- Atlas Copco
Transcription
- Atlas Copco
Commitment Atlas Copco Compressors LLC Volume 7, Issue 1 Atlas Copco keeping our automotive partners up to speed. 2009 Commitment Editorial Dear Readers... Welcome to this first edition of Commitment in 2009. Once again this issue outlines some of the great customers we have had the opportunity to work with and we are pleased to be sharing our partnerships and success stories with you. This issue has a real sports theme running throughout and a diverse range of products including small machines and big machines, some oil injected and some oil free. I think it represents a wide diversity of customers in many similar industries – just proving there is really no such thing as one solution fits all. It’s the listening to customers that makes Atlas Copco such a fun and exciting place to work. Customers are at the center of everything we do and problem solving is a daily activity rather than a chore. Atlas Copco, like many of you reading this, has had to adjust to the tough economic climate. We feel right now the partnership approach to business that we have always believed in is more important than ever and programs like Atlas Copco finance and fixed priced maintenance packages continue to give customers great solutions and peace of mind when purchasing products. We are committed to keeping as many feet on the street in the form of sales engineers and service technicians with the aim to provide outstanding customer service. Also the pace of research and development is still fast and you will see many product introductions or upgrades over the coming months. Commitment Magazine is published by Atlas Copco Compressors LLC USA. The material contained within Commitment is for information purposes only. Its contents are not intended to replace any technical material contained in Atlas Copco technical documents, publications or legal documents. In This Issue Expressway to Savings Keeping Operating Costs Down in an Indiana Auto Dealership 1 Paul Humphreys Publisher [email protected] Holly Boutot-Lalonde Editor [email protected] Commitment Magazine Atlas Copco Compressors LLC 1800 Overview Drive Rock Hill, SC 29730 Tel: 803-817-7200 Fax: 803-817-7176 If you would like information on any of the stories in this issue or have any questions, I am as always pleased to hear from you. These can be sent to me at: [email protected] Retread Tires To Optimize Their Investment in Tires, Trucking Companies Rely on Retreads 5 Class Zero Air Measures Race Car Performance 11 Happy reading and enjoy the coming summer months. Paul Hense President Atlas Copco Compressors LLC Atlas Copco is a global industrial Group which was founded in 1873. Its head office is in Stockholm, Sweden. The Group's global reach spans more than 160 markets. Atlas Copco has over 33,000 employees, and manufactures and assembles products in 21 countries. Pat’s Auto Body Growing a Woman-Owned Auto Body Business Using the Power of Air 17 Temperature Management System Interview With Bill Bates Copyright © 2009 Atlas Copco Compressors LLC. All rights reserved. Trademarks: Atlas Copco product names, brands, and marks are trademarks owned by Atlas Copco AB and/or one or more of its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 21 Save Money While Maximizing Compressed Air Productivity Top 10 Tips from a World Leading Compressor Manufacturer 25 Expressway to Savings: Keeping Operating Costs Down at an Indiana Auto Dealership. After Expressway’s owners purchased Mt. Vernon Ford in 2005, a brand new facility – Expressway Auto World – was built on the site. Designed using the “auto mall” concept, two 45,000 square foot buildings (one for Ford, the other for GM) were erected with a 20,000 square foot Credit Express center situated in between. Both the Ford and GM buildings include a state-of-theart auto service facility. One of the fastest growing auto sales and service businesses in the Midwest is the Expressway group of dealerships. The family-owned business includes Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge, Chevy/Pontiac/Buick/GMC, and Ford/Mercury dealerships, as well as the Credit Connection and Credit Express operations. Expressway is a long-time customer of Evapar, an Indiana-based distributor of equipment and systems for compressed air, electric power generation, and industrial gas and diesel engines. Dan Baldwin, Sales Representative with Evapar’s Air Division, worked with Expressway to specify and supply the compressed air production and distribution systems for the new Ford and GM service facilities. 