the client had to do on site is piece together the puzzle and join it.

BranchesKMG is one of the top three metal

Stockists in the country with branches in Isando, Germiston, Vanderbijlpark, Welkom, Cape Town, Worcester, Port Elizabeth, Pinetown, Durban Central, Meyerton, Richards Bay and East London. Where services are not available locally the materials will be prepared at the main branch and sent to the services centre nearest the customer.

Kulungile Metals Group, Susan van der Westhuizen, Tel: (011) 929 5134, Fax: (011) 929 5159, Email: [email protected] Web: www.kulungile.co.za

STOCKISTS AND SERVICE CENTRES

All the client had to do on site is piece together the puzzle and join it


A lthough not quite as glamorous as turning out a V8 American hotrod, the end product of refurbishing a large CNC machines is nonetheless still an impressive sight. Mike

Faccio, who jointly owns Efamatic Machine Tools with his brother, Luigi, is growing accustomed to the wisdom of the old saying ‘out with the old, in with the new’.

Like the machines that he refurbishes Mike found two-years ago that their business was in need of a make-over. As the only manufacturer of CNC ma-chines in South Africa, Efamatic had built a proud reputation for quality and service. Local customers bought the machines safe in the knowledge that the home-grown technology would be well supported by the company’s team of experts and that spares were readily available.

But, Efamatic found the tide was turning. Floods of cheap machines were arriving on our shores from

Pimp my CNC MachineThose that have watched the popular ‘Pimp my Ride’ series on

television can appreciate the kind of work that goes into re-building, re-fabricating and upgrading something as simple as a motor car. By comparison ‘pimping’ or retrofitting a massive

10-ton precision CNC controlled vertical or horizontal lathe that houses a sophisticated network of hydraulic and pneu-

matic mechanisms and accompanying electronics for machine tools, you can imagine that the job is so much bigger and

more complex.

China and elsewhere in the East and the market was becoming saturated. In many instances the machines landed price was cheaper than Efamatic’s cost of materials and they foresaw a shrinking market share.

Two years ago they took the bold decision to diver-sify into the refurbishment of worn-out machines and began rebuilding and retrofitting them from the ground up. At the same time they also began marketing Efamatic’s ability to build custom or special purpose machines for clients anywhere on the globe. The new ventures took off and Efamatic’s team of design engineers and technical experts have been redeployed to lend their expertise to giving clients what they want. It’s success has also spared the company from the fall-out of the global economic recession.

No reality showOn the TV show a car is presented to the chief engineer and a list of requirements presented. The design team then go about their business and present final drawings and specifications to the technical team that go about building it. After much panel beating, chipping, painting and fitting the car is ready to go to the handover. Here the owner is presented with the shiny ‘new’ car and after a flood of tears and thanks he or she usually disappears down the road and into the sunset to enjoy the freedom of the road.

No such glitz and glamour exists in the refurbish-ment of CNC machines. Rather, Efamatic is usually

given the machine by a client that has a specific goal in mind. They usually present them with hard facts and data sheets that relate to the required performance of the machine and the kind of items that will be turned out.

At this point Efamatic thoroughly inspect the machine to assess the condition and decide what stays and what must go. “Sometimes all we can reuse is the frame and a few components, while other machines may require fewer new parts, but more conver-sion,” says Mike.

ProcessAnd, so the transformation begins, each and every part and component needs to be removed or cleaned for a thorough inspection to take place. Failures or potentials flaws are identified and replaced or repaired as necessary. “The whole point of refurbishing a machine is to make it as good as new or better than the original. If you don’t check every part and assess the risk of future fail-Mike Faccio, managing director of Efamatic Machine Tools, next to the unusable parts from a

CNC machine that is being rebuilt

Floods of cheap machines were arriving on our shores from China and elsewhere in the East

MACHINING


MACHINING

ure you are building a machine that may fail sooner rather than later. You have got to remember that the machine is as good as its weakest part so you can’t afford to overlook anything.”

All beds get reground to specification, ball screws are fitted and all wiring and harnesses replaced. A new CNC control package with new motors and drives is installed, along with hydraulics and lubrication. Fol-lowing this new covers are put on and the machine is finished with a vinyl sticker proclaiming that it has been refurbished by Efamatic. On the day of the delivery the tears of joy are normally reserved for the moment at which the bill is presented and the customer realizes that he is saving two thirds of the purchase price of a new machine.

Yes we canIn just two years Efamatic has turned its entire rev-enue model upside down. Where it previously derived almost 100% of its revenue from sales of its range of CNC machines, this now accounts for only 30% of its current revenue. New markets are accounted for by refurbishments (40%) and custom solutions (30%). Refurbishment makes sense in current market conditions where money is tight. But, custom-building machines is an altogether different market. It is less affected by price, as manufacturers from the East are not likely to manufacture machines on a one-off basis. At this end of the market customers are prepared to pay for engineered quality solutions.

The same highly-skilled team of engineers that con-ceptualised, designed and produced the company’s latest range of machines are not sitting idle. Instead, they are busily employed interpreting customers’ requirements, designing and building machines to their varied requirements. “From specialized machines that turn out artillery shells to shock tube coiling ma-chines – we do it all. Just like Barak Obama we have adopted the saying ‘yes we can’! When a customer asks whether we can build a machine that does …., the answer is an unwavering yes we can.

Mike points out that some of the customized ma-chines the company built over the past two years were shipped to destinations abroad with a high number of machines built for clients in the United Kingdom and South America. Thanks to Efamatic’s foresight the company has spread its wings and expanded its horizons.

Efamatic Machine Tools, Mike Faccio, Tel: (011) 626-2720, Fax: (011) 626-2966, Email: [email protected], Web: www.efamatic.com

Refurbishment makes sense in current market conditions where money is tight


When world eco-nomic events sent our market into a freefall one of the worst affected sectors

of the manufacturing industry were the foundries. Collectively estimates indicate a 40% dip in year-on-year revenues. Those with a large reliance on the automotive and mining industries – two markets that were worst hit by the recession – were par-ticularly hard hit. After the initial shock of losing so much business so quickly, Rely-Intracast, a leading investment casting foundry based in Boksburg and one of those affected by the recession, tells Advanced Materials Today how it has emerging from the recession fighting fit.

“In the beginning of the year we were taking a

Change Founded in Adversity

battering and orders for parts for the mining and automotive sectors were all but dried up. This liter-ally forced the company to its knees and emergency restructuring and retrenchments were the order of the day. We went from running double shifts to laying off 28 staff members almost overnight, a painful testimony of how deep the recession was cutting.

“The outlook was bleak and on a daily basis we were faced with downscaled or cancelled contracts. It became a battle for survival and we weren’t about to shy away from the challenge,” says managing director, Mark Hughes.

New propositionInstead, he says, the company management and staff knuckled down and relooked the business from the ground up. Where extra efficiencies could be implemented they were, but the biggest change came in the form of a new proposition to the marketplace.

