Air Control Industries Blog

ACI MOVES TO LARGER PREMISES FACILITATES CURRENT AND FUTURE GROWTH

2010-04-20T22:28:00.012+01:00

Air Control Industries, leading manufacturer of fans, blowers and airknife surface drying systems is moving to new and larger premises. This move will provide for improved and extended manufacturing capabilities combined with enhanced test and development facilities.

ACI’s move to new premises in Axminster comes after 40 years on the Chard site, which the company has now outgrown. As well as providing scope for growth and reorganisation of manufacturing processes for greater efficiency, the new site has much better access for today’s large transport vehicles, which will greatly improve handling of goods in wards and outwards.

Also, with the new factory being just five miles away, the company will be able to retain all its key staff, ensuring continuity and no loss of expertise.

Managing director Paul Tuffin said: “We are delighted that we have finally found a suitable factory within five miles of our current location. The new site has plenty of scope for future growth and has excellent access for the large articulated vehicles that struggle to manoeuvre into our existing site.”

Personnel De-dusting Booth Makes Life Cleaner and Safer for RNLi

2010-04-14T16:14:00.004+01:00

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. It provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland, plus a seasonal lifeguard service on many of the busiest beaches in England and Wales.

Central to the life saving service provided by the RNLI is its fleet of custom-built boats. Since April 2009, the hulls for its ‘Tamar’ class of Lifeboats have been built in the RNLI’s dedicated facility in Lymington, Hampshire. The hull of the Tamar comprises a glass and carbon fibre reinforced composite that demands both specialist boat-building skills to fabricate and large process ovens to cure the resins.

Much of the preparation of the hulls involves manual sanding, which naturally produces a lot of dust. This is despite the fact each sanding machine is linked directly to an extraction system and, of course, some of the dust finds its way onto operator clothing.

To remove this dust, operators were previously using compressed air nozzles. Recognising this practice as being extremely dangerous, Craig Bunn, Health and Safety Manager sought and found a safe alternative – Air Control Industries’ ‘JetBlack’, a blower powered personnel de-dusting system installed in a purpose-built cubicle.

ACI’s JetBlack delivers a high volume of air at low pressure (2 psi) that can even be aimed directly at the skin. It is used widely by companies with applications that generate dust which can be deposited on employees’ clothes.

The cubicle is a new addition to the options offered with the JetBlack. It can be supplied with an extraction fan which can be easily linked to a central extraction system or a stand alone dust collection unit. This prevents clothes being re-coated by airborne dust whilst also drawing it downwards from the user’s eyes and mouth. Air enters the cubicle via an inlet in the ceiling and the dust is collected in a 157 litre receptacle beneath the floor.

“Compressed air is dangerous – in fact it can kill,” said Craig Bunn. “When we initially suggested a safer, dedicated dust blow-off booth for cleaning clothing people here thought we were mad! However, a few months after the booth was installed everyone now uses it on a regular basis and it is accepted throughout the entire company.”

Britvic Improves Bottle Drying Efficiency, Boosts Throughput and Saves on Energy with New Dryer

2010-03-22T16:43:00.003Z

On a poster in Britvic’s premises in Leeds it says, “Our vision in Production is to become the World Leader in soft drink manufacture by 2012”. It will involve Britvic evaluating every stage of the production process if this goal is to be achieved.

One step in attaining this goal is the recent installation of a new bottle drying system that is helping to minimise downtimes to maximise production output whilst also reducing energy consumption.

Previously, there were two identical drying units installed in series on the 36,000 bottles/hr line in order to dry the bottles to ensure effective label adhesion. As well as not fulfilling this requirement effectively, the machines did not incorporate bottle guide rails so there was a recurrent problem of bottles falling over causing line stoppages, lost production and product waste. These ‘qualities’ resulted in moisture build-up inside the bottle dryers and product deposits on the bottles. The situation was made worse by the fact the units were not easy to clean.

These two units have now been replaced by a single ‘LNL’ unit from Air Control Industries (ACI) of Chard. This LNL features ACI’s unique ‘JetPlate’ plenum air delivery system. This plenum system enables air to be delivered close to the bottles, whilst at the same time acting as guide rails to promote bottle stability during travel through the LNL, thereby helping to maximise throughput.

The LNL is a totally enclosed stainless steel unit with polycarbonate inspection windows. The blower unit is mounted on top of the bottle dryer enclosure to permit the use of adjustable mounting legs to facilitate installation – even as a retrofit - and for easy all round cleaning.

This version of ACI’s LNL with JetPlates is also able to handle all the different bottle sizes handled at the Leeds Britvic plant, from the 125 ml size for mixers up to the 750 ml bottle for J2O, without requiring adjustment.

With this installation, all these benefits are complemented by significant energy savings. This is because one blower-powered unit is replacing two, halving energy costs.

