Latest Case Studies & White Papers

A nationwide project to upgrade Pizza Hut’s kitchen ventilation systems to a higher performing, energy efficient solution is underway. Project manager Marcus Sawkins of GFMS Services Limited has already upgraded several of the restaurants’ systems with the Elta Fans QUBE Centrifugal Box Fan which is reducing energy usage. The most recent installation was at Royale Leisure Park in London where the new Elta Fans QUBE solution has reduced energy costs by up to 10%+ and breakdowns occurring on a regular basis, to zero.

Big Foot Supplies Custom Support for Acoustic Screening

Big Foot Systems has supplied custom support for acoustic screening on the rooftop of a mixed-use development of luxury flats, offices and retail outlets at Hatton Wall in Holborn, London. The acoustic screening surrounds a group of condensers and associated plant on a PVC membrane and green roof which effectively blocks plant noise from the surrounding private homes.

Stackable 3D printers may hold the key to a faster yet more cost-effective design and manufacturing process. But what is stackable 3D printing? And how does it work to benefit businesses and meet their printing needs? To answer these questions, CEL has released a new white paper, ‘Stackable: the key to faster and more accurate 3D printing’.

Siemens is collaborating with a number of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapults across the UK to help support the growth and success of advanced manufacturing.  
As part of its ongoing partnerships, the company’s digital technologies are playing an integral part in helping to bring new, innovative ideas to life and build value through the future commercialisation of new concepts.  

If an open, unchecked water pipe was being used to cool a machining process, the excessive volume of liquid being used would be obvious to see as it pooled on the floor. It would be clear that you would want to test lower flow rates that would conserve water and save money yet still effectively cool the part.

Setting the scene
A misty summer sea breeze turns into stormy splashes in the later months, carrying salty vapours miles off the Welsh coast. As the years go by, the cycle continues, inadvertently creating a perfect recipe for corrosion at a nearby Steel Plant, where exposed pipework is located a few hundred feet off the coast.

Innocent looking solution of NaCL and H2O has thus become a significant complication for this plant, which has long outlasted its original lifespan.

Pipeline corrosion
The HP & LP COG main pipeline throughout the Coke Ovens Plant has been corroding for many years. As the metal was thinning, through-wall defects started to appear. These defects allowed H2S, CO2, CO and other poisonous gases exfoliated from the process of breaking down bitumen to escape. Wooden stake insertions and plates were temporarily used to seal the leaks.

These multiple small patches were never going to last, prompting a search for a more permanent solution. The conventional welding over pipework system could not be considered as the HP gas main could not be shutdown. Therefore, they turned to cold applied, coded and warranted repair systems.

Wrap system
The contract was ultimately awarded to Belzona Technosol Limited to apply Belzona SuperWrap II, a wrap system which can be designed and installed in accordance with ISO 24817 and ASME PCC-2 Article 4.1 standards.

Application commenced in September, estimated to last two weeks. The surface was manually prepared to SSPC-SP11 using grinders, avoiding grit blasting as a potential ignition source. It was no surprise that the surface preparation opened additional weeping leaks in this severely thinned pipeline. A fast curing surface-tolerant epoxy composite, Belzona 1212, with a bypass plate was used to patch the leaks. The wrap application could then commence shortly.


The remaining wall thickness in this 1.2m diameter pipe was 2mm in some areas (20% of its original thickness). A wrap was designed and applied in two critical sections in compliance with ISO 24817. In sections with greater remaining wall thickness (no potential of defects going through-wall) Belzona 5831 (Super UW-Metal) was applied to isolate the metal from the external corrosive environment.

The end result
The application was completed on time and similar work is expected at the plant shortly utilizing manual surface preparation and cold applied pipe wrap systems.

In the current climate, plants and their assets operate well beyond their design life and traditional repair options are frowned upon by the HSE. Cold-applied polymer systems, in turn, play an increasingly major role – extending asset lifetime without breaking the bank.

In this case study Techsil provided Speed Plastics with a flexible silicone adhesive and a fast, reliable, consistent dispensing solution in the manufacture of a Smoke Hood.

Speed Plastics Ltd specialise in high frequency welding of flexible plastics and also offer customers bespoke engineering solutions in sectors such as healthcare, aviation, defence and marine. Adhesive and dispensing specialists Techsil were approached to find a transparent flexible adhesive to bond the mouthpiece of a smoke hood and plan a new method of production.

A number of adhesives had been tried but under stress tests were too brittle for the substrates which were silicone rubber and cotton backed PVC. Furthermore the contours of the mouthpiece made applying the adhesive by hand very tricky. A 1-part flowable silicone adhesive was recommended by Steve Green, one of Techsil's Application Development Engineers who says,

"Momentive IS5628E silicone adhesive cures at room temperature, requires no mixing and its flowable consistency makes it easy to apply. It adheres well to silicone rubbers and cures to make a tough durable bond which can withstand very high and low temperatures. Making it an ideal solution for this application."

For the production process, a semi-automated system was chosen. A circular, even bead of adhesive was required and a Nordson EFD Ultimus 1 dispenser with a 310 cartridge assembly was deployed and a fly press to deliver the adhesive. The hood and mouthpiece is placed on a turntable and is rotated 360 degrees during dispense.
Conclusion - This project has increased the speed of the manufacturing process. The Momentive IS5628E adhesive, produces a sound bond which is uniform and repeatable due to the automated dispensing. In addition adhesive wastage has been eliminated, which was an inevitability of hand application.

For further information please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Download the full case study here.

A control package, built around an ABB variable speed drive, eliminates ma-chine stoppages, improves safety and cuts maintenance costs for malt producer.
A production facility that turns barley into malt for use in beer and whisky production has increased productivity and safety by installing a new germination machine controlled by an ABB variable speed drive (VSD).

How would you feel if at a routine health check your doctor informed you that it was time to have your hip replaced - even though you weren't displaying any symptoms!

His reason?  Statistically, on average, hips fail by the time one reaches the age of 65. Knowing this your doctor schedules the surgery as a preventative measure to stop you possibly having hip problems in the future.  A pointless procedure!

Yet this is exactly what maintenance engineers do with the equipment in their care under Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM). The medical analogy brings home the absurdity of intervention based purely on statistical evidence!

By John Saysell, Training and Skills Director, MCP

Reading through a recent UK People and Productivity report, I was struck by the fact that nearly 90% of respondents said that their business suffered due to skills shortages.  I know from experience that if a key member of your team leaves (your most valuable and often forgotten asset), it’s not going to be easy to replace them.