GxMedia, Author at Swiss Machinery

RUST REPAIR: HAND TOOLS

GxMedia — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:21:27 +0000

Rust is a perpetual problem for many metals, especially those exposed to moisture and air. It can weaken metal materials and make them unsightly. Rust also affects the performance of tools and equipment, and can eventually lead to their failure. Fortunately, there are a good number of solutions available to deal with rust, including prevention, removal, and restoration, and the WD-40_® Brand is here to help make it happen.

What is rust, anyway?

The electrochemical reaction that occurs when iron or steel interacts with oxygen and water leads to the production of iron oxide — or rust. This reddish-brown compound forms on the surfaces of metals and happens naturally in the environment, although it can be accelerated by exposure to salt water or other corrosive substances. Some metals, such as stainless steel and aluminum, are resistant to corrosion and do not readily form rust. Many common hand tools used by professionals, DIYers, and people at home are subject to rust, so preventing or removing it is a priority in order to avoid unnecessary replacement.

Why use metals that rust?

Although stainless steel is a popular choice for many tools, there are several reasons why some are not made from this material:

Cost: Stainless steel can be more expensive than other materials, such as carbon steel or aluminum. For some tools, the cost of using stainless steel may not be justified.
Hardness: Stainless steel is a relatively soft material compared to some other metals, such as carbon steel or tungsten. For tools that need to be particularly hard and durable, other materials may be more appropriate.
Magnetic properties: Stainless steel is not magnetic, which can be a disadvantage for some tools. For example, tools that need to be attracted to magnetic surfaces, such as screws or nails, may be better made from a magnetic material like carbon steel.
Weight: Stainless steel is a relatively heavy metal, especially compared to lighter ones like aluminum.

Ultimately, the choice of material depends on the specific requirements and characteristics of the tool and its intended use. Rust prevention is not hard to achieve with good maintenance practices, and human ingenuity provides solutions to keep tools in good shape even in the most extreme conditions.

How is rust harmful?

Rusty tools can cause several issues, including:

Reduced functionality: rust can cause tools to become stiff and difficult to use, making them less effective in performing their intended function.
Increased risk of accidents: tools weakened by rust can be dangerous, as the metals may break, snap or otherwise malfunction while in use.
Shorter lifespan: rust and corrosion cause tools & equipment to deteriorate more quickly, causing a need for more frequent replacements. The result is excess waste, extra expenses, and the perpetuation of poor maintenance practices.

WD-40 Brand Products that Protect:

WD-40 Multi-Use Product – the Original WD-40 Formula, this one covers all the bases by providing protection from rust and corrosion with a thin film of lubricant that serves as a shield against the elements. It also helps with removing rust and restoring tools and equipment affected by rust & corrosion.
WD-40 Specialist_® Gel Lube– this formula is designed for superior protection that resists water and displaces moisture to prevent rust for up to one year.* While not ideal for every hand tool, the thick gel lubricant can stick on vertical surfaces and doesn’t fling from gears, cables, chains and more.
WD-40 Specialist Dry Lube – a great choice when you need a protective product that doesn’t make a mess, this formula gives long-lasting corrosion protection that does not attract dirt, dust, or oil and does not leave an oily residue. Especially useful on cutting tools such as saws and other wood-working tools that create sawdust.
WD-40 Specialist Corrosion Inhibitor – an anti-rust spray ideal for preventative maintenance and use in extreme environments and those with high humidity. The long-lasting formula protects metal parts by blocking rust and corrosion for up to 1 year outdoors or 2 years indoors. A favorite among car mechanics, and must-have for corrosion protection.

WD-40 Brand Products that Remove Rust:

WD-40 Multi-Use Product – not just for protection & maintenance, the Original WD-40 Formula can also be used to prevent rust from forming on metal surfaces. It contains a blend of lubricants, solvents, and corrosion inhibitors that penetrate the surface layers to help loosen and dissolve rust. Sandpaper or a wire brush can then remove it to aid in restoring the affected tools or equipment. For severe rust, multiple repetitions of this process may be needed.
WD-40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak – this product uses a non-caustic chemical process to quickly dissolve rust and restore tools, equipment, and surfaces to bare metal without the need for abrasive action or “elbow grease.” The formula has no toxic fumes or skin irritants, does not use acids, and is safe to use on most metals. Light rust can be removed in 30 minutes to 3 hours and for heavier jobs you can soak the parts overnight. A terrific resource for recovering rusted tools that might otherwise make their way to the junkyard. To see the rust remover soak in action, check out this YouTube video from BleepinJeep.

