News

Almost $200 million is to be invested at Europe’s largest food manufacturing plant, the Kraft Heinz cannery at Kitt Green, near Wigan in Lancashire.

The work, worth £140million, will be focused on modernising manufacturing capabilities at the site over the next four years. It will involve bringing Heinz sauce manufacturing back to the UK, building additional European capacity, upgrading old machinery, and other projects to deliver the plants' environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) commitments.

Subject to final US approval this will be the biggest Kraft Heinz investment in more than two decades in an existing manufacturing facility outside the US and could create up to 50 new jobs. Kitt Green currently produces 1.3 billion cans of food per year with 94% of that output consumed within the UK. Heinz Beanz, Soups, and Pasta will continue to be produced at the Kitt Green plant for the UK market.

At a time of economic uncertainty, this proves the confidence in the Canning market and indeed in the North West of Englands' ability to continually improve and deliver quality products.

Industrial Clutch Parts are constantly looking to improve their product range in order to offer a full range of spare parts for the industry in order to improve capacity and profitability. ICP's warehousing and stockholding, based in the North West of England, is ready to offer continued support to this vital Industry.

Email: website@industrialclutch.com or Call: +44 (0) 1663 734627

The sustainability advantages offered by aluminium cans, ends and bottles, and news headlines citing the amount of plastic in our oceans and elsewhere in the environment, has already driven significant commercial and consumer awareness into making a change.

Jason Momoa, star of Aquaman and Justice League, worked with a major producer of aluminium cans in 2019 to launch his Mananalu water in cans as part of his campaign to protect our oceans and slow down the global pollution crisis. When cans get the attention of Aquaman you know things are about to get interesting!

After years, even decades, of operating in a flat-to-declining demand environment, it appears that aluminium beverage packaging is about to become the star it has always meant to be. The can making industry has already planned significant investment in new can lines and capacity. Setting a real positive target of an additional six billion units by the end of 2021.

Industrial Clutch Parts are proud to support this ever-growing market sector, offering industrial brakes, clutches and associated spare parts to a wide range of applications. We look forward to playing our part in the sustainable growth of aluminium over the coming years.

Email: website@industrialclutch.com or Call: +44 (0) 1663 734627

The global clutch and brake scene sees manufacturers who tend to specialise or focus on a narrow band of products. This is one area where WPT Power differs which is their commitment to a vast array of product lines. These products are all commonly used in many industries and applications across the world. This makes part availability of WPT Power products much more accessible and cost-effective. Not only does WPT Power, design and manufacture their own market-leading range, but they also develop ways of improving their assemblies and parts. For example, making them completely interchangeable with most competitor products.

Whether it’s a Low Inertia Clutch or Brake at a Steel Mill, Water Cooled Brake on a Drilling Rig, Power Grip Clutch on a Grinding Mill, a PTO on a Diesel Powered Irrigation Pump or Rock Crusher, WPT has you covered with replacement assemblies and in most cases compatible parts for non-WPT units.  

A well-renowned system for positioning applications.

The ATB Laurence Scott precision step system provides flexibility via simple control electronics requiring no programming expertise and the actuators have predictable friction material lifetime enabling scheduled maintenance. The systems range encompasses type SRA vacuum-operated clutch/brake, type RotaStep air-operated clutch/brakes, type FLA fast linear actuators, and type SRB associated electronic controls, sensors, and accessories to complete systems for positioning applications. Providing start/stop cycles at up to 3600/min (60/sec) with consistently precise timing, these units achieve position tolerances of +/- 0.1mm at feed rates of 1m/sec. This consistent performance is maintained throughout the unit's lifetime negating the need to reset.

Industrial Clutch Parts Ltd. (ICP) has been a trusted supplier of the precision step system for many years, supplying a complete range of products.

ICP offers reliable and efficient services for system breakdowns and/or repairs. For further information, please call +44 (0) 1663 734627 or email sales@industrialclutch.com

The impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic have been staggering.

Very early in the pandemic, the canmaking industry was declared an essential part of the supply chain. The industry adopted stringent safety procedures in order to protect staff and the demand dynamic soared. The surge in demand for aluminium cans, ends and bottles raised to unprecedented levels as consumers stayed at home in order to protect themselves. In the early months of the pandemic, they also started to stockpile essential items including canned goods and beverages. It was difficult to predict if this trend was a short-term blip or something fundamentally different.

As we continued through 2020 it became clear that the combination of increased interest in more sustainable packaging and the impacts of Covid 19 had created a new level of normal within the industry. The industry boosted production by more than 2.5 billion units in 2020 and it is predicted that the growth is here to stay.

Whatever happens next, canmakers will continue to adapt and all they can to deliver for consumer demand.

Industrial Clutch parts offer a full and comprehensive range of replacement clutches, brakes, and associated spare parts for this industry.

To view the full range please visit, https://www.industrialclutch.com/industry/can-making.html

Or contact our technical sales team at: sales@industrialclutch.com

What are Functional Safety Standards for Servo Drives? 

Detailed below in the article is how functional safety is quantified. Now consider one example of a spring-set pneumatically released friction servomotor brake now having a third-party safety rating (from Intertek Group) certifying compliance with international safety standard ISO 13849-1.