“The previous system was a nightmare,” said Mick Wigham, Engineering Team Leader, Leeds. “Production hold-ups, ineffective drying, complicated set-up and fiddly to clean design, all combined to undermine efficiency. In contrast, the ACI bottle dryer enables us maximise throughput with no issues relating to the bottle drying function and it’s also easy to switch product runs.”

Test Facility Upgraded

2010-02-24T00:24:00.002Z

The recently refurbished test facility provides the company with a means of demonstrating to customers the efficiency of both its bottle and can drying units.
The 10m x 2m conveyor-based demonstration facility runs at speeds of up to 60,000 cans/hr and will accept all standard can sizes used in the soft and alcoholic drinks markets.

As well as offering visual evidence of drying, ACI also provides test facilities to verify drying standards achieved. For example, a code of Practice Code drawn-up jointly by the MPMA (Metal Packaging Manufacturers’ Association) and BLRA (Brewers’ and Licensed Retailers Association) relating to can drying is followed.

ACI’s CanDrying Tunnel system are employed currently on Stella Artois, Coca-Cola and Red Bull lines around the world – plus many others.

Based upon a tunnel configuration, the ACI can drying system features specially configured slots that direct air to remove water efficiently whilst driving it downwards and out of the enclosed area. Also, the enclosed environment ensures the water is contained and the drying air performs more effectively than with conventional ‘open’ alternatives. Noise attenuation is another benefit of the enclosed design.

Brewer demands dairy hygiene standards

2010-02-24T00:23:00.003Z

A speciality of Bitburger Braugruppe is the brewing of non-pasteurised Pils beer and this calls for the highest hygiene standards.

One precaution the company takes to achieve these standards is to minimise the presence of crevices and projections on machinery that could serve as catchment zones and create possible contamination risks.

ACI has supplied a bottle drying system built specially to comply with these high standards.

The bottle dryer is low-noise, high through-put unit that has been adapted to meet these demanding hygiene requirements. All meeting surfaces have seamless welded joins in order to facilitate cleaning and eliminate bacteria build up.

In addition, the housing for the blower (ACI’s EP10) is mounted on top of the dryer. This is to permit easy cleaning under the dryer.

According to Dr Johannes Hankes, Department manager, the ACI bottle dryer is installed on a line that replaces two previous ones and handles a throughput of 50,000 bottles/hr. He also said that the dryer provided a cost-effective solution compared to other options.

Currently, the bottles passing through the dryer are standard 330ml ones, but it is expected other sizes will be used.

Airknives blow away labelling problems for microbrewery to boost output

2010-02-24T00:21:00.002Z

Faced with increasing demand – from home and overseas - the award winning microbrewery, O’Hanlon’s Brewery of Devon needed to increase output. Production of the company’s beers, ales and stouts was not a problem but getting the product out of the door was.

The inhibiting factor was O’Hanlon’s bottling/labelling operation. For O’Hanlon’s condensation caused delays in the labelling because frequently filled bottles had to be left to dry before labels could be applied. This limited production to around 2700 bottles/day.

Another issue arising from condensation and exacerbating time delays was double handling. Bottles once filled were sometimes removed from the filling/labelling line and then reintroduced when dry to proceed through the labelling machine.

However, the problems caused by condensation are no longer an issue for O’Hanlon’s Brewery. They have been eliminated following the installation of a pair of ‘AirKnives’ supplied by Air Control Industries of Chard.

“ACI’s AirKnives do exactly what it says on the tin – they dry the bottles”! commented Liz O’Hanlon, Director. “They are easy to install, easy to operate and simple to maintain, which is important for a small brewery like ours with supermarkets and international outlets as customers.”

Money saved plus more efficient can/bottle drying for Türk Tuborg

2010-02-24T00:20:00.003Z

Financial savings combined with ensured consistent and accurate labelling were the chief drivers for the Türk Tuborg* filling operation in Izmir, Turkey installing new can and bottle drying systems. The drying systems were installed as retrofit units to replace compressed air jets and heated tunnels, and are reported to be achieving significant savings whilst also helping to avoid the problem of label slippage resulting from inefficiently dried bottles.

The can and bottle drying machines are from Air Control Industries (ACI) and were supplied by the company’s Turkish distributor, Yük. Müh. Nihat Kagnici, Sanayi Müsavirligi ve Mümessilligi. The principal reason for the substantial cost savings is the fact the ACI units are all blower powered, a more cost-effective and cleaner way of delivering air for drying bottles and cans.

“The ACI drying systems are working very well and the support has been excellent, both from ACI and Nihat Kagnici,” said Arda Sengöz, Packaging Engineer. “What’s more, we are saving money. The compressed air systems and heating tunnel were much more expensive to run and maintain so we expect a rapid payback on our investment.”

Success for CCE's new bottle and 'ROSO' labelling ensured

2010-02-24T00:10:00.002Z

In the fast moving FMCG market product awareness is king. A differentiating factor enhances that customer awareness helping to reinforce the product’s visibility. Frequently, this involves a make-over of the product’s packaging and presentation.

