| Application Stories |
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PROTECTING CONTROLS FROM CORROSION
Control Works chose Stahlin Enclosures
to house a variety of control panels for their Stahlin
FASTENING PROCESS When
your life hangs on the edge you want hardware that's up to the task.
The Trango company needed a precise assembly method for their next
generation belay/
Orbitform's Model B-500 pneumatic orbital riveting machine features: light-touch palm buttons for maximum operator safety; maximum downward force of 4400 lbs. @ 100 psi; adjustable stroke .06" (1.52mm) to 2.50" (63.50 mm) in .001" (0.03 mm) increments; 1 hp, 1140 rpm, 208-230/460/60/3, 3.6/1.7 amp electric motor; ability to handle short/long cycles, hard materials, and multiple production shifts. Orbitform
ELECTRIC THERMAL STORAGE HEATING SYSTEM In an all -encompassing quest to bolster the corporate bottom line, facility managers everywhere are increasingly held accountable for trimming operating expenses and plant energy costs rank high on the list because of their geometric increase over the past year. In response, facility managers and plant engineers in colder climates have now turned their attention to efficient space heating systems that can rescue out-of-control utility expenses. Rather than stick with heating furnaces that require constant maintenance, some managers are turning to a new electric heating technology that drastically reduces peak-demand energy costs by efficiently storing heat during low-cost, off-peak hours, and then releasing this less-costly energy during normal working hours or peak periods.
"With ETS, there are savings beyond the avoidance of excessive peak-demand energy costs; this is a way to ensure a good payback," says Alain Moreau, Researcher and Project Manager for Hydro-Quebec, a leader in energy production and one of the largest energy distributors in the world. "The payback period that I can see for ETS is between zero and four years." For facilities in Canada and the northern U.S. that use electric heating systems, curtailing excessive peak demand electricity costs stands as one of the quickest ways to reduce heating expenses. This is especially the case since most power companies tack on a separate surcharge for peak demand usage when it comes to billing commercial and industrial customers. ETS has recently been perfected for larger facilities such as industrial, commercial and public buildings. ETS stores electrical energy in the form of heat during low demand periods (such as the middle of the night) for later use during high demand times. By load leveling electricity usage over a 24-hour period, peak-demand levels are greatly reduced and large savings can be realized for industrial and commercial accounts, even in areas that do not offer time-of-use charges.
The new product line, ThermElect, a central forced-air furnace, is easy to install, safe, quiet and cleaner than natural gas systems. During demand-free off-peak hours, the ETS automatically converts electricity into heat and stores it in a specially designed high-density ceramic brick core. The core is capable of holding heat up to 1,650°F. The ETS has enough storage capacity to provide heating comfort 24 hours a day, while allowing the user to utilize low cost demand-free off-peak electric rates to achieve very economical and affordable heating.
"According to conservative projections made by Steffes, our partner in the development of the ThermElect, a total of 1,000 units is expected to be placed in Quebec between 2005 and 2008," confirms Moreau. "After that, an even greater increase in placements is expected."
Steffes Corporation |
Canadian Industrial Equipment News February 2006 |
May 15, 2008
In
order to create a bomb-proof joint Trango's lead design engineer,
Seth Murray, went to the Orbitform Group's application laboratory in
Jackson, Michigan. After a thorough analysis Orbitform's application
team determined the best way to attach the parts. The forming
solution resulted in a solid stainless steel rivet to hold the
locking hardware with a conical peen, along with rolling a hollow
form over washers with an altered eyelet peen, to retain the
assembly. Both forms were set by the same Orbitform B500 orbital
riveting machine. 
Known
as electric thermal storage (ETS), this innovative approach has
already proven effective with documented cost-savings of up to 48%.
Additionally, the replacement of aging gas systems with ETS systems
reaps a rapid payback because of reduced utility expenses.
"ETS
is a demand management tool," says Hydro-Quebec's Moreau. "There is
an appropriately-sized ETS unit for the customers to reduce their
peak demand costs. Beyond this optimal size, there is no more
savings because there is no more space in the client's load profile
to shift the demand." 
The
ThemElect has a programmable, microprocessor-based control system
that provides customers with flexible, customized control over
heating settings, as well as self-diagnostics. The latter is
important to keeping the system virtually maintenance free. Each
unit includes built-in sensing devices and a receiver for wireless
communications of information such as utility peak control signals,
outdoor temperature, room temperature setbacks and automatic brick
core charge control. An air handler is available to ensure smooth
distribution of system heat throughout the facility according to
thermostat settings in various areas. 
