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It is said that sliced bread was first invented in 1927.  It was a major time saver for people, I mean it is difficult to do that yourself... isn't it?  Anyway, Wonder Bread began promoting their sliced bread around 1930 and, did you know, the U.S. government outlawed sliced bread in 1943 because it was considered so wasteful?  Go figure, only the government would understand this act of congress.

Some say the Internet was really "THE next best thing since sliced bread" and indeed the Internet is a milestone in human technological development that still evolves today.  However, in more practical terms relating to powder and bulk solids is the invention and introduction within the past decade of surface profile measurement systems for use in determining how much stuff is in a silo, typically large silos.

Surface mapping technology has long been in use by military and aerospace.  It was believed to have been first commercialized successfully by BinTech LLLP of Louisville, CO with their patent number 6,986,294 on January 17, 2006.  This device uses a laser scanner to measure the top surface contours of the material within the bin.  The laser is installed within the bin but is generally not in contact with the material.  It uses mechanical packaging means to allow it to measure through dust effectively.  Other sensor technologies can also be used. 

Other companies now marketing surface mapping capabilities include:
KTek Volumetric accuracy stated as "1% typical"
APM Solutions I could not locate an accuracy statement other than in terms of distance/level (+/- 15mm)

Note that BinTech claims comparison testing between weight scales and their 3D scanner system indicates their system to be 99.5% accurate!  Only a 0.5% error rate for volume/mass measurement!  That's impressive, but it will cost you.

Next best thing since sliced bread?  Surface mapping measurement technology for powders and bulk solids.  However, they need more development and cost reduction efforts.

Joe Lewis

Long-term, economic operation of your hammermill, wood hog or wood chip rechipper starts with good preventive maintenance.  In all my years of field experience, I have never seen an operation without a preventive maintenance schedule that didn’t eventually end up on someone’s “catastrophic” maintenance schedule.

Today you have a lot more tools to help you keep your hammermill running at top performance. Bearing temperature monitoring systems give you an early warning when this critical component is over heating. Vibration monitoring systems, laser alignment systems, and dynamic balancing equipment all help you make critical adjustments that will extend the life and improve the performance of your wood hog.

One of your best lines of defense is to watch your wear items, and replace them before it’s too late. Jeffrey Rader hammermill users, for example, can easily see when a wear liner is due for replacement by looking at the mounting bolts. A typical breaker plate liner is 2” thick when it is new. It is attached with ¾” diameter mounting bolts. When the liner is worn down to the level of the mounting bolt, you know it has just ¾” thickness left and should be replaced. For those whose hammermill has extra heavy internal wear liners, you’ll find annual inspection is sufficient in most applications.

The good news about wear parts is that we have made many advances in the metallurgy and design of hammers, screen grates, and other internal wear parts. For example Jeffrey Rader developed Ultralloy Dura-Tip hammers that provide both superior wear characteristics and easy change-out. This is a good example how the right replacement parts can shorten down-time and extend maintenance intervals.

Another example is our Slant-Flow screen grate. This design improves material flow without loss of end product size control. It reduces horsepower consumption for equivalent through-put rates, and it extends wear life, reducing the frequency of wear component replacement.  

With the exception of changing hammers, rotor repair is minimal. We recommend metal detection and/or magnets prior to the machine to prevent a large piece of metal from entering the machine and doing serious damage to the rotor. Bearings are the most critical part of the rotor, and maintenance must be performed on them regularly and correctly.

Bearings may be lubricated with grease or recirculating oil. In either case keeping the correct amount of oil or grease in the bearing is critical. The most common mistake is overgreasing bearings or not maintaining filters and coolers on recirculating systems which can cause premature bearing failure. A well designed hammermill uses premium bearings with a B10 design life minimum of 100,000 hours, and many models exceed 250,000 hours B10 design life.

If you start with a quality machine, provide the proper maintenance and use quality parts, you’ll have many years of operation without costly down-time or frequent emergency calls.

