Time to take part in LiftEx 2019

Wednesday, 10th April 2019

Now in its fifteenth year, LiftEx is the unmissable global event for the lifting industry. It takes place at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes on 13-14 November 2019, and will bring together 100 exhibitors, over 1000 industry professionals attending, content of interest to businesses working in the sector, as well as the industry awards.

The flagship event of the Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA), LiftEx inspires, educates and unites the industry through educational and technical sessions, presentations on innovation, a packed exhibition floor and the must-attend LEEA Awards dinner.

The exhibition will showcase exhibiting companies during the two days, while The LEEA Awardson the night of the 13 November will offer a prestigious evening of food and entertainment celebrating successes in the lifting industry, and will be hosted by a celebrity speaker.

In addition to the existing features, the 2019 event brings exciting new content. The Innovation Award Showcase taking place on Day One will feature a dedicated demonstration area and pitches from the finalists of the prestigious Innovation Award. Visitors will be able to vote for their favourite to be announced at the Awards ceremony that evening.

On Day Two, the LEEA Learning & Development and Technical teams will be hosting TheOpen Learning Zone, where LEEA will be offering free training and learning sessions. These will include TEAM card assessment sessions, mini presentations on specific subjects and technical updates. Those wishing to attend are advised to sign up in advance as numbers will be limited. Business Support Sessions,also taking place on Day Two, will offer free industry-specific advice to visitors on IT, GDPR, legislation, HR issues and more.

Throughout LiftEx, visitors will join their peers, potential suppliers and customers as well as industry professionals from a wide range of vertical markets – including rail, construction, renewable energy, civil engineering, entertainment, road & maritime transport, health & safety, utilities and manufacturing.

Facts from LiftEx 2018

Almost 40% of the visitors were C-level/senior directors – with many of those companies bringing two or more team members to the event
Whilst the majority of the audience came from the UK, there were delegates from every continent. UK/Ireland, France, Germany, Nordics and Benelux representing approximately 90% of the audience
End user visitors came from a large number of vertical sectors, with construction the largest at 10%, as well as Oil & Gas, Construction, Utilities, Energy, Railways, Cargo and Bulk Handling, Nuclear, Defence, Manufacturing and Offshore.

For sponsorship and exhibition enquiries, please contact Leah Phelps on +44 (0) 20 3488 2865, or email enquiries@L2events.com. Visitor registration will be open at the beginning of May. Further details can be found at: www.liftex.org.

Celebrity speaker confirmed for LEEA Awards

Wednesday, 10th April 2019

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is excited to announce that this year’s LEEA Awards will be hosted by TV presenter Rachel Riley, the resident numbers expert on Channel 4’s long-running quiz show Countdown.

Following the fantastic success of the inaugural event in 2018, the prestigious LEEA Awards will return to Milton Keynes on 13 November to reward the association’s members and their employees who have made significant contributions to lifting standards in the industry. LEEA has confirmed that Rachel Riley will be this year’s celebrity speaker. “We are absolutely delighted that Rachel will be joining us at our Awards ceremony to celebrate our industry’s achievements,” said Ross Moloney, CEO of LEEA.

As well as being part of the Countdown team, the Oxford Maths graduate is a regular panellist on the Channel 4 comedy show 8 Out of 10 Cats, has featured on Channel 5’s Gadget Show, as well as Sky Sports Friday Night Football and Fantasy Football Club, has put her brainpower to the test on Celebrity Mastermind, and taken part in Strictly Come Dancing.

The second LEEA Awards play a vital role in promoting the gold standard offered by LEEA members, and they are also crucial in terms of the industry’s sustainability by promoting the impressive work performed by our members and encouraging new recruits.

The Awards include eight categories:

Apprentice of the Year
Innovative Product of the Year
Manager of the Year
Safety Award
Sustainable Solution ofthe Year â€¨
Unsung Hero
Customer Service
Kevin Holmes Award

Applications for nominations in these categories will be accepted from May. In addition, the Awards will also present the Derrick Bailes Scholarship and Harry Brown Memorial Shield.

