In commercial setups as well as homes, there is a vital need of fresh, uncontaminated and temperature controlled air. It forms the basis for a suitable environment to perform a particular operation. Generally, industrial complexes have various equipment installed to control the quality of air such as air conditioners, heaters and ventilators. An essential equipment mounted to operate in conjunction with these devices is an Air Handling Unit or an AHU. It is a very significant device that can modify and condition the air as per needs. These days, many Air Handling Unit manufacturers produce these devices with varying capacities and unique features such as smoke detecting systems and more.

The Air Handling Unit or an AHU is designed by incorporating different functional units that perform specific jobs. If you are planning to integrate an AHU into your commercial plant or home premises, here is some basic information about the device for you to know its functionality.

Mixing chambers – The important task of exhausting the air from the inside of the building and mixing the air from the outside is performed by the dampers installed inside the mixing chambers.

Conditioning element – Just like the air conditioners used in homes do, the conditioning element does the task of conditioning the air and adjusting its temperature to hot or cold. Components like heating coils and cooling coils are used to achieve the desired level of temperature. The elements like water at high

temperature, a stream of hot or cold air and cold water are commonly used in this part.
Filters – Filters take the vital responsibility of cleaning the air present in the atmosphere. Air Handling Units consist of filters that perform the task of removing all the dust and other contaminants present in the air. The air stream coming out of the filters is absolutely sanitized and dry.

Humidifier – As the name suggests, the task of this part is to humidify the air. In applications where extremely dry air results due to regular heating, the humidifier performs the task of adjusting its moisture content.

Blower – The chief purpose of this part of the AHU is to recycle the air present in the area. For enhanced functionality, more than one blower can be integrated into the unit.

Apart from these major components, there are many other smaller modules such as sound attenuators, vibration suppressers, heat recovery device, duct pressure control devices and smoke detectors present in an AHU. These devices are equally important in ensuring the overall functioning of the device. According to the application, different sizes, shapes and installation type of the AHU equipments are available.

Before contacting Air Handling Unit manufacturers for purchasing the device, you should know your requirement. For the premises where the unit is to be used is smaller in size, a low capacity AHU would be enough. If the installation space is a constraint, opt for the equipment with compact shape and small size.

A printed circuit board (PCB) is a standard component in many different electronic gadgets, such as computers, radars, beepers, etc. They are made from a variety of materials with laminate, composite and fiberglass the most common. Also, the type of circuit board can vary with the intended use. Let’s take a look at five of the different types:

Single sided – this is the most typical circuit board and is built with a single layer or base material. The single layer is coated with a conductive material like copper. They may also have a silk screen coat or a protective solder mask on top of the copper layer. A great advantage of this type of PCB is the low production cost and they are often used in mass-produced items.

Double sided – this is much like the single sided, but has the conductive material on both sides. There are many holes in the board to make it easy to attach metal parts from the top to bottom side. This type of circuit board increases operational flexibility and is a practical option to build the more dense circuit designs. This board is also relatively low-cost. However, it still isn’t a practical option for the most complex circuits and is unable to work with technology that reduces electromagnetic interference. They are typically used in amplifiers, power monitoring systems, and testing equipment.

Multi-layer – the multi-layer circuit board is built with extra layers of conductive materials. The high number of layers which can reach 30 or more means it is possible to create a circuit design with very high flexibility. The individual layers are separated by special insulating materials and substrate board. A great benefit of this type of board is the compact size, which helps to save space and weight in a relatively small product. Also, they are mostly used when it is necessary to use a high-speed circuit.

Flexible – this is a very versatile circuit board. It is not only designed with a flexible layer, but also available in the single, double, or multi-layer boards. They are a great option when it is necessary to save space and weight when building a particular device. Also, they are appreciated for high ductility and low mass. However, the flexible nature of the board can make them more difficult to use.

Rigid – the rigid circuit board is built with a solid, non-flexible material for its layers. They are typically compact in size and able to handle the complex circuit designs. Plus, the signal paths are easy to organize and the ability to maintain and repair is quite straightforward.

Fasteners are very much important in different applications to affix two or more objects together. Therefore, their protection is the foremost duty of the user from their biggest enemy corrosion. Corrosion or rust on the fasteners damages them drastically and they start losing their finish, which affects its working as well. Thus, it is very much important to take necessary steps to prevent it. But before doing so, having knowledge about different types of corrosion is, compulsory, so, you can fight them and if you are on the fence and have no idea related to the same, look mentioned below.

