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Company highlights benefits of thermography for maintenance

13th March 2015

By: Pimani Baloyi

Creamer Media Writer

  

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South African companies and government entities need to familiarise themselves with the benefits of applying thermographic imaging to maintenance procedures, says process control equipment solutions provider Comtest thermography products specialist Jeanri Mellanby.

Mellanby is Southern Africa’s first female Snell thermography instructor.

“The country needs to change its thinking about maintenance. Most South African companies implement the run-to-failure maintenance approach, where equipment is only fixed when it breaks down and never undergoes regular maintenance.”

Mellanby explains that thermography will help companies implement predictive maintenance, as a thermographic camera enables a user to see the amount of energy emitted by electrical equipment, as well as anomalies that are not visible to the human eye. “This enables users to predict problems and fix them through maintenance before they occur.”

Mellanby adds that thermography enables companies to save money, as it ensures less downtime caused by breakdowns, reduces repair costs and eliminates the possibility of electrical fires caused by equipment that is not well maintained.

“The return on investment of thermographic cameras and training far outweighs the costs associated with equipment breakdowns. “For instance, a transformer can cost millions of rands, whereas a thermographic camera can cost between R20 000 and R100 000, with a week-long training programme from Comtest costing about R17 000,” she elaborates.

Mellanby, under the banner of Comtest, offers free thermography training sessions throughout the year, with the next courses scheduled to get under way on March 19 and April 16. She also offers certified thermography courses that are open to the public – Snell levels one and two courses – which are scheduled from May to November.

Some of Mellanby’s first intake of trainees for 2015 include platinum mining major Impala Platinum electricians David Payper and Barrie Swanepoel, technology products supplier Martec Vaal business unit manager Pitso Masooa and Martec Secunda technician Matthews Ntshangase.

The trainees tell Engineering News that, with the proper understanding and inter- pretation of thermographic imaging, they will be able to assist their companies through better maintenance planning procedures, as they will have visual evidence to support their diagnoses of all electrical equipment.

New Addition
Comtest MD Val Verwer tells Engineering News that the company signed an agreement with leading Italian manufacturer BC Battery Controller as the local distributor of BC’s powerful, lightweight, pocket- sized jumpstarter – the BC Booster K1200 – used on cars, motorcycles, quad bikes, ski jets, surf skis and tractors.
“As a portable backup battery, the BC Booster K1200 can be used for emergency charging of tablets, smartphones, navigators, cameras, videos, MP3 players and other electronic devices when one is on the move and not near a power source.”

Verwer explains that the BC Booster K1200, which features BC Battery Controller’s 100% safe LiFePO4 technology, recharges electronic devices through a USB port. It also includes a complete set of adapters for emergency charging of smartphones and tablets and has an emergency flashlight with steady or intermittent light. The 160 mm × 75 mm × 28 mm booster weighs 380 g.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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