One such example is the new 1 litre and 1.25 litre contoured bottles of Schweppes’ tonic water, Russian, Ginger Ale and other sparkling mixers bottled at Coca-Cola Enterprises’ (CCE) Wakefield bottling plant, where ACI’s drying system are playing an essential role in helping the company meet its labelling objectives.

CCE and Krones UK, supplier of the bottling line discounted other labels in favour of ROSO (Roll-on Shrink-on) plastic shrinkable labelling system. These labels demand absolutely dry bottles and ACI’s ‘JetPlate’ system achieved that, ensuring complete labelling perfection.

“The ACI DRI-Line has matched up to all our demands,” said David Hunt, Product Specialist, Krones UK. “It dries the bottles effectively, can handle both the new and old bottle designs with no adjustment and it is extremely reliable thanks to its simple yet effective design.”

Success at Drinktec 2009

2010-02-24T00:04:00.002Z

Drinktec 20099 again proved to be a very worthwhile venture, enabling us once more to exhibit our latest designs for bottle and can drying systems. The exhibition attracted over 60,000 visitors, including all the big brand names from both the alcoholic and soft drinks markets. The exhibition resulted in some very significant enquiries and since the show in September, some significant orders have been placed.

Blowers help set scene for 'Walking with Dinosaurs'

2010-02-09T15:40:00.002Z

The ‘Walking with Dinosaurs – The Arena Spectacular’ show is proving to be an international success. For its UK run, during 2009, more than 500,000 tickets were sold, and it is now enjoying a successful tour across Europe and North America.

Based upon the popular BBC series, this live theatrical event employs life-size, animatronic dinosaurs to re-enact life as it was when the creatures inhabited the world.

The arena sets are designed to create appropriate settings to represent different periods of the world’s history as the Pangaea (super continent that began splitting up 200 million years ago) broke up to form the various continents of the world.

An integral part of the mobile scenery, produced by Yorkshire-based specialist set builders Stage One for The Creature Production Company who created the animatronic dinosaurs, is the vegetation.

The realistic vegetation which sprouts during the show is inflatable. The fact it is inflatable permits it to ‘grow’ during performances whilst also proving easier for set erection, stowage and transportation.

An important element of the vegetation effect is the blowers employed to inflate it. The vegetation is deployed across the set and ‘grows’ through holes cut out of the scenery. Inside the various set elements are blowers that initially inflate the plants and then keep them up to pressure during the performance.

“The ACI blowers are doing exactly what we want when we want”, said Roy Webber, Project Manager, of Stage One. “ACI has been very helpful, even lending us a blower to prove it was what we needed – and it is!”

The blowers were supplied by specialist fan and blower manufacturer, Air Control Industries (ACI) of Chard. The blowers are ACI’s MS11 blowers with backward bladed impellers for delivering high air volumes efficiently. The blade’s efficiency is enhanced by being directly mounted on the motor shaft eliminating transmission losses. This configuration also results in very low noise output. It is available with up to in either single or three phase AC or DC with up to 4 impellers mounted on the same motor shaft to deliver up to 750m³/hr (430 cfm) to pressures of 59mBar (23.8in WG).

Money saved plus more efficient can/bottle drying for Türk Tuborg

2009-12-11T14:51:00.007Z

The can and bottle drying machines are from Air Control Industries (ACI) and were supplied by the company’s Turkish distributor, Yük. Müh. Nihat Kagnici, Sanayi Müsavirligi ve Mümessilligi. The principal reason for the substantial cost savings is the fact the ACI units are all blower powered, a more cost-effective and cleaner way of delivering air for drying bottles and cans.

Prior to opting for the ACI systems, Packaging Engineers Arda Sengöz and Mehmet Kaynak at the Türk Tuborg plant investigated a number of different suppliers. However, a combination of good references from existing customers, competitive pricing and the easy self-installation/running maintenance persuaded them that ACI offered the best solution for the company’s needs. Also, with a local distributor they were confident of professional back-up if required.

Five ACI drying systems are installed, three of which are fully enclosed. Two of the fully enclosed units are installed on canning lines and incorporate ACI’s purpose-engineered ‘CanTunnels’ with Airknives, whilst the third is employed for bottle drying and is equipped with ACI’s ‘JetPlate’ system plus a pair of Airknives. The open units are EL (blower at Eye Level) packages and are CanTunnel systems.

The CanTunnel systems are installed in pairs with dryers located before and after can ‘twisters’ which invert cans so that both top and bottom are dried. Throughput for each of the two parallel lines is 40,000 cans/hr (either 33 or 50cl).

The bottle drying line has a capacity of 60,000 bottles/hr and the ACI dryer must cope with up to 14 different shapes/sizes of bottle, drying neck, cap and bottle in one pass.

“The ACI drying systems are working very well and the support has been excellent, both from ACI and Nihat Kagnici,” said Arda Sengöz, Packaging Engineer. “What’s more, we are saving money. The compressed air systems and heating tunnel were much more expensive to run and maintain so we expect a rapid payback on our investment.”