We went from running double shifts to laying off 28 staff members almost overnight, a painful testimony of how deep the recession was cutting

CASTINGS, FORGINGS, FURNACES AND REFRACTORIES

Foundrymen are a breed apart when it comes to

dealing with tough conditions. After all, the foundry is no place for sissies. Mess with their livelihood and you can rest assured that this breed of person will not take it

lying down, rather they’ll choose to fight it out until some sort of resolution is found.

Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010 1�

CASTINGS, FORGINGS, FURNACES AND REFRACTORIES

The proposition was centred on the company’s skills and technical ability and finding new customers that can benefit from its offerings.

Rely-Intracast is part of the Pamodzi Industrials Group and has access to a vast array of technical skills within the group, as well as a healthy customer base. Sales and marketing strategies were laid and are currently bearing the fruit of the companies shift in focus. “We are playing to our strengths as a foundry that is able to cast almost any product in nearly every known alloy available.

Lost waxWe are proving to manufacturers that lost wax investment casting can provide them with precise parts or products without the need for further fin-ishing or machining. In some instances our clients are amazed to see that we are even able to cast relatively fine threads and precise parts for all sorts of applications.

Mark continues that the recessionary market has affected manufacturers across the board and says that a number of clients have been forced to downsize operations.

“The economic climate is forcing companies to relook at the way they do things. As a result an increasing number of new customers are approaching us to cast parts and products that were previously being machined. By casting the goods the companies are able to save on workshop costs by eliminating the need for machining and finishing. This translated to a significant saving on man-power costs and equipment.”

SalesThe company’s sales force is actively target-ing manufacturers of products where casting makes sense. They are able to go into the market with renewed vigour and propose win-win proposition for companies and propose a multitude of materials that can be used. Rely-Intracast metallurgists will either match the materials currently being used or where necessary will formulate alloys that are best suited to the products intended application given environmental and cost constraints.

During the year the company has also undertaken initiatives to better service its existing clients in the automotive, mining, glass, defence, railways, fluid control, en-gineering and power generation industries. New power station developments, as well as exciting plans in the automotive industry are giving the company reason to celebrate and the evidence of a recovery in all segments is already being felt. To a large extent the future of Rely-Intracast has been remoulded through the recession.

The biggest change in the company is our new-found hunger to explore and find new markets to operate in

Exploring“The biggest change in the company is our new-found hunger to explore and find new markets to operate in. We have moved from an introverted narrow focus to an all inclusive extroverted ap-proach to expand our markets. We are proud of the fact that we are able to work with almost any material and are able to cast almost anything that the customer needs. That is something to be proud of as there are not many companies out there that can boast the same kind of diversity of products as we can. When the recession is finally over we will be in a stronger position and will have a bigger footprint than we did before. I believe we have come out fighting and have conquered the recession,” concludes Mark.

Rely Intracast, Mark Hughes, Tel: (011) 914-1640, Fax: (011) 914-3586, Email: [email protected], Website: www.rely.co.za

1� Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

Raw Energy Drives Power Supply Project

As a low-key visitor to Steinmüller Africa’s Pretoria-based workshop it was striking to note the intensity of the workers going about their business of fabricating the boilers, auxiliaries and pipework that will power Eskom’s two new coal fired power stations and relieve the energy crisis that is gripping South Africa. In all my years visiting factories and worksites I have never witnesses such focus nor sensed such pride in the work being

carried out.

I t may have been a good day, or more likely it may be that the company’s workforce under-stands the gravity of the power situation in South Africa and feels that they are in their own

way providing a patriotic service to their country. Nonetheless, the task at hand is enormous the scale of which has never been undertaken in such a short time by a single company anywhere in the world – ever.

Parts and pressure parts for the new power stations

Under the umbrella of its German parent company, Bilfinger Berger Power Holding, it is part of one of the world’s leading industrial groups with a history spanning nearly 150 years in power generation. Evidently, the group’s vast experience and deep pool of skills will be taxed to the hilt in the years leading to the completion of the fabrication project.

Few people outside the energy sector in South Africa realize the scale of Eskom’s ambitious plans to build two massive new coal fired power stations by 2014.

INDUSTRY LEADERS PROFILE

Few people outside the energy sector in South Africa realize the scale of Eskom’s ambitious plans


Super-critical On completion the power stations will be the largest on the African continent and their modern designs will ensure maximum efficiency. The stations’ boilers operate at super-critical temperatures (above 500° C) in order to get the most out of each ton of coal that is burned. The high temperatures and subsequently high pressures call for super strength exotic materi-als to be used.

Salvador von Neuberg, director of Bilfinger Berger, is in charge of technical operations of Steinmüller Africa. He explains that the scope of work is enormous and highly specialized. It entails hundreds of kilometers of piping and high pressure piping made from exotic materials to be imported and transported to the site for bending and welding.

In turn, thousands of kilometers of specialized welds will be made by hand or machine and fabrication of the huge boilers and walls is well underway and will be an ongoing process over the next four years. Absolute precision is called upon for all processes to endure the extremes of power generation and to ensure the 30 plus year life expectancy of the power plants are met.

Pretoria workshopWhen the company was awarded the Eskom contract it became apparent that new larger premises would be needed to house the operation. The mostly disused


The main workshop is some 800 m long to accommodate the boiler walls laid

end-to-end

A ceramic header pipe


A mill similar to this will be installed at Madupi Power Station

premises of Arcelor Mital (previously Iscor) were ideal due to the size and nature of the buildings and its location in the heart of the capital city’s industrial area is central for supply operations.

The main workshop is some 800 m long to accommodate the boiler walls laid end-to-end. Cutting, bending, weld-ing, and preparation of the thousands of metres of pipes and fittings is done on machines that have been specially installed for the purpose. Prefabrication is carried out in one of two slightly smaller workshops where specialised equipment is also housed. The new workshop totals an enormous 60 000 m² under roof and brings the groups total workshop area to a staggering 102 000 m². The prem-ises are equipped with fit-for-purpose machines and the entire operation runs efficiently through the workshop with little wasted space.

South African footprintSteimuller has long history in the country. In 1896 the company supplied an 8 MW steam plant for the Brakpan Power Station. In 1962 the Steinmüller group established itself in South Africa and since then it has provided the steam generation systems that powers most of the country’s coal fuelled power sta-tions. It is also responsible for long-term

maintenance on more than 80 % of the plants locally and many more across our borders.

Steinmüller’s maintenance division currently keeps the generation side of most Eskom’s power stations in ship-shape condition and the company has recently been called upon to recommission several of the power utility’s mothballed plants to fulfil the country’s burgeoning power requirements.

Complete maintenance solutions are currently being provided for Arnot, Hendrina, Duvha, Kriel, Tutuka, Majuba, Camden, Grootvlei and Komati, Matia and Matimba (pip-ing only) have partial outsourced maintenance contracts. Plant lifetime extension are also being provided on certain power stations.