Intertek is an international London-headquartered inspection, assurance, product testing, and certification organization that issues functional safety standards to industrial products. Testing on these components is executed at more than 1,000 Intertek laboratories and offices across the globe. Spring-set power-off brake excels at locking servomotor-driven loads (and providing unbeatably safe holding) without consuming electrical power or exhibiting torque fade — plus provide far more safety assurance than holding a load with the servomotor, which can also overheat if required to hold an axis stationary too long.

The Nexen NexSafe Servomotor Brake has failsafe mechanical connections with the servomotor and gearbox; patented frustoconical friction-facing structures (with tapers on both the outer and inner surfaces) for simultaneous engagement with two mating surfaces; and optional sensors for feedback. These features along with the industry-trusted spring-set operation of engagement allow this brake to deliver on the requirements of functional safety certification. The new servomotor brake mechanically attaches to the servomotor via an integrated clamp collar with keyways that serve as a backup in the unlikely event that the clamp collar fails. The brake most commonly installs between the motor and a gearbox, as well as customized inputs and outputs are possible to complement the design’s exact configuration. When installed in the recommended configuration, the brake is

Goizper Industrial Group is world-renowned manufacture of clutch-brake combinations for heavy-duty industrial equipment, including stamping presses, metalworking, and can body-makers. 

A clutch brake is the key assembly on any mechanical stamping press or body-maker. It is what starts and stops the press – the catalyst of the system. How well the press starts and stops is heavily reliant on the quality of the clutch brake. If the clutch-brake is in good condition it will impact the machine's throughput and ROI.

Goizper clutch brakes offer a high number of strokes per minute as well as accurate start/stop operations for body makers. The Goizper system allows older machines to operate at higher speeds and can be adapted to work with almost any older type of body maker. The quick exhaust design makes emergency stops faster and helps to prevent tool damage during can tear-off and other production line failures.

Industrial Clutch Parts Ltd. continues to supply essential machine components to ensure Canmakers can boost capacity safely and effectively. Throughout the pandemic everyone understood the importance of canned goods, with restaurants, bars, and pubs closed, the need for canned food and drinks increased.

ICP supplies a complete range of Goizper clutch brakes. Spare parts are always in stock ready to despatch if there are any breakdowns on the production lines. At this time, it is more critical than ever that as an essential supplier we ensure that we can get spare parts out as quickly as possible to keep production plants running and food moving through the supply chain.

When choosing the best possible industrial clutch for your application, several factors need to be taken into consideration. Torque, response time, operating speed, thermal capacity, and size are some of the details to bear in mind. Other criteria to help determine your selection would be the type of engagement such as a soft start or controlled slip, cycle rates, and maintenance requirements.

The Power Grip Clutch and the Power Grip PO Clutch are great candidates for the majority of heavy-duty machinery. Below are the general characteristics and strengths to help fine-tune your applications. Clutch Selection There are subtle technological differences between the two types of industrial clutches. Deciding between the Power Grip and the Power Grip PO will require you to look at the setup and benefits of both.

Contact: sales@industrialclutch.com for any additional help in making the best choice for your application. Industrial Clutch Parts are proud to be partnered with WPT Power as their No 1 European Distributor.

Industrial Clutch Parts (ICP) continues to grow its ever-impressive partnership portfolio. Schunk are global leaders in the development, manufacture, and application of carbon and ceramic solutions. 

Working closely alongside Schunk, ICP will be focusing strongly on the wind energy market. Schunk Carbon Technology offers the perfect technological bases for highly efficient electric current transfer, low-maintenance, and reliable operation and also contributes to the noise reduction of wind power systems with innovative carbon solutions for mechanical applications.

‘Schunk carbon brushes offer perfect power transmission on the slip rings of double-fed asynchronous generators. Schunk offers suitable materials for all ambient conditions and applications. Whether it's low humidity, such as in China and North America, or high humidity and the effects of salt on off-shore stations, Schunk carbon brushes guarantee low brush wear and long maintenance intervals.’

Please contact Industrial Clutch Parts at +44 (0) 1663 734627 to request the precise carbon brush for your specific application. ICP aims to optimise brush life, reduce wear and tear on the rings and thereby improve generator performance.

Low inertia clutches and brakes are a perfect match for the Steel/Metal Forming industries. The WPT family of products brings performance, reliability, and precision to any equipment.

The WPT Low Inertia product line is specially designed for presses, shears, high cycle machines, tension control, fail-safe, high heat applications, and coil processors. They also directly replace Wichita models. The unique ventilation design in the WPT design allows cool air into the unit to help dissipate the heat during start-ups and stops. Further improvements were made to reduce the quantity and mass of the rotating parts, increasing machine efficiency.

The rigid moulded friction materials used in the low inertia line provide uniform torque production and wear rates. Once installed on a machine, the Low Inertia clutch or brake will operate very consistently, which is a key component in cyclic applications. This consistency allows for regular preventative maintenance programmes to be established and reduces the frequency of forced shutdowns due to clutch or brake repair. The maintenance and rebuilds are quick and easy thanks to the conveniently located wear shims and unique multi-plate design of the Low Inertia line.

The WPT Low Inertia clutches and brakes utilise a proprietary air tube actuator to engage or disengage the clutch or brake. The WPT Quick Release Valves are maintenance-free and allow air to exhaust from the tube as quickly