*Part of CBC Group – Carlsberg’s partner in Israel, Romania and Albania.

Produces Carlsberg, SKOL and a number of Tuborg brands on licence.

ACI innovation recognised with award

2009-12-07T16:05:00.004Z

ACI is always endeavouring to find new ways of employing blower power effectively and improve ways of doing things.

Our new 'DRI-Line PowerPack' system for drying water cooled cables/extrusions has been recognised as achieving this by being awarded one of the prestigious DPA (Design Products & Applications) magazine's Innovation awards for 2009. The award was made following a vote by readers of the magazine - a prize awarded by our peers!

The 'DRI-Line Powerpack' is a new energy-efficient drying unit for water-cooled extruded and coated/insulated products.

It achieves vastly superior drying efficiencies to both compressed air alternatives and other blower-driven solutions available to the industry today.

Impressive payback periods have been demonstrated by extensive customer field trials. When compared to compressed air systems up to 10 fold energy savings have been achieved which potentially equates to savings of £1000s per annum.

Removing water from extruded/coated products during manufacture following extrusion or coating application is difficult to achieve due to the way water adheres to products. The DRI-Line Powerpack delivers air at high velocity very close to the surface of the product breaking the surface tension of the retained water, allowing it to be removed effectively.

Utilising high efficiency blowers, ACI's DRI-Line Powerpack delivers warm (80o C/176oF) clean, contaminant free air at constant volume and pressures to ensure the drying process is consistent and reliable. It also has the advantage of being 'plug and play' as it runs off a 230V, single phase supply. A 110V version will also be available shortly.

The unit has the ability to successfully dry extruded products from 5 to 25 mm diameter at speeds in excess of 500 m/min. Its drying effectiveness is achieved by passing extruded product through a pair of hinged drying heads that deliver the high velocity airflow directly to the product. The hinged heads are sprung allowing any defect/knot to pass through without any requirement for adjustment.

Aluminium recycling efficiency boosted by using airknives

2009-12-07T16:02:00.002Z

Specialist aluminium scrap processing company, Alutrade Ltd of Oldbury, has upgraded its can processing operation to achieve purity levels of 0.03%. This level of purity meets international recycling standards for the drinks can industry and has opened the door to many new markets. In addition, it has enabled the company to get a better price for its higher quality recycled aluminium. An essential part of this improved efficiency is the use of airknives during the separation of aluminium from non-conductive materials.

Alutrade was set up originally to recycle aluminium profile scrap but 6 years ago it entered the aluminium can recycling business. This involves accepting cans in various forms including bailed, ‘clean’ loose cans and cans separated out from mixed rubbish such as domestic curb-side collections.

The original multi-stage can recycling operation involved pre-shearing of the cans on entry to the process, initial magnetic removal of ferrous metals and then separation of waste from conductive material using an eddy current technique. This was followed by a hand-picking belt, a shredder, a vibrating fines separator and then one more travel over an eddy current sorting arrangement for final removal of contaminants from the shredded aluminium before weighing and bailing.

This procedure achieved purity levels of around 0.15% and was acceptable at that time for can manufacturers in Europe. Then the purity specification was upgraded by Alutrade’s principal customer to 0.03%. This meant the company had to find new markets for its product whilst it found a way to improve the quality of its recycled aluminium cans.

How did they do it? By adding our blower powered airknives!

“Since the introduction of the ACI airknives the purity levels of our recycled product has improved significantly,” said Malcolm George, Director. “Consequently, this has enabled us to meet higher purity standards, broaden our markets and obtain better prices for our enhanced product quality.”

The airknives are located below the two eddy current units: the first where heavies (waste) are separated from the shredded cans after the magnetic removal of ferrous metals and the second for final cleaning of aluminium shreds before weighing and bailing.

Their purpose is to boost the flight of the conductive aluminium as it is ejected by the electric field created by the eddy current device (positives repelling each other) beyond a separating baffle. This greater distance of travel ensures a more positive separation of materials to achieve a cleaner end product.

This same technique is also employed on another smaller line, again helping to achieve improved recycling efficiency.

New fans extend potential industrial application opportunities

2009-12-07T15:56:00.002Z

Three new fans have been added to our ‘Slimline’ range, which is intended for enclosure/cabinet cooling and fume extraction. The new fans have been introduced to extend the performance capabilities of the range to expand potential applications into areas involving higher air volumes and pressures.

The new fans (VBL12/3, VBL14/3 & VBL 16/3) are 3-phase units and therefore intended for more demanding industrial applications than the existing single phase units. In addition, they are centrifugal fans so they offer high power to size performance.

They are driven by a high efficiency inside out motor with the impeller mounted on an external rotor that rotates around a central fixed stator. This design employs the impeller to operate as an efficient heat sink for cooler running whilst the rotor becomes a high resistance unit to facilitate speed control.