More than 5% of the company’s workforce is

employed in a role directly related to ensuring quality


Heart of the companyAccording to Salvador the com-pany is built around its people and thrives on the ability to call upon the skills of its trained and talented workforce. The South African operation boasts more than 100 engineers and other suitably qualified technical staff out of a total workforce of about 800 people. Furthermore, the company recently acquired a technical skills training institu-tion to provide on-site training and facilities for artisans and technical staff to ensure they are equipped with the necessary know-how to undertake tasks that are assigned to them with confidence.

“Steinmüller Africa is a world-

Equipment

· Water Wall Panel fabrication line

· Fin calibrating and shot blasting equipment

· Beveling machines for Edge preparation

· Electric PWHT Oven up to 1 150oC, 2m x 2m x 10m

· Automatic Butt Welding m/c. for tube dia up to 88.9mm

· Automatic Supporting Tube Welding m/c. (CO² process)

· Header Nipple Welding m/c. with 2 TIG & 3 Subarc torches

· Subarc Welding Equipment with Manipulator up to 1 100 A

· CNC Booster Bending m/c. up to 120 mm tube dia

· Booster Bending m/c. up to 63.5 mm tube dia

· Mandrel Bending m/c. up to 133 mm tube dia

· With 6 Torch operation the current Capacity of the Panel Welding Machine is more than 3 000 weldmeter/shift

· Working 20 days/month it can achieve 40,000 to 60 000 weldmeter/month

· Under consideration of approx. 70 subarc meter/m² wall it may perform 600 to 900 m² Water Wall Panel per month as a minimum

· Membrane welding machine, 6 head, 2.5 m x 30 m, 20 000 weld metres a week

· Header Nipple Welding m/c. with 2 TIG & 3 Subarc torches

· CNC Header Drilling m/c.

· 3 x Cold Bending m/c for up to 5 000 bends a week

· Automatic Sling Tube Welding m/c. (CO² process)

· Automatic Butt Welding m/c. for tube dia up to 88.9mm

· Induction bending machine up to 850 mm dia

· The bending machines are capable to bend in 2-shift operation at least 800 bends/day, as a maximum per day approx. 2 000 bends

· During 20 days/month it may achieve 16,000 to 40,000 bends/month

· Under consideration of approx. 4 m tube length per bend it may perform 80 000 m of tube per month as a minimum



class organisation that sets high standards for its staff and suppliers in order to meet and exceed customer expectations on an ongoing basis,” Salvador adds.

While Steinmüller has the pedigree and skills to undertake the challenging tasks at hand, its vision is to remain the preferred supplier of project management, engineering, maintenance and construction services in southern Africa through the group’s com-bined operations.

PrincipalsA common thread that runs through all the group companies is an uncompromising focus on quality. Quality of materials, services and supply ensures a continuity of quality products and services. More than 5% of the company’s workforce is employed in a role directly related to ensuring quality. Ad-ditionally, all supervisors and line managers have additional responsibilities related to maintaining quality and it is safe to assume

The induction inlet on a typical power plant

Expansion into other projects on the continent are on the cards



Soon to be commissioned induction bending machine

that the work is of the highest standard.

“In order to be a world class operation we employ business principals that ensure we employ the best technical expertise, use the best quality materials and have a workforce of well-trained artisans to complete every task. This quality ethos is enshrined in everything we do and incorporates everyone from supply to final handover. In this way we are sure of our outputs and clients can rest assured they get what they pay for.”

Quality is kingTrue to its German origins and German tradition the company is centred around quality of workmanship. It has ISO 9001: 2008 accreditation for design, service, maintenance and refurbishment of steam generators, pressure parts and related inspection activities and services, while the Steinmüller Africa Workshop has recently achieved ISO 3834 accredi-tation. The accreditation also covers portfolio of industrial, petrochemical and pulp & paper products such as pressure vessels and other fabrication and engineering services.

Apart from trained staff and the highest quality accreditations the company expects similar qual-ity and service levels from its vast supplier base. To supply products or services to the group is a feather in the cap of any company that is on their supplier list as the same stringent controls that govern the company govern suppliers. Most of the capital equipment, machines and consumables supplied are sourced through the parent company in Europe, but a number of local suppliers have received the nod to supplement supplies.

FutureLooking beyond the current Eskom projects the company will be poised to take on work elsewhere in the world and is positioned to become a major

role-player in the Southern Hemisphere. Expan-sion into other projects on the continent are on


Apart from trained staff and the highest quality accreditations the company expects similar quality and service levels from its vast supplier base


Thousands of weld-kilometres will have been completed manually and by machine by the time the generation plant is commissioned

Steinmüller’s local power milestones

2004 : Camden Power Station - return to service

2003 : Partnership contract with Eskom maintenance services renewed

2000 : Partnership contract with Eskom for maintenance at 8 power stations

1986 : Erection of 6 x 665 MW for Matimba Power Station

1983 : 3 x 675 MW boilers and 3 x 711 MW boilers for Majuba Power Station

1980 : 6 x 600 MW boilers for Tutuka Power Station

1975 : 6 x 600 MW boilers for Duvha Power Station

1970 : 6 x 500 MW boilers for Kriel Power Station

1968 : 5 x 200 MW boilers for Hendrina Power Station

1967 : 200 MW boiler for Grootvlei Power Station

the cards, where its expertise in the supply of heavy engineering solutions particularly power generation and process plants, will be expertly employed.

Supplier dynamicsSteinmüller Africa’s rigid focus on quality transcends company boundaries to its supply chain. Suppliers are carefully selected on quality and merits of their supply and have under-gone careful screening through its procure-ment department before contracts are awarded.

It is a feather in the cap of the suppliers as their services are deemed to be of the highest international standards. In addi-tion, the speed at which the power station projects are progressing means


that swift, on time delivery is the order of the day and supplying the company really is a case of survival of the fittest.

Steinmüller,Tel: (011) 806-3000, Fax: (011) 806-3330, Email: [email protected], Website: www.steinmuller.co.za


ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS

Look no further than your kitchen or bathroom because the wonder material is collectively known as ceramics and has been used by man for thousands of years. Since intrepid

Chinese pottery makers developed techniques to mould fine crockery, similar processes are still used today to produce industrial ceramics with phenom-enal properties. Fine China crockery, bowls, baths and basins were popularized through the ages and ceramics are now synonymous with kitchen and

Ancient Wonder MaterialImagine a high-tech material that combines phenomenal wear resistance with flexural strengths that are mea-sured not in megapascals but rather in gigapascals, and consider its application potential within industry. A material that is so advanced that it can be formed or moulded, within limits, to almost any shape required and can withstand

temperatures far beyond that of most alloys. It can be produced to be light weight, non-conductive or non-reactive or to suite

any application.

bathroom ware in house-holds around the world.

Its popularity as a crock-ery and sanitary ware of choice, though, has done little to further the cause of this versatile material in other applications.

