Contractor ’ s Corner
CORRECT MACHINE AND CONSUMABLE COMBINATIONS OFFER BENEFITS
By Dennis Phillips , national sales manager for PFERD-South Africa
Everybody is watching their budget and looking for opportunities to reduce operational expenditure , but there is one area where it does not pay to do so – attempting to combine tool drives with incorrect or sub-standard consumables .
Purchasing decisions based only on price , which ignore the quality or compatibility required for specific applications , will reduce performance while also actually increasing operational costs .
Buying cheaper , or trying to operate quality tool drives with sub-standard consumables is a false economy . This incompatibility not only increases consumable use and subsequent operational costs , but the additional noise , vibration and dust usually associated with sub-standard abrasives also increases operational hazards for the operators .
The reverse is also applicable , because buying substandard machines and pairing them with high-performance abrasives will also not deliver optimum results .
When replacing new tool drives it is recommended to do so with the correct operating RPM and a material specific consumables .
INCOMPATIBILITY WOES Incorrect machine and tool combinations increase costs in the long run . It is the main driver behind premature wear and reduced consumable service life , which in turn leads to increased consumption . A knock-on effect is wasted human resources because increased tool changes use up valuable time that could have been spent on production which is particularly relevant in today ’ s environment and drive of savings .
All photos by PFERD
In simple terms , incompatibility not only increases consumableuse and subsequent operational costs , it increases hazards for the tool operators .
COMPATIBILITY BENEFITS A powerful tool drive paired with the correct highperformance abrasive eliminates large consumable bills that would result from the mismatch between tool drive and consumable .
The benefit of ensuring balance through correct combination is what delivers the best performance and achieves the desired results . Correct compatibilities offer improved productivity and cost efficiencies , reduced consumable purchasing , faster processing times , increased operator safety and comfort and less machine down time .
It is more beneficial to consider the long-term requirements and to keep the overall process in mind when selecting consumables and tool drives alike .
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RACA Journal I November 2022 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za