Precision balancing of moving components smooths operation and provides quiet operation whilst ensuring reduced wear on bearings for extended working life. Air flow rates for our new Slimline 3-phase fans reach up to 8500m3/hr (5000cfm) with operating pressures up to 1180Pascals (4.75 In.SWG).

Blower helps give projected graphics new spherical perspective

2009-12-07T15:54:00.002Z

Projected graphics for such different events and locations as concerts, museum exhibitions, conferences and TV studios took on a different perspective – quite literally – in 2005 when Pufferfish introduced its spherical displays.

Flat screen projection suddenly became passé! Now images, videos, text and other graphics effects can be shown in-the-round. This is achieved via special projection techniques involving custom engineered lenses that project media onto the inside of an inflated sphere that can be suspended from ceilings, hung from walls or simply floor ‘standing’.

This projection technology has been developed over last few years by Pufferfish and is now being used worldwide for major music events, important business conferences and eye-catching exhibitions. At the same time as the core projection technology was being proven the key factor of keeping the spheres inflated correctly was also being refined with ACI’s help.

ACI was approached by Pufferfish after consultations with specialists in inflatables regarding appropriate blower manufacturers. Initially an off-the-shelf centrifugal fan was specified. A simple solution that both inflated the sphere and cooled the projection equipment as the excess air was ducted away.

Today’s version of the Pufferfish digital spherical display is now more sophisticated and larger in size calling for a different blower solution. Unlike most inflatables, the Pufferfish sphere is non-venting; air does not escape via the seams. So the blower must be able to maintain a consistent level of inflation in response to feedback from pressure sensors. This calls for extreme opposites of performance, from the initial inflation of the sphere through to continuous ‘tick-over’ to maintain pressure without overheating. In between, there are the pressure changes resulting from variations in ambient conditions which call for different blower outputs.

“ACI has been with us from the start giving us advice on inflating our spheres,” said Will Cavendish, Chief Technology Officer for Pufferfish. “The latest blower satisfies all our inflation requirements whilst also helping us to achieve system design improvements.”

The ACI blower providing this controlled inflation is the company’s MS8/DC. The fan motor is a 24V external rotor unit and is controlled by varying the voltage. This configuration provides simple, compact, control solution that is quiet. The compactness of system facilitates easy transportation and installation, whilst the latter is essential for some applications, such as TV studios.

Custom-engineered heaters help ensure maximum passenger comfort

2009-12-07T15:51:00.002Z

Custom-engineered heaters from ACI help ensure the passengers on the Venice Simplon-Orient Express’ ‘Northern Belle’ enjoy their classic 1930s rail travel experience in maximum comfort.

A luxurious, romantic travel experience is the promise offered by the Venice Simplon-Orient Express for its Orient-Express rail services. Passengers enjoy travelling in the splendour of carriages restored to the highest standards of the classic 1920/30s railway, when royalty and the glitterati demanded far more than transport for their trains.

Excellent food, exquisite wines, first class service and the ultimate in travel comfort were the prerequisites of travellers during these heydays of rail travel. Orient-Express rail services endeavour to reproduce this same high level of service for its customers today.

An essential ingredient of the travel experience is ensuring that the ambient temperature is at the optimum level at all times, so customers are always comfortable, even when wearing those exotic dresses for very special occasions. Helping to ensure this on the ‘Northern Belle’ are custom-engineered heaters supplied by ACI.

Our units are used to heat the vestibules between passenger compartments so that when communicating doors are opened no cold air comes into compartments to cause any discomfort.

The heaters were installed following a feasibility study by Resco Railways Ltd, an international rail vehicle engineering consultancy, that looked at price, performance and reliability. After looking at off-the-shelf options, it was decided that a specially engineered solution was the best route. This would ensure not only that the heaters would meet the heat output requirements but also comply with RSSB (Railway Safety & Standards Board) build, performance and reliability standards for components used on railways, which are similar to those for the aircraft industry.

“The heaters do exactly what is required”, said Geoff Armstrong, Senior Consultant for Resco. “ACI supplied a unit for a prototype installation. Following which a slight adjustment to airflow levels and noise attenuation were effected to the full satisfaction of Orient-Express. The heaters are now installed throughout the Northern Belle.”

The installed heaters on the Northern Belle are 3kW units with a key-operated, 4-position switch for adjusting heat output. The warm air from the heater is delivered by a specially adapted ACI fan, which draws in and filters air from the passenger compartment. The fan has been ‘silenced’ using special attenuation material, which again helps to avoid annoyance of passengers.

The heater is a 3Ø heater unit with a single phase fan and is designed to achieve a 25ºC temperature rise. Standard options available include 24V, 48V & 110V DC and 115V, 230V & 400V AC.

Exhibiting - Home and Overseas

2009-12-07T15:49:00.001Z

September has been a busy month for ACI on the exhibition front. We have participated in two major industrial shows: Offshore Europe in Aberdeen (Sept 8-11) and Drinktec in Munich (Sept 14-19).