ReputationThinking of ceramics you usually remember mo-ments when you smashed gran’s best China din-ner plate or cracked the porcelain floor tiles after your soccer ball sent your mother’s favourite potplant careening off the shelf. Its reputation therefore is of a dainty material that breaks easily and is prone to cracking and chipping at the drop of a hat.

If ever there was a candi-date for a classic misgiving, then this is it. While most ceramics are no-doubt brittle, some nevertheless rank among the toughest materials known to man, and provided good crys-

Martin Meyer, managing director of CERadvance

Sintering kilns for ceramic firing

Its popularity as a crockery and sanitary ware of choice, though, has done little to further the cause of this versatile material


talline design principles are adhered to, they are up to a lot more than most design engineers give them credit for. Martin Beyers, managing director of CERadvance Engineering Ceramics has devoted his entire working life to disproving the myth and advancing the use of ceramics in new industrial applications.

InnovationThe company he co-founded a decade ago bases its product development on the adaptability of ceramics and providing ceramic solutions to an increasing amount of industrial problems. Through the innovative use of ceramics in appropriate ap-plications, using appropriate design parameters, the company boasts having saved clients a small fortune in process improvements and extension of lifetime of machines and parts.

“Ceramics have gotten a bad rap in the last part of the previous century. To compound the problem, few if any tertiary institution in the country include more than a fleeting mention of ceramics in their curricula. Students are taught of the properties of metals, polymers, even wood and the likes, but not schooled on the phenomenal properties of ceramics.

Fact boxLook out for CERadvance’s new monetary cur-rency – the Duro. Like any currency it has a value that is based upon a promise to present the bearer a certain amount of real value. The South African Rand, for example, is based upon gold and in theory the currency is redeemable in gold should the reserve bank choose to reimburse the bearer.

The Duro is no different. It is issued to users of CERadvance’s Line-Ox ceramic products and symbolically as well as in cost-saving terms promises to pay the bearer the equivalent value in the most precious commodity of all, namely reduced downtime and improved productivity on a cost-to-life basis. The clever marketing campaign was launched by CERadvance at its 10 year an-niversary earlier this year to represent time and money savings enjoyed as a result of improving the lifespan of parts and components within production processes through the appropriate use of ceramics.

“That’s why most applications of ceramics are designed as a retrofit to solve problems where the original material is inadequate, like in high wear-ing or high temperature applications. Instead of designing machines or entire processes that include ceramics where they can be used optimally we find that engineers use materials that they understand and have learned the properties of.

Only when poor performance or failure results, do the engineers look towards using alternative materi-als such as ceramics,” says Martin.

He insists that engineers should familiarize them-selves with the properties of ceramics in order to be able to confidently specify the right material for the right job. The design of equipment and imple-ments can then be carried out from scratch using materials that are fit for the job in mind. But Martin is realistic about the task at hand and is resigned to the fact that preconceived ideas take a long time to change. His outlook on the future of ceramics is more like that of a teacher that patiently shows the way and leads by example. He has set up an on-site laboratory to conduct tests on ceramic products and to provide conclusive evidence of its performance in simulated applications.

PropertiesAccording to one definition, ceramics are inorganic, non-metallic compounds produced at ambient tem-peratures and then heat-treated at higher tempera-tures. Oxide ceramics used in industry are composed of synthetically produced Alpha-Alumina, Magnesia, and Zirconia to mention a few. Other compounds can be added to provide different characteristics required for different industries, such as electronics,

To compound the problem, few if any tertiary institution in the country include more than a fleeting mention of ceramics in their curricula



Steps in the manufacture of CERadvance’s Duro currency


structural or industrial.

The inherent strength of ceramics is derived from the tough covalent bonds and the densification process, called sintering through the application of heat energy. Techniques to minimise the crystal size and improve bonds are continuously being developed and as a result the density and strength of ceramics can be manipu-lated to provide a wide range of characteristics. Ceramics can deliver high compressive strength, wear resistance or wide-ranging thermal tolerance and can even be manufactured to be flexible , showing high elastic deformation properties.

Industry solutionsIndustrial applications for

A selection of parts destined for industrial applications

Once you understand the properties of ceramics you will find that there are millions of applications for the material

the strong and du-rable material are limited only by the imagination and although ceramics have been used in industrial processes for many decades, a myriad of appli-cations can still be improved through the effective use of ceramics. In this regard CERadvance has provided solu-tions to many trou-blesome problems in many instances. We have saved companies a lot of money and time and will continue to do so in future. Our ceramic products are being employed in hundreds of dif-ferent applications from valve liners to catalyst supports in chemical treatment plants, refractories

for foundries and general wear components for the mining sector. Once you understand the properties of ceramics you will find that there are millions of applications for the material,” ends Martin.

CERadvance, Martin Beyers, Tel: (011) 397-8933, Fax: (011) 397-8938, Email: [email protected], Web: www.ceradvance.co.za


F irst up is Version 6 (called V6, don’t confuse it with an engine!) of Dassault’s CATIA Product Lifecycle

Management (PLM) suite. For a number of years the CATIA suite has dominated design houses in the automotive and aerospace industries, with almost all major

Red Hot Manufacturing Software! Forget next years’ Soccer World Cup, forget the economic

recession, in fact, forget pretty much everything until you’ve seen the latest manufacturing software on the ho-rizon, due for release early this year. Advanced Materials Today recently had a glimpse of one of the hottest new

releases of software that promises to streamline manufac-turing industry processes. Best of all, the new software release is from the well-known stable of Dassault Sys-

tèmes (DS), a stalwart that need little if any introduction to the local market.

brands adopting the technology as a standard. The new V6 builds on previous version’s functionality and facilitates enhanced interactivity among users.

PLM is a set of unique business solutions that enables an enterprise to effectively and efficiently innovate and manage its products and related ser-vices. This is done throughout the entire business lifecycle, from concept through design, manufacture, recycling and disposal.

“A lot of interest has already been shown in CATIA V6. A major concern is South African manufactur-ers’ comparatively slow uptake of the technology, and we fear that if manufacturers do not comply

with OEM requirement to standardize on a common software platform, they will lose out on many business op-portunities.

Contracts lostThis is particularly true in the motor and aviation industries, where CATIA is the de facto standard,” says Igal Filipovski, managing director of CDC, South African VAR (Value Added Re-seller) for the entire DS PLM solution portfolio.

He adds that some contracts have al-ready been lost to overseas competitors as a result of the non-compliance of software used by local automotive and aerospace suppliers. The new software, however, has enough features and benefits to convince the most die-hard manufacturing companies to invest in

Igal Filipovski, managing director of CDC

Some contracts have already been lost to overseas competitors as a result of the non-compliance of software

DESIGN COMPANIES AND SOFTWARE PROGRAMMES


PLM technology. CATIA is considered to be the most powerful and widely-used CAD/CAM/CAE software of its kind in the world, with over 200 different products and configurations that can be tailored to address essentially any manufacturing environment. Well-known examples of leading users include such diverse and household names as BMW, Toyota, Airbus, Boeing, Black and Decker, Electrolux, Coca-Cola, Swatch, Sony, Canon, and many more.