What to do for your tools:

Whether hand tools are part of your everyday life or an every now-and-then means to an end, taking care of tools and equipment is a sound practice carry forward. Prevention is your first line of defense, and the best solution to rusty tools is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Store tools in a dry and cool place, wipe them clean after use, and apply a coat of oil or rust inhibitor such as WD-40 Multi-Use Product. If rust has already developed on your tools, remove it using the Original WD-40 Formula with a wire brush or sandpaper, or turn to WD-40 Specialist Rust Remover Soak for tougher jobs. Once the rust has been removed, apply a lubricant layer to prevent future rust and keep the tool working smoothly. If all else fails and the tool is beyond repair, consider replacement as a last option.

Pro Tip: If you invest in higher-quality tools you may save yourself from future purchases, especially once you’ve built in those good maintenance habits. Store your tools in an appropriate place and lightly coat them using the area spray feature on WD-40 Smart Straw_®

Article Source: https://www.wd40.com/article/rust-repair-hand-tools/

The post RUST REPAIR: HAND TOOLS appeared first on Swiss Machinery.

Maintenance of Diesel Engine Coolant Systems

GxMedia — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:13:11 +0000

It is estimated that the failure of an engine coolant system is one of the key factors for the engine downtime. The diesel engines today emit more heat than their predecessors, requiring better cooling mechanisms than ever before. They require a fully formulated, premixed, glycol based coolant containing a heavy duty additive package and de-ionized water. The coolants play an integral role in the system maintenance. They have to face multiple conflicts with rust, acid, foams, debris etc. to maintain the right operating conditions of an engine. Coolants may differ according to the job and requirement. They need to be monitored frequently to ensure proper chemical balance.

No engine cooling system can be maintenance free. Every component degrades over time and so does the coolant. Various factors such as dilution with water, additives and the invasion of foreign particles entering the cooling system, can all cause a chemical degeneration. Products can get mixed, making testing and servicing difficult.

A coolant can perform well only when it preserves its original composition. The mutated version can cause fluctuations yielding disastrous results for an engine. Fleetguard Filtration provides the most comprehensive cooling system product range with support products that help test, service, and repair cooling system fluid. Mentioned below are various ways in which a coolant system can be taken care of in order to experience less downtime & great efficiency.

Coolant Filtration

A coolant filter is a primary mechanism to remove contamination that enters the cooling system through poor quality water, internal component wear or other inbuilt particulates which are a key cause of pump seal failure. Coolant filters are the most effective solution against contamination of the coolants and are essential to service your coolant and protect it.

Test Strips

Using test strips is like the litmus test used to correctly determine the condition of the coolant. Regular testing can identify trends that may be leading to equipment damage. These strips help determine various factors such as

Overall freeze protection and key inhibitor quantity levels.
Overall Quality of the coolant to determine whether it is fit for continued use or is contaminated.
Water Quality – is this water suitable for use in a cooling system.

Refractometers

Depleting glycol levels in the coolant will bring down the boiling point and have a detrimental effect on the engine, especially in hot spots around the head. Refractometers are a near accurate tool to measure the glycol content of engine coolant. It is essential to maintain glycol levels within the specified limits. Different products may require different refractometers depending on their additive makeup.

Fleetguard Coolant Solutions

There are many products available in the Fleetguard range to assist with Cooling System maintenance:

• Ethylene Glycol (EG) and Propylene Glycol (PG) based Fully Formulated Coolants (ES Compleat)

These glycols are available as pre-mixed products, using de-ionized water, which are ready to use. They are also available in the more traditional, concentrated format which requires dilution with good quality water before use.

• DCA (Diesel Coolant Additive) heavy duty corrosion inhibitor

These inhibitors are available as a liquid concentrate to allow initial charging of a standard antifreeze product or to re-charge. A coolant which is low in inhibitor levels.

• Cooling System flushing/cleaning agents to remove scale, corrosion products, oil and gel contamination etc. Radiwash This not only removes contamination /scale/rust in the intricate passages of the engine without need of dismantling but dramatically brings the engines at operating temperatures.

Fleetguard is one of the leading Automobile Filter Manufacturers in India.