Uniform Corrosion: It normally changes the color of the fastener and turns it into the red. It affects it from the head to tail and makes it difficult for the user to undo it. Therefore, it is advisable to use a type of hex bolt or nut, which are made of a material that is not corrosive, which keep it safe and secure for a longer period.

Crevice Corrosion: This type of corrosion occurs in the fastener with small cracks and crevices that affect its overall strength and working as well. Make sure you minimize the use of washer to prevent this type of damage. Additionally, try your level best to ensure the joint surface is, as smooth as possible, to eliminate any space between them.

Galvanic Corrosion: This may occur when two different metals come in contact with each other in the presence of moisture. Their direct contact leads to damage to one or both the metals and makes the fastener weak. Thus, you need to be careful while making a choice of the fastener, so, it won’t react with other metal.

Stress Corrosion Cracking: This type of corrosion occurs where the material is installed under the tension, which weakens the fastener and makes a crack in them. Time to time inspection and cleaning is the easiest way to prevent the condition from taking the drastic turn.

These were the types of corrosion occur on the fasteners and simple solutions to fix them right away. If you don’t want this to happen with your installed fastener, always invest in the best quality and right type of material, size, and type. Keeping the problem always in mind and finding the solution related to it is necessary to prevent any damage from occurring. Make the right choice of the fastener for any of your application to get bang for the bucks.

The term programmable logic controller (PLC) refers to the industrial digital computers that are designed for controlling various manufacturing equipment such as industrial robots, escalators, power stations, and assembly lines. These sophisticated devices are used to control production processes where dependable controls, flexible programming, and ease of troubleshooting is of immense importance.

The significance of industrial computers increases in applications where precision with zero error is critical. Initially, it was the automotive industry that utilized computer-controlled systems in order to replace cam timers and hard-wired relays. Now, computer-driven tools have become a vital part of industrial process control and factory automation.

Unlike personal computers, PLC is capable of performing in harsh industrial environments where temperature, humidity, dust, mechanical shocks and other hazards are prevalent. Manufacturers need a variety of equipment in order to produce a product and make it work for the end users.

All the equipment or devices working on producing something in a facility needs to be organized in terms of time intervals. For instance, in the automobile industry, one device or a set of devices works on painting car exterior and the other machine works on engine parts. One of the functions of an industrial digital computer is to set the specific time frame for machines so that all the processes can be performed in a perfectly harmonious manner.

Industrial computers were introduced in the 1960s and before that, manufacturers relied on cam timers, relays and other similar kinds of devices to streamline their manufacturing processes. They control a wide range of applications from small production systems to large processing plants. Some of the advantages of PLC include:

• Ease of maintenance and installation
• Accuracy and dependability
• Cost-effectiveness
• Low power consumption
• Higher flexibility and integration

Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, and input & outputs are the three fundamental component of an industrial digital computer. Like in the personal computer, CPU plays the part of a brain in a computer as it performs all the communication, arithmetic, logical and memory related operations. The memory component in PLC operates almost the same way as that of personal computers.

As mentioned earlier, the ability to perform effectively for years in harsh industrial environments is what makes PLCs different from personal computers. A digital computer has to be flexible and configurable. The 21st Century process control expects functional flexibility, superior performance, and a smaller form factor from a control system.

The rapid development in the industrial automation technology has made it possible for manufacturers to produce high-quality products cost-effectively and at large scales. Powerful industrial computers, robots, sensors, intelligent and automated devices are the present and the future of modern industries. It would be hard for industries to stay competitive in future without embracing the modern industrial technologies.

Fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) is utilized in a large quantity for manufacturing components in the boating industry for two types of boats, work boats and recreational craft. Manufacturers of boats and marine surveyors requires to get accurate hull thickness measurements using a precise wall thickness gauge. Before, unless there was a place to put a micrometre, there was no real way to decide thickness but to penetrate a gap in the body. Present day ultrasonic thickness gauges, be that as it may, make it simple to check the thickness of vessel structures.

Ultrasonic thickness estimations are especially valuable with fiberglass tangle/meandering lay-ups. Varieties in layer thickness make it important to intermittently check thickness. In some cases pontoon structures are made of fiberglass skins sandwiched around an internal centre of balsa wood, stopper, or froth. In those cases, the centre material makes it difficult to make add up to body thickness estimations, since it doesn’t transmit ultrasound, yet the external fiberglass layers can be estimated successfully with ultrasonic hardware.