Igal is upbeat about the prospects the software holds for South African busi-nessmen. “It streamlines the complete development process from idea to design through the entire product lifecycle by providing a virtual environment for testing, prototyping and manufacturing.

Going globalIt also drives the development of in-novative, high quality products while drastically reducing time for development, cutting costs and providing faster return on investment. Furthermore, it gives lo-cal enterprises the tools to enable them to bid, compete and win in the global marketplace.”

He says that CATIA V6 was developed in response to continuous pressure from OEM’s to shorten time to market and to reduce costs. The latest version was developed in close collaboration with users, and includes enhance-ments that are delivered in the three sectors of V6’s organic architecture (Life-like Experience, Collabora-tive I-PLM and Intellectual Property (IP) Creation). This extends the reach of the V6 platform beyond on-premises solutions to include mobile and cloud solutions.

The V6 platform delivers new and unique capa-bilities that connect users within their companies or with external online

Simulation using 3DVIA

The aerospace industry uses the CATIA suite of software for design and development of aircraft

CATIA V6 was developed in response to continuous pressure from OEM’s to shorten time to market and to reduce costs



control required in industrial companies.

Lifelike ExperienceApplications such as 3DVIA Mobile deliver unique,

online 3D simulation facilities. Users can generate realistic 3D content from CATIA’s extensive 3D online library and immediately enrich their visual produc-tions such as Technical Illustration. It enables the creation of lifelike interac-tive scenarios on virtual products and connects directly to 3DVIA.com com-munities, where 3D experiences can be easily created and stored.

CATIA V6 has major new capabilities for systems engineering, mechatron-ics, regulatory compliance and digital manufacturing for high-tech Intellectual Property creation. It now links IP creators to collaborators, providing intuitive solu-tions to shape, compose and repurpose any 3D virtual product

Other exciting additions to the Dassault Systèmes suite include the new Delmia application that enables lifelike digital manufacturing environments to be cre-ated, to simulate assembly sequences and define the behaviour of any controlled machine – CNC machines, robotics and so forth.

Industry uptakeThe Simulia product extends its unique collaborative environment for performing lifelike simulation and product behaviour testing, allowing designers to perform structural and thermal analysis on products prior to manufacture.

French vehicle manufacturer Renault will be the first automotive manufac-turer to migrate to the latest version, and South Africa’s very own electric vehicle manufacturer, Optimal Energy, will use the system to enter into pro-duction of its much-talked-about Joule environmentally-friendly car.

CDC, Igal Filipovski, Tel: (011) 786 3516, Fax: (011) 786 3520, Email: [email protected], Web: www.cdcza.co.za

South Africa’s very own electric vehicle manufacturer, Optimal Energy, will use the system to enter into production of its much-talked-about Joule environmentally-friendly car


communities. It enables them to create and share their 3D Experiences and IP with the ease-of-use of common Internet tools, while maintaining the


Hot Iron, Shiny Wings and a Highway to Heaven

Her pulse quickens, small beads of sweat glisten on her temples as flushes of ecstasy wash over her every thought. On and on it goes tingling, tantalizing every inch of her lithe body, pushing her to the verge of plea-sure and beyond. A strand of blonde hair whispers over her blue eyes as she bites hard on her glistening bot-tom lip in a vein attempt to stop herself wishing, begging out loud for more. Just then the rhythmic pulsating between her legs drives upwards shaking her to her very core and she responds by subtly tightening her long

legs around the muscular, hard frame.

She visualizes every detail of the beast, its masculine form working, heaving underneath her. Her pleasure senses are in overdrive and the anticipated climax comes suddenly and

ferociously as a desert storm. The last powerful thrust straightens her back and forces her to push her bottom firmly onto the soft seat. As she slides her rear wheel to a stop and dismounts her custom motorcycle she is left deeply satisfied but lusting more of the thrills that only those who have expe-rienced riding the open rode will understand.

Maybe the description of the pleasure that bikers derive from riding their bikes is a bit over the top and overdone, but according to those that do it on a regular basis it is a hardcore, almost spiritual experience to ride a bike hard and fast. Whether they choose to think of their bike as a bucking filly or sleek stallion is entirely a matter of choice, although one thing is certain and that is that a true biker will stop at nothing to perfect their ride and make it as individual to them as is their very own fingerprint.

Meet LouisLouis Horn, owner of The Wrench, makes his living

Whether they choose to think of their bike as a bucking filly or sleek stallion is entirely a matter of choice

CUSTOMISING


from customizing bike designs for bikers from all walks of society.

True to biker tradition his long hair and tatty jeans give him a bit of a rough and ready appearance, but his looks belie a smart business brain and highly skilled craftsman. When Advanced Materials Today pays him a visit at his premises in Centurion, that doubles as both showroom and workshop, it is clear that business is good because there is little space to move between spares, accessories, clothes and bikes. The business is bursting out of it’s seams and Louis is trying his utmost to make use of the space he’s got. He points to a much bigger premises over the way from his shop that is standing empty pend-ing the outcome of a legal dispute. Some time ago he submitted the paperwork to lease the premises from the landlord and is patiently waiting for an

outcome to know whether he will get the prize and be able to move in to a suitably sized shop.

At the back, in the workshop, a number of custom-ized bikes are being assembled and some are ready for delivery. A big all-aluminium bike catches my attention and Louis is quick to point out that although it looks good, aluminium is a poor substitute for steel when it comes to building cruisers.

Apart from difficulty in threading and seating aluminium, it is not nearly as strong and rugged as steel and loses its shine quickly by compari-son. Although he himself is not a big fan of shiny chrome and flashy metals, he would rather work with this material than aluminium or other non-ferrous metals.

Trends“The current trend is for matt finishes of steelwork and low gloss or matt paintwork. This is almost a

rebuff of the style that was popular over the last decade when shine and bling bling was the order of the day. In much the same way the ultra-modern designs that were inspired purely by looks were often impracti-cal and I have seen a definite shift to ‘old school’ choppers like those that became popular in the nineteen sixties and seventies.

Louis builds the majority of his bikes from the ground up. His workshop has all the tools and machines needed to fabricate everything from the mudguards to the tank and covers. He has even started building his own frames and if the client has specific requirements for motors, wheels or customised parts he has a network of suppliers that will ensure it is made to specifications.

Engines, transmission, brakes and electronics are the only ‘off the shelf ’ parts that are not made by his team, although extensive customizations can be carried out as required.

His bikes are good, damn good and it is not by chance that Louis was approached to build two custom choppers with the well-known Tuttle family from Orange County Choppers - hosts of the American Chopper series on TV. During their visit Louis took part in live build-offs in front of huge audiences to give the public a taste of what it takes to build a custom chopper.

