Electrical

Pat Flood of Cut To Size Plastics with a custom-engineered welded construction high density polyethylene (HDPE) tool holder Light but extremely tough and hard wearing high density polyethylene (HDPE) tool holders are being engineered by Cut To Size Plastics for enhanced convenience and avoidance of injury in cherry pickers, Elevated Work Platforms and enclosed workplaces throughout Australasia and SE Asia. The cost-efficient, impact resistant containers – which can be configured for different tools used by industry, maintenance and installation teams, local government services and hire groups – are fabricated from the same type of flexible but rugged materials proven globally in diverse applications demanding good temperature tolerance, flexibility, insulation qualities, chemical resistance and easy washdown. The HDPE tool holders are insulated for optimum safety when operating in electrical environments such as powerline maintenance and building electricity systems, where metal tool holders cannot be used due to the risk of electrocution. “Not only are the tool holders custom-fabricated ergonomically so workers’ tools are easily to hand for tricky jobs, but also they give an immediately safe and secure environment in which to place small, sharp, hot and/or hazardous tools and chemical solutions when they are not in use. People working at height and in tight spaces often say they need an extra set of arms to cope, so these designs give safety and efficiency a real helping hand by reducing unwanted problems and increasing efficiency,” says Mr Pat Flood, NSW Manager of Cut To Size Plastics, which manufactures components for applications across Australasia from its Head Office in Sydney, where facilities include CNC machining facilities coupled with GibbsCAM™ and Solidworks™ software. Cut To Size’s tool holders incorporate customer-specific needs relating to particular types of tools, as well as Cut To Size’s own 35 years of experience in fabricating safety and efficiency products for organisations involved in local government, water, telephone and power services, construction and infrastructure services, electrical, manufacturing and materials handling, oil and gas and mining technology, minerals and metals processing plant, materials handling, electrical and electronic component production, primary and agricultural product processing, production engineering, Australasia and Asia-Pacific. Materials used typically include HDPE, but can also include specialist engineering plastics such as UHMWPE and other high performance plastics where particular performance characteristics are required, such as those relating to radio frequencies, electrical currents and electromagnetic emissions. HDPE is proven globally in applications extending from protective coatings, cable jackets, insulating and hygiene components, through to natural gas and minerals processing technology, solar panels and cryogenic components, helmets and safety equipment and agricultural chemical and beverage containers. HDPE’s wide temperature tolerance – it can stand continuous temperatures up to 110 deg C – is complemented by its low friction non-sparking qualities and ready customisation to accommodate differently shaped tools, containers, drills and trade tools and instruments. Features also include: Can be as simple or sophisticated as users require No sharp edges, corners or surfaces Strong, welded construction coupled with high strength, impact resistant materials Water and chemical resistance, which can be optimised by materials selected for particular environments. Can be tested and certified for electrical isolation Variety of adjustable brackets to secure to different sizes of cherry picker buckets or confined workspaces Configurable to any size bucket or workspace Trays can be added as required to accommodate fasteners Hire companies can readily add or detach features as an option on their ranges Cut To Size Plastics Pty Ltd has been supplying Engineering Plastics to Australian and International customers for over 40 years. The company is committed to meeting Australian and International Quality Standards and to working within the guidelines issued by State workcover authorities. The company holds extensive stocks of Nylon, LiNNOTAM GLIDE, Delrin, Acetal, Teflon and UHMWPE combined with HDPE, PVC and Polypropylene to complement service to industry. The company also has access to the most advanced engineering plastics worldwide. We will cut it, rout it, bend it or machine it, all to your specifications. Our comprehensive CNC machining facility at Yennora, coupled with GibbsCAM™ and Solidworks™ software make it easy to deal with us. Your drawings go into our computer – then to the CNC machines.