A wall thickness gauge with the High Penetration programming alternative and 45MG with High Penetration programming are compact gauges equipped for making advanced thickness estimations on fiberglass. They are ordinarily utilized with a M2008 transducer (500 kHz) to boost the entrance of ultrasound in thick or weakening fiberglass, giving a thickness estimation scope of around from 0.150 in. to 3 in. (4 mm to 75 mm), contingent upon the sort of fiberglass. In particularly difficult cases, the progressed 38DL PLUS thickness gauge with the high entrance transducer choice and vast waveform show is prescribed. This design empowers administrators to alter setup parameters on location. Transducers, for example, the M1036 (2.25 MHz) or M109 (5 MHz) can gauge down to roughly 0.050 in. (1.25 mm) in fiberglass.

The 38DL PLUS gauge with the HP choice and the 45MG gauge with the HP choice both have pre-customized default setups for the two transducers most generally utilized for fiberglass estimation, the M2008 and M1036. Much of the time, these default setups can be utilized with no further change, only the two-point speed and zero adjustment that is suggested for all ultrasonic thickness estimations.

The fiberglass utilized as a part of vessel development is by and large of high calibre, and not at all like some different fiberglass overlays does it as a rule not create high sufficiency inside reflections that can cause false readings. In any case, if false readings are seen in a specific case, the circumstance can generally be remedied by little changes of the underlying addition and TDG incline as sketched out in the gauge working manuals. The 38DL PLUS thickness gauge waveforms beneath demonstrate a commonplace hang up on inward reflections, and a right perusing of aggregate structure thickness following a basic pick up modification.

Diesel Engines
In view of rising petrol costs, the diesel engine has become a much sought choice in high-demanding equipment and transportation sector. Diesel engine dealers attribute its increased popularity due to better models available today which offer greater efficiencies.

Advantages
• Today’s engines are much quieter and incur lesser maintenance costs unlike those of years.
• They are more tough and dependable
• Absence of spark plugs eliminates the need of ignition tune-ups
• Cost of fuel lesser by almost 30%-50% than petrol engines
• They have a longer life

Diesel engines have entered into every aspect of industrial life and you will find them in almost all of the applications. Automobiles, construction equipment, locomotives, marine, forestry, mining, telecommunications, agricultural applications and many more are the areas where diesel driven generators or industrial diesel engines find a place of importance.

Soft Starter
Soft starter is a device that helps to decrease the torque and load during the start-up of a motor. It progressively increases the motor voltage to help in the smooth acceleration of the motor and its attached load. The starting acceleration time and voltage can be adjusted thus lessening the mechanical stress and ensuring a longer motor life.

Advantages
• Torque control helps to avoids jerks during start-up
• Useful in space constraints as they take up less space
• Ensure longevity of mechanical components
• Cost effective for applications which need torque and speed control during start-up alone

Crompton Greaves soft starter dealers emphasize the importance of installing soft starters in applications where incidence of huge start-up inrush current identified with large motors is to be reduced and also as stated above where torque and speed control is only needed during start up. This relieves torque spikes and stress that is linked to a normal start-up. Several applications like belt driven systems, conveyors, gears, pumps etc find great use for them.

Variable Speed Drives
Variable speed drives helps to control the torque and speed of the motor by varying motor input frequency and voltage and matching the motor speed with the driven machine’s output requirements.

Advantages
• Savings in energy costs
• Increased life of the motor
• Reduction in power line disturbances
• Reduced power demand at start, controlled acceleration and controlled stopping
• Adjustable torque limit and operating speeds
• Avoidance of costly mechanical drive components

Variable speed drive panel dealers will corroborate the large amounts of energy savings obtained by the installation of these drives. This is because it enables the motor speeds to be increased, decreased or maintained rather than running it continuously at a set speed. All applications requiring motor driven electrical equipment will be benefitted by installing these drives. Extruder plants, paper mills, tube mills, cable industry, rolling mills are just to name a few of them.

Where and how are these forms of steel used? If you have ever given a thought to the rust free and sparkling clean look of elevators, escalators or structures of railway stations, metro stations or industrial plants then you must know the reason for the same; it is all due to the use of alloy steel round bars. A combination of several metals along with steel goes into the making of alloy steel which gets its anti-rust properties, resiliency and durability. Construction projects, transportation, mining, dairy processing and many more industries require alloy steel bars in large quantities.