Smooth as silkOn the other side of the Boerewors curtain in the western region of Johan-

I have seen a definite shift to ‘old school’ choppers

CUSTOMISING


nesburg, Tommie Roos runs a super-slick operation. Under the old banner of South Side Choppers he and his team were twice crowned as overall winners in the custom bike section of the Castol Extreme Motor Show in 2007 and 2008.

Having sold the business early last year to take over the reigns of Harley-Davidson Clearwater, he was eager to prove that the legend continues and that the new operation is capable of building some of the country’s finest custom bikes ever pro-duced on home soil. Just to drive that point home he recently walked away with overall top honours at the Castol Biker Build-Off competition with his dark angel bike.

Wild at heartTommy comes across as a wild at heart biker that has been somewhat tamed by the world of business. The business dress and short-back-and-sides haircut cannot completely hide the wild side, but, admittedly, does a good job disguising it. Like his bikes, Tommy exudes a special kind of passion for his job. “I love everything about bikes and the lifestyle that comes with it. For our team here at Clearwater Harley and our customers the bike is a passport to a whole new lifestyle. How you define yourself and the biker lifestyle you choose is entirely up to you,” Tommie says.

“On the open road bikers get a sense of freedom and escape into a dif-ferent world where all that matter is the road, the bike and the journey. Pretty soon most serious bikers develop a sense of individuality based on their experiences on the road, their riding style and indi-vidual preferences. Pretty soon the bike becomes part of their existence and this leads to a need to individu-alise their machine. That’s where customization takes a hold.

But, more about the lifestyle later, we asked Tom-mie what goes into building a bike, apart from the passion and money, oh yes, lots of money. Hand built custom bikes aren’t cheap and his have a starting pricetag of around R300 000 and there is no limit to what people will fork out for their dream

How you define yourself and the biker lifestyle you choose is entirely up to you

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�0 Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

machine. For this reason most of his clients are from the more well-heeled folk among us.

Money, moneyEven those less well-heeled individuals needn’t despair because they can always buy a Harley from him for a little less. Although some radical

customizations may be required to individualise it and then, well, you can quite quickly spend a whole lot of money, fairly quickly.

“To build a custom you have to get into that person’s head. Find out more about them, what makes them tick and what their passions are. Ask lots of questions and start piecing together who they are and what they want.

Normally the client will give you a theme, say for example, Batman and then you start picking apart all the elements of the theme and translating it to that client’s persona. Then, only then, do you start planning and building the bike.

“But its not as easy as that because once you get going the bike takes on a life of its own. Changes and improvements and fine-tuning throughout the building process transforms the bike to a large extent and it can be quite different from what you set out to build in the first place. From the day the concept is born to the delivery it is an evolution rather than a strict building project.”

And he should know, he has the awards to show for it. Tommie has used many different materials on his bikes includ-ing a mostly brass bike, a carbon fibre bike and any number of different metals

From the day the concept is born to the delivery it is an evolution rather than a strict building project

CUSTOMISING

Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010 �1

combinations.

Chrome and highly polished finishes are always classical although new trends toward matt paintwork and metal finishes are growing in popularity, especially among those who have already owned shiny chromed bikes and are looking for something different.

Why customA fully customized motorbike is as much an expression of ones personality as is your haircut or designer clothing. In biker circles it is about individuality and standing out among the crowd. Generally the more extroverted the personality, the more radical the bike. Although, in some instances the bike may be an expression of the inner-personality rather than the person that society has moulded.

A good example of a bike that was built to fit the personality is that of Clint Aspeling, a well-known West Rand restaurateur and self-confessed limelight junkie. His bike fits the larger than life attitude that sets Clint apart in

the crowd. Like its owner it is big and flashy and exudes attitude. The bike is low-slung, long and

CUSTOMISING

�2 Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

aggressive and by Clint’s own admission is better to look at than to ride. In order to get the look right, the rider has to do some fancy maneuvering to reach the handlebars, get the feet to the pedals and stay in control of the beast with its massive 2.5 litre engine doing its utmost to shake its mount.

“If I wanted a comfortable bike for the long road I would have bought a Harley. This isn’t about speed or comfort or anything else, it’s about being noticed. The bike is loud and its mean and pulls a crowd wherever it goes - that’s what I bought – being the focus of attention.

Crowd pullerKids love it and want to sit on it, men admire it and chicks dig it,” Clint laughs.

Clint is one of a breed of wealthy men and woman that are prepared to pay top Dollar for handmade unique bikes built to their standards to suite them. The award winning bike that Clint dreamed-up was built from the ground up by Tommy and his team and took months to complete. Certain parts had to be specially made and imported from the United States, while others were hand crafted locally.

Everything about the bike is handcrafted from the leather hand stitched, etched and custom-fit seat to the metal work and trimmings that were either fabricated by the shop or outsourced to fabrication plants around the country. The paintwork and de-tailing that was carried out by a local specialist is a work-of-art and equally as original as the bike. Price was not an option and the final price tag amounted to more than half-a-million Rand.

Others choose less radical custom-built bikes,

while a growing number of people choose to buy an off-the-shelf motorbike and customize it to their own taste. This type of customization is usually reserved for those that like to stand out in a crowd, but value the comfort, reliability and availability of parts that is afforded when buying ‘big brand’ motorbikes. Customisation is less radical and usually goes as far as paintwork, accessories and wheels. Al-though less exclusive they are nonetheless individual and beautiful in their own ‘mass produced’ way.

LifestyleUnlike the superbike bri-gade, riders of cruisers

don’t get their thrills from outright speed alone. The average cruiser rider is looking for ease of rid-ing that doesn’t entail hairing up and down gears through a close ratio gearbox.

It is more about setting the throttle and using the large capacity motor’s brut power or torque to power up and down hills or mountains with minimum fuss. Power is usually delivered through a large capacity motor that gushes torque in a flat curve from low revs all the way through to its red line. The ear-popping sound is as individual as the bike and in some instances it seems the louder the bike, the better. In fact, when it comes to custom bikes the sound is as important as any other tailor-made part.

Whether cruising hundreds of kilometers on a customized Harley Davidson or Gold Wing, or cruising from News Café to News Café to show off your stead and feed the ‘old ego’, the one thing riders have in common is the freedom of the road. The element of danger and not conforming to the norm brings a sense of camaraderie and often leads to strong bonds developing between people from different walks of life.

This same sense of camaraderie cuts across classes and on the road all bikers are just that – bikers. In the case of a custom bike rider its all the same, just the size, colour, height, wheels, graphics (and everything else) that counts.

The Wrench, Louis Horne, Tel / Fax: (012) 663 5059, Email: [email protected], Web: www.the-wrench.com. Harley-Davidson Clearwater, Tommie Roos, Tel: (011) 675 5443, Fax: (011) 675 5443, Email: [email protected], Web: www.harley-clearwater.co.za

Clint Aspeling

Price was not an option and the final price tag amounted to more than half-a-million Rand

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Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010 ��

International News

Wash-away spacersMulti-Seals has introduced a range of Wash-Away dissolvable spacers, designed to provide consistent spacing between printed circuit boards and PCB components.