1 Atlas Copco “Dan brought the AIRnet system to our attention,” says Jerry Maggard, General Manager of Expressway Ford Mercury. “I was impressed with the entire concept – how professional it looks, how easy it is to install and maintain, how cost efficient it is – so we went on Dan’s recommendation.” AIRnet is Atlas Copco’s innovative, modular compressed air piping system. The piping is constructed from robust, lightweight aluminum tube. Components are conveniently affixed to walls and ceilings using AIRnet’s extensive range of engineered polymer fittings. The system includes assembly tools that cover the full spectrum of installation options. “The AIRnet system is great for building new systems or for extending existing piping systems,” according to Kent Reddington, Air Division Manager for Evapar. “The aluminum pipe is finished in blue powder coat to comply with today’s industrial compressed air system standards. The look is neat, clean and professional, and it’s designed for quick and easy installation. If you can use a tape measure, you can install AIRnet.” For the installation at Expressway’s new auto mall, Dan assisted two members of Expressway’s maintenance crew to get the job started at the Ford shop. In just a few hours, the maintenance crew took over. They finished the Ford shop installation and then did the complete installation at the GM shop. No problems were encountered on either installation. Commitment 2 Did You Know Expressway’s AIRnet system provides air for pneumatic tools in the service department and in the lube center. Oil-fired heaters are used in the service areas and the AIRnet system supports those systems as well. Once the Ford and GM dealership buildings were up and running, Evapar also provided a compressed air system for the main detail shop at the Credit Express building. Eight work stations provide compressed air for technicians doing automotive detailing. Cost Efficiencies An important benefit of Atlas Copco’s AIRnet system is minimizing the cost of compressed air. The smooth, low friction inner surface of the aluminum pipe maintains a minimum pressure drop throughout the air distribution system. This allows compressors to work at lower operating pressures, reducing power consumption and operating costs. “Air that has been compressed has already incurred cost, so unnecessary pressure drops and leaks are throwing money away,” according to Kent Reddington, Air Division Manager at Evapar. “AIRnet minimizes that problem. Compared to a conventional piping system, there’s less pressure drop across the AIRnet system, so less energy is consumed in compressing air.” Reddington explains that Atlas Copco Variable Speed Drive (VSD) compressors are a good complement to the AIRnet system. “VSD com- 3 Atlas Copco pressors continuously match the production of compressed air to the demand, so the compressor is always operating as efficiently as possible. A VSD compressor lends itself well to the AIRnet system because the operating efficiencies go hand-in-hand.” Expressway’s Ford and GM facilities each have their own energy-efficient Atlas Copco GA7VSDFF tank mount compressed air system with a VSD compressor. Distribution of compressed air in each facility is via approximately 1000 feet of AIRnet piping with a 25mm main header and 20mm drops at workstations. The non-corrosive properties of AIRnet piping also help to maintain a constant air quality from the compressor to the pneumatic equipment. “System cleanliness protects downstream equipment from contamination,” says Reddington, “which further improves reliability and lowers operating costs.” Atlas Copco is one of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for the fourth consecutive year. “Overall, we have found our AIRnet system to be very cost-efficient,” Jerry explains. “It looks very sophisticated and expensive, but compared in cost to the quotes we got for other types of air distribution systems, AIRnet wins hands down. If the need arises to replace an existing system for replacement or remodeling in one of our dealerships, we’ll go with AIRnet again.” AIRnet’s aluminum piping is ideal for use with inert gases, such as nitrogen. That makes the system particularly well suited for use in automotive service centers, where nitrogen is rapidly becoming the choice for tire fill. Jerry says that Expressway is currently evaluating the business opportunity for nitrogen tire fill in the new Ford and GM facilities. “We know nitrogen is used to fill tires in racing, and sometimes when we swap inventory with other dealers those vehicles have nitrogen in the tires. We have a study going, and I think nitrogen tire fill may work well for us.” With two AIRnet systems up and running successfully, Jerry is confident in recommending AIRnet to anyone installing a new compressed air distribution system or upgrading an existing system. “The performance is great and for looks, there’s no contest,” he says. “Customers are always asking, ‘What’s that?’ When we tell folks what it is, it kind of blows their mind.” AIRnet Technical Data Working Pressure: up to 13 bar Working temperature: -20°C to +70°C (-4°F to +158°F) Lowest allowable dewpoint: -70°C (-94°F) Extruded aluminum pipe complies with EN755.2 – ED755.8 – EN573.3 Blue color (RAL 5012) complies with most industrial compressed air color standards Compatible with all compressor oils Nominal pipe sizes 20mm to 80mm (½ inch to 4½ inch) For more information about The Expressway Group please visit: www.expresswayfordmercury.com/ Commitment 4 To Optimize Their Investment In Tires, Trucking Companies Rely on... Retreads “The GA 37 VSD compressor has been phenomenal. The cost savings have been out the roof. We did the right thing getting this compressor.” Mark Frink Operations Manager at Black’s Tire Over-the-road trucks roll on tires— 10, 14, 18, and sometimes more. Truck tires are designed for much heavier duty use than passenger car tires, and their underlying structure (the “casing”) is so sturdy it usually outlasts the tread. Rather than discard a tire when the tread is worn, truck tires can be retreaded, producing a tire with the performance characteristics of a new tire for less cost. Retreads are especially popular for trailers where they just need to roll the load, not steer or put power down. In the eastern Carolinas, trucking companies look to Black’s Tire for quality retreaded truck tires. For nearly 80 years, Black’s Tire has served the region with quality products and services. At the company’s Retreading Center in Clinton, about midway between Raleigh and Wilmington, Black’s Tire manufactures retreads and provides complementary services that help customers achieve maximum service life from every tire in their fleet. Making Retreads The heavy duty casing of a truck tire can be retreaded a number of times, so Black’s Tire begins the retread process with a careful inspection of each candidate for retreading. Casings are tested and those judged to be in good condition have the worn tread removed (“buffed”). Precision equipment creates the optimum radial and circumferential profile for proper tread fitment. Black’s Tire offers Goodyear Precure and Unicircle retreads. To create Precure retreads, vulcanized tread rubber is firmly bonded to the buffed tire casing using a layer of adhesive. The two ends of the new tread segment are carefully fitted together. Unicircle Retreads are made with Goodyear’s patented, computer controlled tread building machine that uses laser guidance to place seamless tread onto the casing. 5 Atlas Copco Commitment 6 A retreading facility operates differently than a new tire manufacturing line because no two used tire casings are alike. Each used tire is evaluated individually, typically through a combination of nondestructive tests and the experience and judgment of the inspector. Tire casings with damage due to factors such as cord deterioration or underinflation are rejected for retreading. Using whichever method a customer prefers, new tread is placed on the prepared casing. The tires are then moved into a curing chamber where a high temperature, high pressure environment bonds the new tread securely to the tire casing. Compressed Air Compressed air does more than fill truck tires; it’s critical to the process of making retreads. Once new rubber tread is attached to the tire casing, tires are ready for the curing chamber. “It’s a long, cylindrical tank that looks a lot like the fuel tanks buried underground at a gas station,” according to Mark Frink, Operations Manager at Black’s Tire’s retreading plant. In preparation for curing, the tires slide down a track to a specific 7 Atlas Copco location in the chamber. “There are 23 slots in the tank, so we can process 23 tires at a time,” says Frink. With the tires in place inside the curing chamber, pressurization of the chamber begins. Because compressed air has to pressurize a large space, the air compressor must be able to produce a high volume of air quickly for each production run. Running at full speed, the compressor fills the chamber in about 30 minutes. “Filling the curing tank consumes the major part of the air volume we use,” Frink explains. “We also use shop air for pneumatic tools, to grind the old rubber off tire casings, and to lay on the new rubber, but that’s really nothing compared to the volume that’s used for the curing tank.” Production Surge The cost of diesel fuel has placed enormous cost pressures on trucking companies and, as a result, most are looking to reduce their operating cost. Since retreading cuts cost by extending the useful life of a truck tire, Black’s Tire has been busy keeping up with the growing demand for retreads. The increased level of retread production at Black’s Tire brought the shortcomings of their existing compressed air system to the fore. “Our old compressors were becoming worn and unreliable,” Frink recalls, “and they were having difficulty producing enough air to fill the chambers.” Randy Leath, Sales Manager of Atlas Copco’s Carolina Customer Center in Winston-Salem, had been working with Black’s Tire for about three years and was familiar with the situation. “The existing compressors were having reliability problems,” Leath says, “and Black’s Tire was ready to replace them.” The old system had 50 horsepower and a straight modulation control system. While modulation systems do provide some level of air production