Blog

Europort 2021 concludes after reuniting the shipping and offshore industries in Rotterdam last week, with participants offering a resounding endorsement for the return of in-person maritime events. In its 40^th edition, Europort has been more than a success and has proved itself as a fantastic promotion of the Netherlands and Rotterdam.

Overwhelmingly positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors at the conclusion of Europort 2021 demonstrated how keenly the maritime industries have been awaiting the resumption of in-person events. Hosted by Rotterdam Maritime Capital, some 800 maritime companies from 43 countries participated at Rotterdam Ahoy November 2-5 to welcome almost 20,000 high quality visitors from 79 countries worldwide.

“This is what our industry needs so much,” said Raymond Siliakus, Europort Director. “It has been a long wait and preparations have been intensive, but it was all worth it so that our maritime peers could meet in real life again. This was an amazing week, full of energy and joy. Huge thanks and compliments are due to the 800 exhibitors who kept believing, gave us their confidence, and showcased the best of the best.”

“We are happy to be at the first major maritime event in two years and to meet up with customers face to face again,” said Jamie Cooper Operations Manager at Industrial Clutch Parts Ltd “It has been excellent to walk the floor, welcome customers old and new to our stand and get into some really good conversations.”

Industrial Clutch Parts Ltd. recent success story involves the gate and latch systems at the River Foss Barrier in York. ICP engineers provided a number of fail-safe emergency brakes and hydraulic power units (HPU’s) to operate the River Foss Flood Barrier. ICP supplied a braking system that features a triple fail-safe system of torque-limited service brake with twin parallel e-brake systems as backup, for maximum safety & integrity.

After many years of flash flooding, the York Water Authority commissioned the River Foss Barrier. The main aim of the defense is to prevent backwash from the River Ouse into the River Foss causing flooding upstream of the River Foss. When in an open position the barrier is held horizontally above the river, barges and boats pass underneath while regular, and efficient maintenance can be performed.

The normal water level at York is established at 5m. Once the River Ouse reaches 7.8m the alarms sound and the barrier is lowered into the Foss. Pumps are activated, the silt from the bed is cleared and the barrier can drop into a tight fit. The electrically driven barrier takes 4 minutes to lower into position. Eight pumps have been upgraded to pump approximately 50 cubic meters per second.

If you would like to discuss solution-based options with ICP's technical engineers, please contact:

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

Industrial Clutch Parts will be exhibiting at the Europort 2021 exhibition in November. Based in Rotterdam Ahoy.

• Dates: November 2-5 | Rotterdam Ahoy.
• Stand: Booth 5113

ICP specialises in complete brake and clutch units for industrial, marine, and energy applications. During the exhibition week, ICP will showcase heavy-duty industrial brakes, clutches, and component parts suitable for marine applications. Trusted by leading manufacturers such as WPT Power & Danfoss Airflex. 

WPT Power has built a reputation in the Marine Industry for delivering products that can get the job done consistently. The rugged line of industrial marine clutches and brakes work in a wide range of applications. WPT marine specification water-cooled brakes are particularly useful for dissipating large thermal loads in the dynamic braking function of marine winches for towing, mooring, or AHT applications.

Danfoss Airflex clutches & brakes are specifically built for use on a rudder propeller to improve vessel maneuverability by stopping the propeller shaft as fast as possible and prevent engine stalling during hard reversing maneuvers. Airflex CB, VC, and E type air operated brakes and clutch elements are suitable for dredging applications including jet pump and cutter drives and also for winches.

Industrial Clutch Parts will be exhibiting its own range of High Torque

Dog clutches are specialised claw couplings available for static or rotating operations. Used to connect a motor to an output shaft or shaft-to-shaft where the user wants to occasionally, manually disengage the drive between the two.

Dog Clutch is a type of clutch that uses intervention to link two rotating shafts or other rotating components like gears. It is most commonly used in the constant mesh gearbox. It functions by mating a set of regularly spaced teeth or protrusions on one half of the clutch mechanism to a set of identical recesses on the other.

This type of clutch engages not by friction but by interference. It has the benefit of allowing both shafts to turn at the same speed without slipping and with minimal clutch wear. Dog clutches cannot be used to control torque as is the case with a friction clutch. The two parts of the clutch are designed in such a way that one will push the other and both will rotate at the same speed and will never slip.

This type of clutch is made of two round plates, one fixed to the drive shaft or the gear and the other on the shaft being driven. One of the plates has a series of evenly spaced protrusions machined into its face, similar to a battlement on top of a castle wall. The other plate has an identically spaced series of like-sized recesses cut into its face.

When the two plates are brought together, the protrusions mate or fit into the recesses, thereby effectively joining the shafts and transferring rotational motion from one to another. Dog clutches are used when slip and friction are undesirable and the clutch is not used to control torque.

Advantages:

1) No-slip or friction involved after the engagement of the clutch.

2) Heat generation is much less as no friction occurs.

3) Cost is less than friction clutch of similar torque capacity.

Disadvantages:

1) Shock is caused while engagement of clutch at any speed.

2) Cannot be engaged at high speeds.

3) When both the diving and the driven shaft is at rest, some relative motion is required to engage.

Applications:

Dog clutches are mainly used in stick shift automobile gearboxes, marine propeller drives, and on drives of heavy machinery.

For more information visit the website - click here

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

Exactly one year on from the publication of Manufacturing Outlook’s worst results in the survey’s history, the mood music has changed dramatically.

In what has recently been a dejected pattern of quarters for the industry, manufacturers are now finally able to look to the future with earnest confidence. The industry is certainly not without its challenges, both ongoing and new, but the sector has now demonstrated that it can generate growth despite the still perilous circumstance.

The first of these antagonising musketeers comes in the form of the novel Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the UK and the EU. The onus of new protocols and paperwork wreaked havoc for British exporters in the first quarter of the year, reflected in the 40% drop in exports to the EU in January. Since then, businesses have overcome many of the hurdles imposed on them by this new arrangement, with the Make UK report detailing significant export improvements compared to the start of the year.

The second dampener to the industry’s recovery is the ongoing uncertainty generated by unpredictable COVID-19 regulations both here and abroad. While the UK has come leaps and bounds in recent months in terms of the economy reopening, many events critical to the prosperity of UK manufacturing, such as trade shows, struggle to go ahead.

The third, and perhaps the most prolific of challenges facing the sector lies in supply-chain disruptions. As the international business community enjoys a sudden spike in demand as the economy has sped up faster than expected, so too the strain on these already delicate supply-chains increases. Of course, just prior to this demand spike supply-chains were already significantly stressed owing to COVID-19 related pressures, but now with demand outstripping supply, or rather, the ability to supply in many cases, UK manufacturers are finding that they cannot affordably source inputs for their product, or cannot source inputs at any rate.

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