Casing pipes are another application of steel which performs the important function of providing protection to below- the- ground utility lines such as water mains, fiber optic cables, electrical power cables, gas pipes etc. The utility lines remain safe and protected inside the casing pipes which surrounds them and closes the ends with its pull on caps made of rubber. The casing pipes come in varied forms like the straight seam, rolled type, welded or spiral weld and for all types strict quality controls are maintained to ensure that they have the required concentricity, tensile strength, straightness tolerances and minimum yield. Some of the applications which cannot do without them are water well casing, culverts casing, road bore casing and most important of all, casing pipes for oil and gas transmission.

Stainless steel plates are termed as anti-corrosive steel as it does not get rusted or corroded as fast as regular carbon steel, though however, you cannot claim it to be corrosion-proof. Its anti-oxidation property makes it a popular choice in applications requiring low maintenance and anti-corrosive qualities. Functioning as shields for contemporary construction design to the food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical industry, petro-chemical and chemical plants, fuel tankers, chemical tankers and more, stainless steel is an all pervading requirement. In the automobile industry, stainless steel plates give the required strength and durability to pass through crash testing. In aviation industry, structural sections for military vehicles, trucks, railways, ships are built from this metal while it is the favorite in chemical and related industry because of its anti-corrosive and low maintenance requirement.

As for the API 5L Gr B pipes they are an indispensable item for ensuring integrity of pipelines in the oil and gas industry. Pipelines are the foundation pillars of this industry and any flaws left undetected in the pipes can cause a catastrophe. The API 5L Gr B pipes have to comply with standards set by International Organization for Standardization ISO 3183.

All in all, steel in various forms is the backbone of many industrial and commercial applications.

Yash Impex Over the last 40 years, we have evolved to offer the most comprehensive range of engineering goods including Stainless Steel Sheet, Coils, Gland Packing Material, Parallel Flange Column, Casing Pipes and more.

The process of connecting the end point of a wire to any other device to establish a connection is called wire termination. A proper wire termination is crucial in the performance of any device. The demand for higher quality and better design has led to many innovations in wire termination technologies.

However, there are a few methods commonly used for wire termination.

Soldering

Soldering is one of the oldest techniques used. It offers a flexible, corrosion resistant and durable solution. Most soldering units are cost-effective, however, it requires skilled labor and more labor hours generally. One of the main disadvantages of soldering is the safety concerns related to hot irons and molten metal. Soldering is mainly of two types, hand soldering, and flame soldering. Though there are many modern techniques, there are certain wire to board applications for which hand soldering is unavoidable. Soldering is not fast and efficient like many other termination methods, but it is never outdated in the industry and is expected to continue as a standard method in the future.

Insulation-Displacement Connections (IDC)

Insulation Displacement Connection (IDC) is one of the fastest ways to terminate a wire. Through this process, hundreds of wires can be terminated in large patch panels effectively. This technique is a common practice in the telecom industry. IDC is often considered as a top-class solution as these are almost error-free and very clean without chemical usage and insulation. This method is very cost-effective as well. However, these are generally only used for small wires.

Ultrasonic Welding

Ultrasonic welding was primarily used for fusing plastic materials. These days it is also employed to join dissimilar metals such as copper, aluminum and brass in various bonding applications. It is commonly used in harness manufacturing, as it offers lower resistance. It is also used for bonding wire to terminals. These are much expensive and slower than other wire termination technologies. These cannot be used with soft plating like Tin. As this welding technique is highly flexible, these are also deployed in the automotive industry- welding multiple wires to one common point within the chassis.

Crimping

This is the most common and efficient wire termination technique. Crimping offers a clean, fast and highly reliable termination which is mechanically strong. These are used for a higher volume of wire terminations. There are many crimp-to-wire solutions which showcases high performance.

• Changing Compliance Regulations & Traceability
• Relevance
• Skills Gap
• Healthcare
• Environment Concerns

The industrial and manufacturing sector keep evolving and that evolution doesn’t just happen. It’s almost always a direct result of overcoming the challenges that threaten the very existence of the sector. So, are there any challenges that the sector is dealing with currently?

Well, here are 5 challenges the manufacturing sector is currently trying to overcome.

Changing Compliance Regulations & Traceability

Changing regulations have always haunted manufacturers. But, they’re there for a good reason. Without compliance standards, manufacturers could very well end up cutting corners, which ultimately ends up affecting the end consumer.