Article Source: https://www.fleetguard-filtrum.com/blog/maintenance-of-diesel-engine-coolant-systems/

The post Maintenance of Diesel Engine Coolant Systems appeared first on Swiss Machinery.

CUMMINS FUEL-AGNOSTIC ENGINE PLATFORM DELIVERS LOW-TO-ZERO CARBON FUEL CAPABILITY

GxMedia — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:09:33 +0000

Heavy-Duty Hydrogen, Natural Gas And Advanced Diesel Engines To Align With Tier 5

Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) showcased its new fuel-agnostic 15-liter engine platform with hydrogen, natural gas and advanced diesel engines offering low-to-zero carbon fuel capability. The next generation engine is designed to accelerate the decarbonization of heavy-duty off-highway applications.

“Cummins’ all-new platform takes internal combustion to a new level, capable of meeting future ultra-low emission standards, such as EPA Tier 5 and EU Stage 6, together with a low-to-zero carbon fuel capability to help put construction and quarrying sites on a lower cost path to decarbonization,” said Antonio Leitao, VP Global Off-highway Engine Business.

The new engine is a clean sheet design that points to the future of diesel: more capability with less environmental impact. Its high power density sets the standards for heavy-duty performance in key off-road applications including excavators, wheel loaders, drilling rigs, road planning, milling machines, haul trucks and air compressors. Innovatively designed hardware provides lower weight with maximum engine durability, even when working on the most challenging jobs

The fuel-agnostic architecture of the 15-litre platform utilizes a common base engine with cylinder heads and fuel systems specifically tailored for it to use carbon-free hydrogen or biogas with up to a 90 percent carbon reduction. Cummins’ 15-liter hydrogen has ratings up to 530 hp (395 kW) and natural gas up to 510 hp (380 kW). The advanced diesel version can use either sustainable HVO fuel or biodiesel with ratings up to 650 hp (485 kW) for the most demanding off-highway duty-cycles.

“The 15-liter has a significant increase in power density with a more compact installation envelope providing equipment manufacturers with the capability to do more with their machines,” added Leitao.

A key design feature of the new platform is a Double-Overhead-Camshaft (DOHC) realizing significant advances in combustion and thermal efficiency. Friction losses across the engine design have also been reduced and a sculpted block contributes to weight saving. The DOHC design also enables a more efficient integral engine brake to be accommodated.

Next Generation 15-Liter Engine

The 15-liter hydrogen engine with direct-injection, lean-burn combustion will be available with ratings from 400-to-530 hp (298-395 kW) and a peak torque of 2600 Nm. Running on zero-carbon green hydrogen, it can use a 700-bar pressure high-capacity fuel storage system for maximum operating hours between refueling.

The 15-liter advanced diesel features Cummins latest XPI ultra-high pressure fuel injection system and will offer a broad power range of 450-to-675 hp (335-503 kW) with an impressive 3000 Nm peak torque. Using B100 biodiesel enables up to a 70 percent reduction in carbon and using HVO renewable fuel achieves up to a 90 percent reduction.

For applications powered by renewable biogas, the 15-liter natural gas will offer ratings extending from 400-to-510 hp (298-380 kW) with a peak torque of 2500 Nm available. Very low noise is a further benefit of this engine, particularly for when operating in urban areas.

“Moving forward, our aim is to offer the same agnostic capability across the next-generation of our current 6.7 liter and 9 liter engine platforms,” concluded Leitao.

Article Source: https://www.cummins.com/news/releases/2023/03/14/cummins-fuel-agnostic-engine-platform-delivers-low-zero-carbon-fuel

The post CUMMINS FUEL-AGNOSTIC ENGINE PLATFORM DELIVERS LOW-TO-ZERO CARBON FUEL CAPABILITY appeared first on Swiss Machinery.

Advanced Power Solutions Are Helping Customers Reduce Emissions

GxMedia — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 19:03:39 +0000

What do Caterpillar’s construction, mining, energy and transportation customers have in common? They expect Caterpillar products to deliver the power and performance that gets the job done. As many customers adopt ambitious environmental, social and governance goals, they are evaluating equipment options to help get the job done more sustainably.