Aberdeen is a major exhibition for the oil and gas exploration and offshore-well operation industries, attracting exhibitors and visitors from around the world.
ACI’s principal exhibits were our ATEX fans for hazardous areas. They attracted a lot of interest, a lot from new potential customers, whilst generating important sales leads to follow up.

Drinktec again proved to be a very worthwhile venture, enabling us once more to exhibit our bottle and can drying systems to a worldwide market. Drinktec attracts all the big names from both the alcoholic and soft drinks industries. This exhibition also resulted in some very significant enquiries, again from known and potential new customers.

JetBlack Exhibited at Largest US Safety Expo

2009-11-30T09:18:00.003Z

ACI Inc has been busy exhibiting. The company attended the National Safety Council - Congress & Expo in Orlando, Florida recently. This is the largest annual exhibition dedicated to Safety, Health and Environmental Industries in the US and it was the perfect platform to showcase the JetBlack to this large potential market. Mark Scribner, CEO of ACI Inc described the show as being “The principal event for Safety, Health and Environmental professionals and some 10,000 attended. It was an ideal show to exhibit the JetBlack and we made a number of very useful contacts with good opportunities for future sales.”

New Fans Extend Solutions Offered

2009-11-18T10:10:00.001Z

A new range of medium to high pressure fans, the ‘EV’ Range, offers flow rates of up to 51,000 M³/Hr (30,000CFM) and pressures up to 300Mbar (120 In.SWG). The introduction of these new fans allows ACI to satisfy a much wider scope of air movement applications.

The new fans can handle clean and dust-laden air, be used for pneumatic conveying plus many other industrial applications. The EV fans are available in a choice of finishes and standards, including painted mild steel, ATEX and Stainless Steel versions.

The EV range can be fitted with directly coupled AC motors (2 or 4 pole according to duty), or be supplied with extended shafts for belt driven applications. A wide range of optional extras is available, including flow control valves, flexible connectors, inlet guards and acoustic enclosures.

ACI’s JetBlack Personnel De-Duster Helps Break Dangerous Bad Habits

2009-11-16T11:59:00.005Z

They say that in order give up bad habits something positive must be put in their place. So it was at the Whitwell Works of Steetley Dolomite Ltd who quarries and produces magnesium limestone products for the steel, refractory and agricultural industries.

After the limestone is quarried it is crushed, sized and processed to produce various products for such applications as steel furnace manufacture and repair, steel production, refractory products and agricultural soil improvement. The processing of the limestone to produce these products results in the creation of a lot of dust around the plant which gets deposited on the overalls of workers on site.

To de-dust themselves, although advised frequently not to because of the very real danger that it poses, many of the staff used to clean their overalls down with compressed air. Posters about the risks and verbal warnings from the Safety Leader for compressed air, John Collins, seemed to do little to deter them from the practice.

Thankfully that situation has now changed. This has come about since John Collins had a blower powered ‘JetBlack’ personnel cleaning unit from ACI installed on trial after an on-site demonstration. The trial, which started in February, proved so successful because of the appreciation by his colleagues throughout the plant for its safety and ease of use that he has had second unit installed.

“Everyone is really pleased with the ACI JetBlack”, said John Collins, Steetley Dolomite’s Senior Electro Technician. “It cleans down effectively and is safe. It eliminates all the health hazard risks present when using compressed air. By providing the JetBlack as an alternative we have broken the bad practice of using compressed air for cleaning down.”

The blower powered JetBlack delivers high volumes of air at low pressure that can even be applied directly onto exposed skin. There are none of the risks of associated with compressed air whilst still achieving effective personnel cleaning.

In addition, the ACI JetBlack is quiet (78dBA) and cost effective to run, only using energy on demand with no drain on compressor power.

The JetBlack is available as either a wall mounted or portable unit. Operation is by a hand-held gun on a flexible hose.

Cans of the Year Awards 2009

2009-11-12T10:21:00.007Z

The Canmaker Magazine’s ‘Cans of the Year Awards 2009’

Can of the Year
Exal Corporation (USA). Aluminium bottle for Eska – still and sparkling water for Eaux Vives Water (illustrated)

Aerosol Cans
Gold - Toyo Seikan Kaisha (Japan). Liese Hair Refresher for Kao Corporation
Silver - Impress Metal Packaging (Germany). Schwarzkopf ‘3 Wetter Taft' Power Haarlack for Schwarzkopf & Henkel
Bronze - Aerocan (France). Bosque Verde shoe polish for Francisco Aragon

Beverage Three-Piece
Gold - Safet, part of the Massilly Group (France).
Fruiss Syrup shaped can for Routin
Silver - Impress Metal Packaging (The Netherlands). Karvan Cévitam Specials Syrup for H J Heinz
Bronze - Daiwa Can Company (Japan). Starbucks Double Shot premium coffee for Suntory [the filler for Starbucks]