New power distribution technology has been introduced by K.E. Brown that cost-efficiently enhances the safety of maintenance staff while helping to prevent expensive production and data processing interruptions for businesses and public facilities. The KEB IsoSafe Distribution Board enables individual circuits to be safely isolated from the main system in accordance with the latest AS/NZ 3000 – 2007 standards without affecting other circuits governing functions such as data processing, automation equipment, process control and essential services. K.E. Brown Operations Manager Mr Peter Silsby says the technology is particularly important to companies where minimizing downtime is vital. These include banks, data centres, hospitals, telecommunication companies, manufacturing plants and any commercial or industrial company where continuity of supply is critical. IsoSafe technology – which cost-efficiently complements K.E. Brown’s PowerSafe technology – means companies and organisations do not have to close down an entire switchboard involving scores of circuits when they want to work on only one circuit, to add, inspect, change or replace equipment. IsoSafe achieves worker protection and flexibility by using a Schneider Electric Isobar chassis that enables maintenance staff to disconnect and reconnect particular functions without disrupting the entire network. Another KEB IsoSafe safety feature is the disconnectable neutral terminal, which allows the operator to isolate the active and neutral when working on an individual circuit. KEB IsoSafe is available in sizes ranging from from 12 to 72 poles and can be fitted with Schneider Electric RCD circuit breakers KEB IsoSafe systems include: Isobar chassis Main circuit breaker or isolator Circuit breaker terminal covers Numbered neutral and earth connections located directly opposite each circuit breaker. The distribution board also incorporates a unique cable management system that allows complete open access to cables while retaining them in a neat and tidy group.

Forensic Engineer Mr Russell Lee addresses NESMA in Sydney A leading authority on causes of industrial switchboard failures says energy saving Power Factor Correction (PFC) technology should be housed separately from switchboards and motor control centres to minimize damage and downtime resulting from any failures. Consulting Forensic Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Mr Russell F. Lee told the 2012 NSW seminar of the National Electrical Switchboard Manufacturers’ Association, NESMA, that PFC technology is good technology “but you have to control how it is used and put it in a separate room for prudent risk management. “Never put the PFC equipment in the same room as the main switchboard or motor control centre, or other apparatus for that matter. Put the PFC gear in a separate and fire-isolated room. “It is all about prudent whole-of-life management of switchboard systems and application of PFC technologies, because PFC capacitors can and will fail. After five years, you have got to have capacitors checked. The alarm system should shut down the PFC system in the event of high temperatures,” said Mr Lee, who has more than 50 years industry experience and is one of its foremost investigators of the cause of equipment failure. “With the introduction and now widespread use of metallised polypropylene capacitors, in particular, the incidence of fires because of capacitor failure and ignition must be taken into account during the design, operation and maintenance of switchboards.Factors underlying capacitor risk include: High operating temperature Sensitivity to moisture Failure to self-heal Sensitivity to harmonics Poor quality film “Capacitors don’t often burn, but when they do it can be catastrophic for places such as industries, hospitals and shopping centres if the fire can spread readily because the capacitors are attached to the same chassis as the switchboard. “It is much better for safety and damage limitation if the capacitor is separate and therefore burns in its own room with its own sprinkler, rather than it be allowed to destroy three or four modules of the adjacent board and contaminate maybe three or four others, greatly magnifying the damage and downtime. You have got to be able to cut off the switchboard and limit the damage,” Mr Lee told more than 100 industry representatives at the NESMA NSW annual seminar in Sydney on October 29. “Designers need to remember that the lowest first cost is not always the right approach when safety and reliability are concerned. “The idea that it will become someone else’s problem should give engineers and tradesmen pause for concern. Bear in mind that WH&S laws in all States and Territories have implications for designers, manufacturers, installers and end users.” Major presentations to the NESMA seminar available on (website reference to come) included: Harmonic Solutions in Electrical Systems, by Raed O. Abdelqader, Application Specialist, Schneider Electric Australia Tips When Reviewing Switchboard Drawings and Factory Inspections, by Peter Silsby, General Manager, SMB Macquarie Electric Pty Ltd NESMA President Mr Yeh-Sheng Kuan and NESMA Treasurer Mr Mark Betcher welcomed seminar speakers and thanked sponsors who made the event possible, including Platinum Sponsors ABB, Austral Wright Metals, IPD Industrial Products, NHP and Schneider Electric; and Gold Sponsors Bridex, Colterlec, Crompton Instruments and Selectrix.