These organic polymer spacers locate PCB components during soldering operations. After soldering, Wash-Aways dissolve in water or alcohol baths. This leaves uniform spacing between components and boards, which provides free circulation of air, mechanical protection, optimum filleting, and greater accessibility for inspection, cleaning, and conformal coating.

Wash-Aways are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes to accommodate a variety of PCB com-ponents, including resistors, capacitors, transistors, potentiometers, and integrated circuits. Wash-Aways contain no ionizable material, salts, sugars, metals, or soaps, and they are non-corrosive, non-conductive, and non-toxic.

Multi-Seals, Email: [email protected], Web: www.multi-seals.com

Multi-Seals new dissolvable spacers

Hobber restoredAutomation upgrade specialists MasterControls and Southern Technical Services have jointly retrofitted a Gleason 782 gear hobber with a new CNC control system from NUM. The machine is used by a large aerospace components manufacturer in Chihuahua, Mexico, to produce spur, helical and crown gears with complex profiles. Prior to the retrofit, the machine’s

control system had become increasingly unreliable, resulting in high maintenance overhead and unacceptable downtime.

The machine’s new NUM CNC software includes the NUMGear package, which features a highly intuitive graphical user interface to help maximise productivity. This software also performs all of the functions, which previously required an external electronic gearbox, thereby reducing the complexity of the system and the number of parts that require maintenance.

Gleason Corporation is a world leader in gearing technology. The Gleason 782 gear hobber is widely regarded as an industrial workhorse, it enjoys a very large customer base. However, this particular machine’s control system was showing signs of age. In this case, the gear hobber has seven CNC axes, which were controlled by an Allen Brad-ley 8600 CNC system and an external electronic gearbox, both of which had become outdated, unreliable and difficult

An internal view of the gear hobber, showing the complex multi-axis system and the hob shaft

�� Advanced Materials Today Jan/Feb 2010

International Newsto maintain. After several months of intermittent operation, the company solicited the help of MCI and STS to restore the machine to peak operational condition at a fraction of the cost of a new machine.

MasterControls Inc. (MCI) and Southern Technical Services (STS) quickly ascertained that the gear hobber was in excel-lent mechanical condition, but would benefit from new CNC control hardware and software, together with a new operator’s panel and some associated control modules. The customer requested that the machine’s existing drives, motors and feedback devices – all of which were perfectly serviceable – should be retained, and also stipulated that the machine footprint should not be changed. MCI and STS accommodated this latter demand by developing an entirely new sub-panel containing the new NUM CNC, power supplies, circuit break-ers and contactors, which was subsequently mounted inside the machine’s existing control cabinet.

The retrofit package is based entirely on NUM equipment. As well as the new seven-axis CNC controller, this includes a new PC based operator’s panel, which features a large, easy-to-read 15-inch LCD screen with a full membrane keyboard, and a 61-button machine tool builder’s panel with a hand pulse generator. An industrial mouse was also mounted on the operator panel, for convenience of the operator.

NUM (UK) Ltd, Email: [email protected], Web: www.num.com

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Super precision machining centerToday’s aerospace companies are faced with the demands of machining exotic materials and hard-to-machine charac-teristics such as titanium and Inconel. These manufacturing challenges are further compounded when precision bores and dimensional shapes require machined tolerances in the single micron range. For this reason StarragHeckert has introduced the SIP SPC (Super Precision Center) Series specifically built to meet these demanding applications.

The proven high precision machine design and geometry works in tandem with the machine’s high productivity features delivering substantial benefits. The result is that for the first time precision parts can be produced in volume at standards of super accuracy as yet unattainable within a production environment. The SPC 7120 and 7140 SIP horizontal machining centers (HMC) feature a compact design, highly productive tool and workpiece handling and are ideally suited for a broad spectrum of production applications — while routinely achieving 4µ precision and accuracy (according to VDI/DGQ 3441). The SPC has selectable process adaptation parameters automatically optimising machine performance depending on roughing, finishing and fine finishing opera-tion requirements.

The SPC SIP is equipped with either the Siemens 840 D or Fanuc 31i CNC control system.

The SPC 7120 SIP’s travel values are 1,200 mm in X, 950 mm in Y and 1,200 mm in Z. (7140: 1450 mm in X, 1100 mm in Y and 1300 in Z.) Working feed rates are 40 m/min (X, Y and Z), while rapid traverse rates are 40 m/min in all three axes. Rapid traverse rate of the B-axis is 25 U/min. Acceleration rates are 3.5 m/sec2 in X, Y and Z axes. Ac-curacy of linear axes: positioning deviation of <0.004 mm; repeatability of <0.002 mm and maximum backlash width U max of <0.001 mm.

Starragheckert, Jean-Daniel Isoz, Email: [email protected]


Count on platinumGlobal net jewellery demand for platinum is expected to climb by almost eighty per cent to 2.45 million ounces this year according to Johnson Matthey’s “Platinum 2009 Interim Review”, released in November last year. Net demand will fall in Europe and North America, reflecting tough economic conditions. However, in Japan, lower prices have reduced recycling flows and, although manufacturing levels will rise only slightly from 2008, net demand will climb strongly. In China, the metal price has continued to encourage demand from the jewellery sector, which should leap to a record level of 1.75 million ounces in 2009 due to strong consumer purchasing and hefty restocking throughout the industry.

ChinaThe lower price of platinum compared to the first half of 2008 has had a hugely positive effect on net Chinese jew-ellery demand which is expected to rise to a record 1.75 million ounces this year. Lower prices provided retailers and wholesalers with the opportunity to replenish and expand stocks, increasing platinum’s share of counter space where it replaced white gold jewellery. Attractive profit margins also encouraged new retailers and new manufacturers into this sector. This widespread restocking drove a dizzying increase in demand in the first half of 2009 in particular. Continued economic growth and a fall in the retail price of platinum jewellery also considerably boosted the weight of platinum sold through to consumers. Together, these trends increased net platinum demand in the first half of 2009 to over one

International Newsmillion ounces in China alone.

EuropePurchases of platinum by the European jewellery and watch industries are forecast to decrease by 15,000 oz to an esti-mated 185,000 oz this year. The European luxury jewellery manufacturers have struggled with the effects of the financial crisis and demand will fall as a result. However, demand for platinum in the key UK market has been supported by a robust bridal market and platinum demand is likely to be steady year-on-year. Platinum use in the Swiss watch industry will drop due to lower watch production and careful stock control by manufacturers and retailers.

JapanNet Japanese platinum jewellery demand is expected to climb by 255,000 oz to 310,000 oz in 2009. The lower metal price has reduced the incentive for consumers to cash in second hand jewellery and the rate of recycling of jewellery scrap will therefore fall sharply. Gross demand (equivalent to manufacturing volumes and any changes in industry stock levels) rose by 10,000 oz to 540,000 oz as retailers who reduced their prices saw improved sales of platinum jewellery. Production of platinum chain for sale in Japan and for export to China also increased.