Keith Patterson
Manager of Applications & Technical Services
Jeffrey Rader

If you set your motor car on a long straight road that has a gradual downhill slope with a clear entrance to a cliff the outcome is clearly in your hands. Accelerate savagely and you may run out of petrol before reaching the cliff, but if you continue at a slower pace [normal driving practice] you will be still mobile at the cliff’s edge.
 
That correlation was the message derived at the October meeting of the Australian Institute of Packaging in Victoria when Alex Kanaar, Environmental Sustainability Manager Visy Recycling who is part of Al Gore’s climate change leadership program run by the Australian Conservation Foundation (www.acf.org.au). There are 250 Australian ambassadors for the program making up 10% of the global population of persons trained personally by Al Gore. As with many things Australia is once again punching well above its weight!
 
With the aid of selected visual examples and specific graphs Alex was able to demonstrate that the world is accelerating savagely and that has become normal driving practice. Human induced global warming and climate change can not be denied; but by altering driving habits a stop before the cliff’s edge is possible. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for demonstrable increases in carbon dioxide emissions that have changed the earth’s atmosphere and nature’s control mechanisms. The absorption of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere have been traced back six-hundred and fifty thousand years and plotted to gauge the effects on our climate.  Not all is reversible but repetition is preventable.
 
Since the Industrial Revolution, a mere two hundred years ago, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 280 ppm to 383 ppm and it continues to increase by two parts per million every year which has escalated the average temperature. [Nature determined that earth’s average temperature should be fifteen degrees Celsius] In the century just passed the average temperature of Australia has increased by 0.9 degrees, but if we continue to drive as normal it will almost double again by 2050 with catastrophic results.
 
Many examples of destruction of natural and man made resources directly attributable to climate change were provided by Mr Kanaar. Some considerations:

 -Seven out of the ten hottest years in Australia have occurred since 2001
 -3250 square kilometres of ice in the Antarctic was lost in one month. Cliffs of ice 250 metres high were filmed breaking away and falling into the sea.
 -Many Pacific Island nations are under threat from rising sea levels and a new category of refugee results. Climate Change Refuges will need to be resettled in a very short period of time.
 -Storms have increased in duration and intensity by more than 50% since 1970.
 -More severe bush fires have occurred in Australia and elsewhere. (But is it all climate change or in part mismanagement by Governments?)
 -Ocean temperatures are higher than ever before and devastations like Hurricane Katrina can be expected.
 
But it is not all gloom and doom and many industry and personal procedural changes are available. Alex Kanaar recited statements from the Chief Executives of Australia’s big businesses each agreeing that climate change needs to be addressed, and if properly handled can not only be beneficial to the planet but deliver the “triple bottom line” profits. As he said “we already have the fundamental know-how to solve global warming”! He then espoused many techniques and technologies that are available or in development stage.
 
As would be expected, a spirited question time followed, and Alex was able to give credible answers to even the most sceptical audience participants. One unfortunate conclusion is that many Politicians are ambivalent to the long term welfare of the nation and the planet. Solar power is just one example for in the land mass of nearly eight million square kilometres only 1225 or 0.0153% covered in solar panels would generate all of the electricity needed by Australian industry. In a country that can not agree on daylight saving we would expect state differentials; and this is know to apply in the price paid for co-generated electricity sold back to the grid.
 
In conclusion Mr Kanaar summarised Visy Recycling’s and his personal approach to combating climate change. He travelled to and from Sydney and paid a carbon offset surcharge but would have saved that driving his hybrid car to commute to the airport. [The issue several hundred cars parked in the open air around the airport, and the expansive roofing, reflecting the sun’s radiation back into atmosphere was not raised in question time]
 
There are many resources available to assist in managing greenhouse gas emissions but unless everyone makes a personal effort the planet will continue to be degraded with more deleterious results than previously encountered or currently envisaged. For more information on action that can be taken to help solve the climate crisis challenge visit www.acf.org.au.
 
On behalf of the audience members Ralph Moyle the Southern Branch Chairman thanked Alex Kanaar and presented a gift of appreciation. No doubt the messages delivered during the hour and a quarter that Alex was presenting was contemplated by all as they made their way home.
 
Michael B Halley FAIP
Australian Institute of Packaging
http://www.aipack.com.au/