We’re putting our expertise to work on multiple advanced power technologies to enable the energy flexibility our customers need to be successful in a reduced-carbon world.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

HYDROGEN POWER

Caterpillar is expanding on its legacy in gas engines and Solar® gas turbines with more than 35 years of experience with high-hydrogen fuel. Many of our products can use hydrogen on a blended basis today and we are expanding this capability for the future. In response to customer interest in hydrogen, we announced that some Caterpillar gas generator sets are being configured to use 100 percent hydrogen on a design-to-order basis. We’ll also have some commercial sets configured to operate on natural gas blended with up to 25 percent hydrogen.

We are also exploring how hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power stationary and mobile applications. We recently announced a three-year project through a collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Power Systems to demonstrate a power system incorporating large-format hydrogen fuel cells to produce reliable and sustainable backup power for Microsoft data centers. The project is supported and partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy under the H2@Scale initiative and backed by the National Renewable Energy Lab. In addition, Progress Rail announced a memorandum of understanding with BNSF Railway and Chevron to advance the demonstration of a locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

CARBON CAPTURE

Beyond embracing lower-carbon sources of power, we are investing to make conventional energy generation methods more sustainable. Caterpillar has acquired CarbonPoint Solutions, a U.S.-based carbon capture technology company that provides technology to concentrate and capture CO₂for utilization or sequestration. The company’s patented processes can be applied to engines and turbines at oil and gas sites, distributed power and industrial plants and waste-to-energy sites. Caterpillar plans to offer these technologies for deployment on our Cat® engines and Solar® gas turbines.

ELECTRIC DRIVE EQUIPMENT

Equipment with electric and hybrid powertrains combine an electric drive transmission with power components. While Caterpillar has been incorporating electric drive technology into its construction and mining machines for many years, today’s advanced electric drive machines offer greater agility, improved cycle times, less fuel consumption and lower carbon emissions than earlier versions.

As an example, Goodfellow Bros., a U.S.-based heavy civil construction company, is using the D6 XE dozer, the world’s first high drive electric drive dozer, on a solar project in Hawaii. After 900 hours of operation, Goodfellow found that the D6 XE generated 35% lower emissions compared to the other dozers on the same job.

ENERGY STORAGE AND BATTERY POWER

Our customers are interested in energy storage for different reasons, which is why our approach to batteries is modular and scalable across stationary and mobile applications. The Cat Energy Storage System, or ESS, is a rapidly deployable electric power solution to help customers integrate multiple power sources on a worksite. The ESS can provide grid stabilization, transient assist, and renewable energy storage. We worked with a customer to design a hybrid e-drill system that pairs a field-gas-powered generator with energy storage and integrated controls to help reduce costs and emissions at a land drilling site. The rig charges the battery when it’s not running at full capacity.

Our microgrid solutions and controls integrate renewable energy sources into electric power systems. These installations are particularly valuable in remote locations where electrical grids may deliver inconsistent power, but where renewable energy sources like solar, wind or hydropower are available.

Caterpillar has also developed a battery electric underground loader, the R1700 XE. Along with its mobile equipment charger, the MEC500, this solution is a game changer in deep, difficult to ventilate and high temperature underground mines. The R1700 XE underground mining loader combined with a MEC500 charger will be a game-changer in deep, difficult-to-ventilate underground mines. The EMD(R) Joule, a battery electric zero-emissions switcher locomotive, provides zero-idle and low noise within railyard applications. Leveraging our deep system integration experience and knowledge, we are developing a proprietary battery management system to monitor batteries and a fully integrated battery electric powertrain for each electrified machine.

Additionally, Caterpillar announced that four battery-electric machine prototypes and a battery prototype will be displayed at bauma 2022 Oct. 24-30 in Munich, Germany. The battery electric machine prototypes include the 301.9 mini excavator, 320 medium excavator, 950 GC medium wheel loader and 906 compact wheel loader. The machines are powered by Caterpillar battery prototypes and include an onboard AC charger. We also plan to offer an offboard DC fast charging option. The Caterpillar-designed batteries in these machines will also be available to power other industrial applications. The batteries are engineered to be scalable to industry and customer performance needs and maximize sustainability throughout their lifecycle, including recycling and reuse at the end of life.

Caterpillar is committed to leading in this changing world through collaboration, investments and acquisitions that add to our capabilities and accelerate development timelines.

Article Source: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/caterpillarNews/2022/advances-power-solutions-reduce-emissions.html

The post Advanced Power Solutions Are Helping Customers Reduce Emissions appeared first on Swiss Machinery.