So, for the sake of things such as quality control or proper waste management, compliance standards need to exist. However, complying with new standards isn’t an easy task for manufacturers. More often than not, they’re a burden and thanks to globalization, manufacturers are also forced to deal with regulations that are unique to each territory.

Manufacturers are also tasked with tracking compliance as well. This means that have to go through the entire supply chain to check for compliance, right from vendors to the end-product that’s sent to the customer.

Relevance

As technology evolves, the rate of innovation increases. But, this also means companies have to rush and that can lead to all kinds of temptations. The urge to skip a step or avoid certain tests can be hard to resist when the goal is to market the product as soon as possible.

But, the last thing a manufacturer needs is to put the business at risk with a low-quality product. So, innovation management becomes a must in these situations. Preferences change by the day and any delay in delivering appropriate solutions can mean the end of everything.

So, manufacturers have to establish a system that allows for the consistent delivery of new ideas and innovation. Only this can sustain manufacturing success.

Skills Gap

As one generation exits the workforce, it makes way for a new generation of workers. This transition is, in itself, quite a challenge. But, things are very different today.

Manufacturers face the challenge of filling up those positions with equally skilled members from the current generation. However, the new generation of employees is simply not skilled enough, making the challenge even harder to overcome. As a result, manufacturers have to develop strategies such as working with the education sector to offer the skills training necessary to fill these positions.

Some manufacturers are also retaining skill by extending the retirement age.

Healthcare

As healthcare costs go up, it becomes very difficult for manufacturers to manage their budgets. For instance, in the US, it’s manufacturers who foot healthcare bills for their employees. But, with costs going up, it is simply not feasible and there are no viable alternatives.

Environmental Concerns

Regulations with regard to sustainable and environmentally safe processes and practices put more strain on the manufacturing process. Whether it’s waste disposal or the regulation of materials, more resources are needed to follow best practices.

As you can see, it’s not exactly easy for the industrial and manufacturing sector. However, manufacturers have to figure out a way to leverage technology and innovative ideas to keep up with the changes that pose a threat to them.

When businesses have a shortlist of potential manufacturers, they should consider the logistic aspect of things to come up with a factory that best fits them, and to get in touch with the manufacturers to ask some questions prior to requesting for a quotation. When sending an email to manufacturers to get additional information, the questions they can ask are as follows:

What are the kind of companies do you work with?

In general, businesses will go for a manufacturer that work with companies like theirs. For instance, if this is a big company that specializes in household appliances, it will choose a factory that works with big companies that concentrate in home appliances. When entrepreneurs create a new technical product, they will favor a factory that works with businesses that also create a similar product. They should see to it that it is ideal by considering the other companies the manufacturer has partnered with.

Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA)?

In other countries, intellectual property theft is widespread. When a factory does not want to sign an agreement like NDA, it should be removed from the potential partners list. However, an NDA does not necessarily guarantee that a product will not be leaked. To have some leverage against frauds, businesses should have a patent filed in their primary market.

What minimum order quantity (MOQ) do you require?

There is no strict number recommended, but it is crucial for businesses to take their profit margins into consideration. They have to pay for their order whether or not they sell all the units. Prices are usually reduced with higher volumes, therefore it is best to ask the volume that will prompt a price break.

What is your pricing for samples?

A lot of factories will give a sample of current products, provided that businesses are willing to pay shipping and customs fees. However, they should make sure they are agreeable with the sample pricing structure of the manufacturer before deciding on them. They should keep in mind that custom product pricing usually requires customers to pay 50 to 100% for tooling.

What is your turnaround time?

When a business is given a particular date to fulfill an order, they should be able to find a manufacturer that can meet the deadline. They should also consider shipping. If this is their first order of their new product working with new factory, they should give an allowance for their shipping date. Luckily, most of the time, a smaller shipment can be airfreighted earlier than a boat shipment to quickly deliver small orders/samples (if this is the case).

What are your terms of payment?

Before starting a production run, many factories ask for a down payment. This could be a 50% deposit for tooling, and the remaining 50% upon completion. You should stay away from factories who ask them to pay 100% up front.

How do you deal with delays?

It is ideal for a factory to be proactive in terms of preventing delays, and usually, the contract would have a penalty clause that businesses are comfortable with. However, this is harder to implement with vendors in foreign countries. In addition, if the MOQ is not too big, it can be hard to negotiate a penalty clause.