Beverage Two-Piece
Gold - Pacific Can (China). Wong Lo Kat Herbal Tea for JDB Group
Silver - Rexam Beverage Can North America (USA).Nitrous Monster Energy Drink aluminium can for Hansen Beverage Company
Bronze - Ball Packaging Europe (Germany). Grotwerg Schwarzbier aluminium can for Germany International Beverages Ltd

Bottles
Gold - Exal Corporation (USA). Aluminium bottle for Eska – still and sparkling water for Eaux Vives Water

Silver - Boxal (France). Floressance Range of Food Supplements shaped aluminium bottle for JLB Développement

Bronze - Exal Corporation (USA). Amber Sun Ale aluminium bottle for 16 Mile Brewing Company

Decoration & Print Quality
Gold - Crown Speciality Packaging Europe (France). Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey tin for Bruichladdich Distillery
Silver - CPMC Company (China). Long Jing Tea tin for COFCO
Bronze - Crown Speciality Packaging Europe (France). Bushmills 1608, 400th Anniversary tin for The Old Bushmills Distillery Company

Ends, Caps & Closures
Gold - Impress Metal Packaging (France). Easip peelable end for Bonduelle
Silver – Franpac: Massilly Group (France). Easy Open Ends on pâté cans for Henaff
Bronze - Universal Can Corporation (Japan). UniSOREX ROPP closure on French Café aluminium bottle for Namyang Dairy Products
Judges commendation - Bericap. Two-piece plastics closure for DS Containers

Fancy Cans
Gold - Crown Speciality Packaging Europe (France).‘Solid Perfume Jewel' tin, Parfums for Jean-Paul Gaultier
Silver - Huber Decorative Packaging (Germany). Churchill's Porcelain Jar and Biscuit Tin for Churchill's Confectionary
Bronze - Crown Speciality Packaging Europe (France). Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey container for Brown Forman
Judges commendation – Huber. ‘Acute Corner' tin for Martell Cognac.

Food Three-Piece
Gold - Impress Metal Packaging (France). Food can with Easip peelable end for Bonduelle
Silver - Pirlo Metal Packaging (Austria). Lever Lid Can for Beck's Cocoa
Bronze - No award

Food Two-Piece
Gold - GDC Embalagens (Brazil). Gomes da Costa Pâté for GDC Alimentos
Silver - Glud & Marstrand (Denmark).Drawn Cup Can, Fiskeduserne fish pâté for Amanda Seafood
Bronze - Galeb Group (Serbia). Neo Chicken Pâté for Neoplanta

General Line Cans
Gold - Brasilata (Brazil). 18-litre UN can for dangerous goods for Sherwin Williams
Silver - Blechwarenfabrik Limburg (Germany). Ecosta 10 pail for various customers
Bronze - Companhia Metalúrgica Prada (Brazil). Wanda Safety Can for Akzo Nobel Coatings SA

Prototype
Gold - Impress Metal Packaging (France). PowerClick Can with Easy Peel
Silver - Xolution (Germany). XO-422 re-closeable beverage can end
Bronze - Pirlo Metal Packaging (Austria). DryCan for tea and coffee

The Canmaker Summit Delegates Choice
Crown Speciality Packaging Europe (France). Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey container for Brown Forman
A full report on the winning entries will be published in the November issue of The Canmaker magazine.

2009-11-10T12:56:00.000Z

EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES

2009
November 24-28: 23rd Simei exhibition for oenology and for beverage production, bottling and packaging.
Fiera Milano, Via S Vittore al Teatro, 3, 20123 Milano, Italy,
Tel. 39 02 7222281. Fax: 39 02 866226.
Email: info@simei.it
Web. http://www.simei.it/internasim_db.asp?idlingua=2&idsezione=8&idtesto=96

November 24-29: 2009 4th China International Beverage Exhibition on Science & Technology, Shanghai New International Expo Center. Contact: China Beverage Industry Association, No C2 Dongsanhuanbeilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing. PR China. Tel: 86-10 84464668. Fax: 86 10 84464236.
E-mail: tj@chinabeverage.org wq@chinabeverage.org
Web. http://www.chinabeverage.org/english/eg.html
Contact persons : Ms. Tian Jie; Ms. Wang Qi

December 2-5: Propak Indonesia 2009, Jakarta International Expo, Gedung Pusat Niaga Lt., 1 Arena PRJ Kemoyoran, Jakarta 10620, Indonesia. Details from Allworld Exhibitions, 12th Floor, Westminster Tower, 3 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7SP. Tel: 44 20 7840 2100. Fax: 44 20 7840 2111.
Email: info@oesallworld.com
Web: www.propakindonesia.com