North AmericaThe jewellery market in North America has struggled in worsening economic conditions. Net platinum demand is forecast to fall by more than a quarter this year to 140,000 oz as consumers’ disposable income has shrunk and retailers have again reduced working stocks.

Platinum 2009 Interim Review is Johnson Matthey’s latest market survey of platinum group metals supply and demand. This report, widely regarded as the world’s principal source of information on platinum group metals, is free of charge. It can be viewed and downloaded as an electronic file or can be ordered in printed form from Johnson Matthey at http://www.platinum.matthey.com/publications/pgmreview.html

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ing at Further Education and Training colleges (FET) and by accredited training providers in SA. A dedicated “Apprentice Trainer” has been appointed to train, guide, coach and moni-tor the development and progress of the trainees.

The company currently has nine apprentices in their training program, with five of them awaiting dates from the Artisan Testing Centers for their final practical exam to qualify as artisans. It is envisaged that MTU SA will have a further intake of five apprentices in 2010 and five every year thereafter until a total of 20 trainees in the program is achieved.

MTU South Africa, Michael Baumann, Tel: (021) 529 5760, Fax: (021) 551 1970, Email: [email protected], Web: www.mtu-online.co.za

Apprentice groomingSteps are being taken by one of the country’s leading engine and propulsion system suppliers to address the shortage of suitably qualified artisans and engineers in the technical fields, especially in the Marine Diesel Fitter Trade.

MTU South Africa is embarking on a training program to develop the skills of artisans for diesel engine repairs and maintenance fields. The company has accreditation as a training establishment from the manufacturing, engineering and related services SETA (merSETA).

“The goal is to re-introduce highly-skilled and qualified tradesmen that are ready to be employed by local and international MTU associated companies. MTU SA also aims at producing sought-after artisans that are instantly recognisable as MTU trainees,” says Michael Baumann, Manag-ing Director of MTU South Africa.

Starting as an apprentice with MTU SA, the trainee will receive training and coaching by qualified artisans. The training entails practical learning conducted in the company’s workshops based in Cape Town, Simon’s Town and Johannesburg as well as relevant theoretical train-

A number of apprentices are receiving hands-on training at MTU South Africa

New Structural Tube Steel LaunchedThe Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa (ASTPM) and the Southern African Institute of Steel Construction (SAISC) are launching a new grade of S355 steel for structural tube. The new grade, which re-places the previous 300 standard, has been designed using international best practice and complies with the minimum standard based on EN10219 Part 1.

“This will make a significant difference to the structural steel tube industry as, for the same amount of steel as the previ-ous 300 standard, higher loads can now be resisted,” says ASTPM executive director Colin Shaw. “This will render steel tube much more competitive against both other steel profiles and other construction methods like reinforced concrete.”

SAISC executive director, Dr Hennie de Clercq, says that


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S355 will help considerably in the process of encouraging architects and engineers to, build high-rise structures in steel rather than concrete. “We will be promoting strongly the advantages of tubular steel and steel in general for these structures,” says de Clercq.

ASTPM’s Technical Committee chairman, Franco Mordini says apart from its widely acclaimed aesthetic properties, it is becoming increasingly accepted that closed tubular sections, when concentrically loaded in compression, offer consider-able savings to structures. Also, tube is inherently the most efficient form for resisting torsion loads, which may also be applied during the fabrication and erection processes.

SAISC, Hennie de Clercq, Tel: (011) 726.6111, Fax: (011) 482.9644, EMail: [email protected]

A diagram of the primary crusher apron feeder discharge chute

Chutes for KEPWeba Chutes Systems are being supplied to the Khumani Expansion Project for both the King Project and the Parsons/Brownfields Project. The Khumani Mine is part of Assmang Limited which is jointly owned and controlled by African Rainbow Minerals Limited and Assore Limited.

Ted Cruickshank, drawing office manager, at Weba Chute Systems says the majority of the chutes will be similar, if not identical, to those chutes which were manufactured for the first phase the Khumani Expansion Project. “Iron ore is known for its high wear characteristics and is extremely abrasive. Weba Chute Systems has an established reference within the iron ore sector for its engineering design which takes the high rate of wear into account, and our innovative design where material runs on material goes a long way to mitigating against,” Cruikshank says.

Factors taken into accounts during the design and engineering phases of these particular chutes have included height of transfer drop, throughput rates and tonnages as well as maximum lump size. “Furthermore, operational data from the first installations was carefully analysed to ensure that the chutes for KEP would incorporate modifications and enhancements to mitigate against material properties thereby facilitating the efficient transfer of material,” Crui-kshank adds.

Cruikshank says that a particular chute being supplied which will clearly showcase Weba Chute System’s design capability and the company’s intimate understand-ing of material and transfer points will be installed in the off-grade washing and screening plant. This chute has been designed to facilitate a proportional split which will allow the material to be split proportionally between two different

outgoing conveyors.

“This is not the same as a bifurcating chute which the company


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often uses as a solution where a 50/50 split is required,” he says. “In this particular case, the split will vary depending on the actual plant requirements and the chute has been engineered in such a manner so as to allow the split to be automatically adjusted as and when necessary.”

M&J Engineering, Mark Baller, Tel: (011) 827 9372, Fax: (011) 827 6132, Web: www.weba.co.za

Powering the futureProgress is being made to develop and manufacture mate-rials, components and systems, based on fuel cell science and technology in South Africa, but a need for collaboration exists between stakeholders and industrial partners.

The observation was made by Dr Oystein Ulleberg, an internationally renowned Norwegian scientist, who heads up the Centre for Systems Integration and Technology Validation at Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Systems at a seminar hosted by HySA in Cape Town recently.

“The seminar was well attended by academics, industry leaders as well as participants from the manufacturing sector, who are an important

part of the future success of component manufacture for the export market. The main objective of the seminar was to get South African industry and businesses interested and aware of opportunities in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells,” Oystein says.

Opportunities include the manufacturing of materials and components for hydrogen and Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel technologies, including Lithium-ion batteries for hybridisation. Other applications of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies exist in near-term niche markets, with focus on uninterrupted power systems (UPS) for telecom and utility vehicles.

HySA Systems is part of a 15 year research, development and innovation programme on hydrogen and fuel cell technol-ogy, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technol-ogy (DST) in South Africa. Oysetein adds that South Africa has great potential to manufacture various components in the hydrogen and fuel cell technology product chain. “We are keen to engage with businesses in the manufacturing industry, especially SMEs, who are interested in finding out more about possible involvement in the future development of HFCT.

Hydrogen South Africa, Dr Oystein Ulleberg, Tel: (021) 959-9319

Dr Oystein Ulleberg of Hydrogen South Africa

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