July/ August 2020

HYDRAULICS 30 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS July/August 2020 www.hpmag.co.uk Gates GC20 with Gates Cortex Intelligence is a new development in smart crimper technology. A new addition to the Gates crimper line-up – GC20 Cortex makes connected technology available to every user in the market by including this development on Gates’ baseline crimper. With access to live updates on eCrimp content and new product crimp specifications, GC20 Cortex takes the guesswork out of hydraulic assembly fabrication. The intuitive touchscreen controls reduce assembly time regardless of hose assembly experience and offers onboard training for new operators. Gates comments that it designs hydraulic hose crimper solutions to be smart and versatile for ultimate operational efficiency in the factory and the field – because every minute counts when users are ‘on the clock’. Benefits include: * Connectivity – Access to continuously updated eCrimp content with new product crimp specs. * Efficiency – Intuitive touch-screen controls reduce assembly time, regardless of hose assembly experience; GC20 Cortex saves favorites and can optimise crimp cycle time for faster crimping. * Safety – On-board videos simplify the training of new operators; Improved ergonomics with task light and die cone handle make the operators job easier; Calibration and Maintenance tracking and reminders promote quality control and uptime. www.gates.com A new development in smart crimper technology from Gates A new transatlantic partnership is already paying dividends for two US companies – customers of Elite Lubrication Specialties, the Michigan-based outfit that works with clients to develop proactive and predictive maintenance programs to help decrease costs, reduce downtime, improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and drive profitability. Moreover, due to a new link with British specialist Reynolds Contamination Control, the two American firms are reportedly well on the way to solving long-standing and costly problems. Elite founder Jimmy Kukulski and Reynolds’ technical director Wayne Hubball pooled their knowhow and introduced Hubball’s cloud-based monitoring system – The Link – to come up with a solution for monitoring sugar contamination in a gearbox for a large food processor. “We actually made quick work of that application,” says Kukulski. “The system hasn’t been installed yet, but it’s ready to go and we expect to have it in place very soon.” The same technology was brought to bear on a diesel engine oil application that enabled Diesel Pro to monitor oil condition on road diesel engines at a very reasonable cost. “The beauty of this relationship,” continues Kukulski, “is that it enables us to work together on ongoing status quo type projects – as well as giving us the capability to pivot quickly as a team to come up with customised solutions like these for customers.” Elite Lubrication Specialties’ intelligent asset management and Maintenance 4.0 solutions are already helping dozens of manufacturers, energy firms and transportation and logistics companies to reduce downtime, improve efficiency and drive profitability. The company deploys sensors at customers’ plants to monitor their machines using the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and artificial intelligence-based systems to calculate when lubricants should be cleaned or changed. It could mean a company changing the oil in its machines every six years instead of every six months – all while avoiding failures. However, teaming up with Reynolds Contamination Control has provided Elite with the technology to take things a stage further – with even greater data integration. “With The Link, we have given Elite the cloud-based monitoring that they needed,” says Hubball. “It takes their reliability-based management offering to a new level and with even greater benefits for Elite’s customers.” The new collaboration represents Reynolds’ first such partnership in the US and follows a series of recently announced joint ventures with companies sharing the same goal. Hubball adds: “Together with the partners we are now working with, we are creating levels of cleanliness monitoring previously only available to cutting edge industries – such as those working in the Aeronautical, Aerospace and Formula One racing sectors. “Our IIOT monitoring – combined with a holistic approach to reliability – enables enhanced performance for longer. It empowers our clients and, of course, protects our planet. Cleanliness really matters – which is why we take it so seriously.” www.reynoldscc.co.uk This cogen plant in the US is just one of the sites benefitting from Elite’s proactive and predictive maintenance programs. Elite Lubrication Specialties and Reynolds Contamination Control deliver lubricant monitoring benefits for US companies