The LEEA Awards will take place during the association’s flagship show LiftEx, now in its fifteenth year.

Companies interested in placing their brand in front of the industry in association with any of the LEEA Award categories are invited to view sponsorship packages at www.liftex.org. For further information on the Awards visit: http://www.liftex.org/leea-awards.

Electro optical metrology in the shipbuilding industry

Friday, 5th April 2019

Used in a range of applications across the shipbuilding and repair industry, our electro optical product range includes Alignment Telescopes, Autocollimators, Levels and Clinometers. This application report demonstrates some of the ways electro-optical metrology can benefit the shipbuilding and repair industry:

POSITIONING MARINE ENGINES IN RELATION TO PROPELLOR SHAFTING AND STERN TUBE USING AUTOREFLECTION

The Problem:
Shipbuilders and marine engineers are well aware of the problems in verifying that the alignment of a ships propulsion machinery is correct.

This particular problem is to align the position of a ships engine in relation to the propellor shafting and stern tube.

The Solution:
The principle of the method is to set up a Micro Alignment Telescope coaxial to the engine axis. This is carried out by mounting a mirror target directly on to the engine coupling flange, and checking the concentricity by rotating the crankshaft and sighting the mirror target through the Telescope.

The Micro Alignment Telescope is fitted with its lamphouse and, using auto-reflection, the squareness of the reflective target face with respect to the rotation of the axis of the crankshaft is measured. On rotating the crankshaft the mirror target is adjusted radially to set it concentric, and also tilted until the reflected image is stationary in all rotational positions.

At this point the telescope is coaxial to the crankshaft and hence marine engine axis. This line of sight is extended aft through the stern tube with all alignments normally made from this line of sight.

ALIGNMENT OF MARINE ENGINE TO STERN TUBE

The Problem:
Misalignment between propellor shafting and engine can lead to excessive vibration and deflections both of the engine and transmission system and of the surrounding structure.

The Solution:
The telescope is located concentrically in the aft end of the stern tube using the bore fixture. A target is mounted in an adaptor located at the forward end of the stern tube. The telescope is adjusted vertically and horizontally about its axis until the target is centred with the telescope crosslines. This setting establishes a telescope line of sight coincident with and parallel to the stern tube axis. The extension of this line should pass through the centres of all the engine bearing. Targets are now placed in adaptors (or spider fixtures) located centrally in the forward, middle and aft bearings, the telescope being focused on each in turn.

ALIGNMENT OF PROPELLOR SHAFTING TO MARINE ENGINE

The Problem:
Checking the alignment of shafting and engine bearings is relatively straightforward, however alignment of shafting to engine is complicated because the construction of many ships makes a line of sight from the forward end of the engine through to the tail shaft impossible. A line of sight over the engine can be measured from a fixed height above the engine but the sighting is usually impeded by the shaft tunnel roof a few feet aft of the engine room bulkhead.

The Solution:
Two lines of sight can be used: one from the forward end of the engine sighting aft, and one from the last intermediate shaft bearing sighting forward. These lines of sight overlap between aft of the engine and forward of the shaft tunnel roof.

‘P’ BRACKETS

The Problem:
After a collision with an object, it is important to check that the engine/ gearbox, propellor shaft bearings and "P" bracket bearings are all still aligned.

The Solution:
A mirror target is mounted in an adjustable holder which is mounted onto the gearbox spindle. The telescope, with lamphouse fitted, is set square and in line with the mirror target. The spindle is rotated and the mirror target in its adjustable holder and telescope are further adjusted to ensure the telescope is:
a) concentric with the spindle rotation and
b) on the centre line of the mirror and hence the gearbox.
All bearings including the "P" bracket are then sighted with the telescope to be in line with the mirror and hence gearbox.

REFURBISHMENT OF SHIPS’ ENGINES

The Problem:
Worn bearings need to be realigned before being rebushed and recut using a boring bar.

