Fort Lauderdale, September 12, 2005 – SWANTECH Inc, a leading provider of advanced machine healthcare monitoring solutions and analysis services, today announced North Star BlueScope Steel, a premier producer of hot-rolled steel bands in America, has implemented SWANTECH’S Stress Wave Analysis (SWAN™) technology on several large pieces of equipment at it’s steelmaking plant in Delta, OH. SWANTECH’S computer-based prognostic maintenance system, SWAN, is being used to detect changes in machine operating conditions, providing early and accurate warning of damage or failure to machinery during its operation.
North Star BlueScope Steel is using SWANTECH’s state-of-the-art predictive maintenance technology to monitor the plant’s huge steel roller drive equipment as they reprocess tons of scrap metal into coils of steel. The steel is then used by steel processors for many uses, including such things as car bumpers, automotive brackets and propane tanks. The information provided by SWAN helps determine what corrective action or maintenance is required at the production facility before severe damage or equipment failure occurs.According to officials at North Star BlueScope Steel, SWAN is the ideal technology fit for their facility because it serves as an important, early predictor for their equipment.
Using SWAN to carefully monitor the friction inside gearboxes and motor bearings helps the company with unplanned equipment downtime. It also helps them save thousands of dollars in last-minute purchases, repair of spare parts and contract repair labor. The SWAN system gathers information from Stress Wave Data Collectors associated with each bearing and processes the information on a SWANserver located in the plant’s offices. That data is analyzed to produce reports which may point to early signs of wear in the steel mill’s equipment.
Armed with this information, managers can begin planning for maintenance or repairs that may be needed up to six months in advance.The key to the success of SWAN technology is its ability to measure friction. Friction is the leading indicator of load, lubrication, wear and damage within a machine. It is also the first and most likely source of change within a machine. SWAN provides the earliest and most accurate detection of a change in machine operating conditions, process upsets and corresponding machine health.
SWAN can track and trend failure progression and pinpoint damage with remarkable precision because its technology is based upon ultrasonic sound waves, which are detected and measured in terms of energy content and then analyzed to identify and trend the incidence of damage in a machine. The information collected helps determine what corrective action or maintenance is required before severe damage or equipment failure occurs.According to Ralph Genesi, president and CEO of SWANTECH, Stress Wave Analysis technology has demonstrated its superiority over other traditional condition monitoring technologies available today. “SWAN technology is proving to be an extremely reliable, cost-effective prognostic maintenance system.
SWANTECH’s Stress Wave Analysis has demonstrated its value time and time again.” He added, “We take particular satisfaction in helping North Star BlueScope Steel save valuable time and money by redefining condition monitoring and advancing the capabilities of SWAN. There a number of expansions planned in this application and we look forward to further success ahead.”
About North Star BlueScope Steel
North Star BlueScope Steel is a 50-50 joint venture between BlueScope Steel (Melbourne, Australia) and Cargill, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN). BlueScope Steel is Australia’s largest steel producer. The company also is known worldwide for its coated and painted steel products with facilities in Australia, and Asia.
Cargill, Inc. is America’s largest private company and the world’s largest grain trader and food processing company.
About SWANTECH
Founded in 1998, Ft. Lauderdale-based SWANTECH is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of industrial ultrasonic diagnostic systems that accurately evaluate the operating health of industrial machinery. SWANTECH's proprietary, patented and field-tested Stress Wave ANalysis (SWAN™) technology is revolutionizing the global condition monitoring market by providing a cost-saving machine defect detection solution that is replacing traditional vibration-sensing and lubrication solutions that have existed for over 25 years. SWANTECH offers solutions to predict and avert failure for all types of rotating machinery through its product suite, including SWANguard™, SWANview LX™, and SWANview EX™.
For more information, visit the company’s Website at www.swantech.com .