2010
March 9-11: Sino-Pack 2010 / China Drinktec 2010, China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex (Area A), Pazhou, PR China. Details from Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. Hong Kong, Tel: 852 2811 8897. Fax: 852 2516 5024.
Web - Drinktec. http://www.confabb.com/conferences/56494-china-drinktec-2010-the-14th-china-international-exhibition-on-brewery-beverage-and-liquid-packaging
Web – Sino-Pack: http://www.eventseye.com/fairs/f-sino-pack-5079-1.html

March 10-13: Intelpack 2010, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Western Express Highway, Goregaon (East), Mumbai 400 063, Maharashtra, India. Details from Intel Trade Fairs & Expositions, 113 New Sonal Link Industrial Estate, Building No.2, Link Road, Malad (W), Mumbai 400 064, Maharashtra, India. Tel: 91 22 288 03977. Fax: 91 22 288 19008. Email: intelexpo@vsnl.net
Web. http://www.biztradeshows.com/intelpack/

April 27-29: Cannex de las Américas, Sands Convention Centre, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, USA. Details from Sayers Publishing Group, Durand House, Manor Royal, Crawley RH10 9PY, United Kingdom. Tel: 44 1293 435100. Fax: 44 1293 619988.
Email: info@sayers-publishing.com
Web: www.spgevents.com

June 23-25: 11th International Aluminium Conference INALCO 2010 ‘New Frontiers in Light Metals’. Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands. Contact Conference Secretariat Rudolf de Ruijter, PO Box 557 / 8440 AN Heerenveen, The Netherlands. Tel: 31 513-610666. Fax: 31 513-650260.
Email: info@inalco2010.com
Web: www.inalco2010.com

Innovation rewarded

2009-10-26T10:11:00.005Z

ACI is always endeavouring to find new ways of employing blower power effectively and improve ways of doing things.

Our new ‘DRI-Line PowerPack’ system for drying water cooled cables/extrusions was recognised as achieving this by being awarded one of the prestigious DPA (Design Products & Applications) magazine’s Innovation awards for 2009. The award was made following a vote by readers of the magazine – a prize awarded by our peers!

The ‘DRI-Line Powerpack’ is a new energy-efficient drying unit for water-cooled extruded and coated/insulated products.

It achieves vastly superior drying efficiencies to both compressed air alternatives and other blower-driven solutions available to the industry today.

Impressive payback periods have been demonstrated by extensive customer field trials. When compared to compressed air systems up to 10 fold energy savings have been achieved which potentially equates to savings of £1000s per annum.

Removing water from extruded/coated products during manufacture following extrusion or coating application is difficult to achieve due to the way water adheres to products. The DRI-Line Powerpack delivers air at high velocity very close to the surface of the product breaking the surface tension of the retained water, allowing it to be removed effectively.

Utilising high efficiency blowers, ACI’s DRI-Line Powerpack delivers warm (80o C/176oF) clean, contaminant free air at constant volume and pressures to ensure the drying process is consistent and reliable. It also has the advantage of being ‘plug and play’ as it runs off a 230V, single phase supply. A 110V version will also be available shortly.
The unit has the ability to successfully dry extruded products from 5 to 25 mm diameter at speeds in excess of 300 m/min. Its drying effectiveness is achieved by passing extruded product through a pair of hinged drying heads that deliver the high velocity airflow directly to the product. The hinged heads are sprung allowing any defect/knot to pass through without any requirement for adjustment.

Backward Thinking?

2009-10-21T13:53:00.002+01:00

Recently we were asked why one of our multi-stage fans (9ms8) appeared to be under performing by up to 50%, and in this case, not holding printed stock securely on a screen printing machine.
Previous purchases had exceeded expectations, however this particular unit just didn't cut the mustard.
Our response was simple, "you're going backwards."
In this case, the customer had wired the motor so that the rotation was in the wrong direction.
Contrary to perception, our multi-stage motors will continue to pull air through the inlet and expel air through the discharge port even when the impeller is going the wrong way.
Performance will only be approximately 40% of the normal duty in flow and/or pressure.
Simply rectified, the customer was relieved and a lesson learned.
If you find yourself with a similar problem, maybe it's time to consider some backwards thinking.

Fan Selection

2009-10-20T16:48:00.005+01:00

If you need to cool a control cabinet, vent gases from a production process, or cool a product during a manufacturing process then your air movement requirements will be different. Your needs will also depend upon such factors as location, ambient conditions and the distance the air must travel.

There are many different types of fan available and each is designed to effect different flow patterns as regards volume and velocity and different permutations of them. The type of fan selected is only part of the equation. Designers must also take into consideration factors such as the density of air to be moved; air temperature; humidity and the pressure drop due to ducting. All ducting will have an effect on the air passing through a system and this will nearly always take the form of a restriction to flow and therefore have an influence on pressure requirements.

In reality, there are many factors that impact upon fan specification. Applications that demand particular air movement characteristics for vacuum, cooling, exhausting, extraction, aerating, ventilating and drying should undergo a system resistance assessment. Only by evaluating all the impacting factors (flow, resistance, power, size and space envelope) is it possible to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability of both the fan and the equipment involved.