The Solution:
A reference line of sight is made by sighting through the front and rear bearing. Bushes (shells) are then placed in all the bearings and all aligned in anticipation of the boring bar; normally a hollow boring bar is used and wire targets are placed inside the bar at regular intervals to monitor its straightness.

BULK HEAD

The Problem:
To ensure a watertight seal, the door and bulkhead not only need to be flat but also in the same plane.

The Solution:
A Telescope with optical square was used to sweep a plane at 90° to the telescope line of sight. This plane is set using the bulkhead as the reference. The door is then checked to ensure it is in the same plane. Any out of flatness of both the door and bulkhead can be measured with the telescope and adjustments made.

RUDDER BEARINGS

The Problem:
Alignment of rudder bearings.

The Solution:
The straight line of sight made by the telescope can be used to align the bearings in the ship's rudder.

LeeSan Returns to Seawork

Tuesday, 2nd April 2019

After a long absence, marine sewage and pumping specialists LeeSan will be back at Seawork again this year.

They will be showing their extensive range of Marine Sanitation and Pump Out equipment, along with their newly acquired range of Sewage and Waste Water pumps, these due to the massive stock availability from their new parent company Pump Technology Ltd.

Additionally, the company will be highlighting their ability to supply spares (even for many much older products), worldwide for next working day dispatch!

LeeSan Pump Out systems are now installed in docks and marinas all over the globe and the company’s own design of hands-free pump out nozzle and deck fitting combination have become almost the standard on many top vessels.

Craft from yachts and powerboats of all sizes to superyachts, military and commercial vessels have fitted the company’s sanitation equipment for over 27 years now and the Warwickshire based team are well respected for their knowledge and expertise.

The stores at Fenny Compton hold tens of thousands of (sometimes really hard-to-find) spares which can often make the difference between a working sanitation system and one which doesn’t.

Since being bought by the new owners, Pump Technology Ltd, LeeSan has had increasing access to that company’s specialist experience in the commercial pumping business and can now supply sewage, fresh water and pressure pumps from most major manufacturers worldwide.

Sanitation isn’t glamorous, BUT it is absolutely essential and the LeeSan team look forward to meeting customers, old and new on their stand No. PG3.

Buzz Wireless launches on board connectivity on monthly contract with minimal capital outlay

Tuesday, 2nd April 2019

The Hubba Wave, newly introduced for 2019 from Buzz Wireless, is a data and Wi-Fi router device that provides boat owners with a range of benefits for a simple monthly charge. The Hubba Wave facilitates fast 4G connectivity for coastal cruising up to 15 miles offshore at a fraction of the cost of VSAT. The device is ideal for inland waterway use as well. The Hubba Wave can be accessed by laptop, tablet or smartphone and is loaded with 40 GB of data per month and unlimited phone minutes. The Hubba Wave is supplied on a 24-month contract for a one-off cost of £39.95 plus VAT and a monthly charge of £39.95 plus VAT.

Boat owners who have membership of Netflix, Apple Music, TV Player and other popular Apps will also benefit from watching movies and TV without using any of the 40GB monthly data allowance.

The Hubba Wave will accept all wi-fi connected devices on-board and has the additional benefit of a plug-in telephone handset, that can be used as a fixed boat ‘phone with unlimited minutes*. This phone usually has better connectivity than a mobile phone due to the antenna on the Hubba Wave, so can be used further offshore. The cost covers the router box, aerial, all cables, the handset and 40GB of data per month*.

Boaters crossing the channel to EU countries will be able to roam without penalty**, as is now standard with mobile providers.
Buzz Wireless has been at the fore front of developing mobile connectivity for leisure boats, commercial vessels and shipping for many years. Its Hubba range of routers has successfully provided powerful connection for coastal use, reducing the cost of connectivity from small yachts to passenger ferries. The new Hubba Wave for leisure users encompasses all this development work within a simple monthly contract designed to keep you connected while cruising.

Month: April 2019

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