control, their fundamental design is energy inefficient. Whenever the system detects a rise in outlet pressure (signaling a drop in air demand), it compensates by closing the compressor’s inlet valve (raising the compression ratio to reduce air supply). Compression ratio and compressor efficiency are inversely proportional, however, so this type of control system results in excess power consumption. Operating Efficiency Why is operating efficiency so important? Over the life of an industrial compressed air system, power typically accounts for 75% of the total cost for compressed air. The additional investment in an energy efficient compressor and control system quickly pays for itself. “Two or three times a day the curing chamber has to be filled with compressed air,” Leath explains. “It’s a large chamber – big enough to hold 23 truck tires at once – and it took the full 50 hp to fill it. But the rest of the time the plant did not need 50 hp worth of air just to operate some air tools and pneumatic controls. Black’s Tire has a great application for a Variable Speed Drive compressor.” Leath invited Frink to visit Top Tobacco in Lake Waccamaw, just a few miles from the corporate office in Whiteville, to see an Atlas Copco GA90VSD compressor that has been running for over five years. “When you see a Variable Speed Drive machine in operation for the first time,” Leath says, “the advantages become obvious.” Commitment 8 Did You Know Acting on Leath’s analysis and recommendation, Frink selected an Atlas Copco GA37 Variable Speed Drive compressor. “I visited other sites to see this type of compressor working to see what it was doing for another business,” Frink recalls. “I saw the potential it had for us.” At first, Frink was unsure whether he wanted to spend the extra money on the Full Feature model, which integrates a refrigerated air dryer into the system. “I showed Mark the advantages of the Full Feature package, which include low pressure drop, single point monitoring and zero installation costs,” Leath explains. “Mark decided it was smarter to invest in a new integrated system now, rather than wait until the old dryer had problems.” the electric bill in October 2007 was $2,200, and in November it was a bit over $2,000. By replacing the old compressor, we cut power usage plant-wide by one third, or about $1,000 a month. I was impressed at the amount of savings. Randy Leath had predicted cost savings conservatively at 10-20%. We were amazed at reality when the bill came in. The payback will be under two years for the new compressor.” Atlas Copco offers a single monthly payment that includes the air and the maintenance for a total air solution. Superior Operation Rolling Out The Retreads Lower operating cost was not the only welcomed improvement with the new compressor. “The older compressors were very noisy, produced lots of heat, and were cumbersome to work on,” Frink explains. “The noise level made it difficult to communicate within the facility. With the new compressor running we can stand and talk at normal voice level and get along just fine. Heat production of the new compressor is minimal compared to the old one, which had added noticeably to the ambient temperature inside the facility. The new compressor is much easier to work on, with everything laid out right where you can get at it.” The economy has hit many businesses hard and trucking companies in particular are looking for every way to cut cost. Quality retreads are an effective way to manage costs, and that keeps the Black’s Tire retread plant busy. Their Atlas Copco Variable Speed Drive compressor helps keep the plant keep rolling out the retreads. “This compressor has been phenomenal,” says Frink. “The cost savings have been out the roof. We did the right thing getting this compressor.” Return on Investment The initial cost of an Atlas Copco VSD compressor is roughly 30% more than a comparably sized single speed compressor, but by precisely and continuously matching compressed air production to demand, power consumption drops significantly to reduce the total cost of air. A case in point is the electric bill for the Black’s Tire Retreading Center. “Our largest use for power is heating coils, and the next largest is compressed air,” says Frink. “In the two months previous to installing the Atlas Copco compressor, the bills for power were $2,991 and $3,049. With the new compressor working, 9 Atlas Copco According to the Tire Retread and Repair Information Bureau, a non-profit, member supported industry association, “Every time you buy and use a retreaded tire, you help to conserve our valuable natural resources.” And since retreaded tires are always less expensive than comparable new tires, you save money while helping the environment. To learn more about Black’s Tire: www.blackstire.com Commitment 10 Windshear Inc., held the formal opening, in July 2008, of North America’s first commercially available, single-belt, 180 mph rolling road wind tunnel facility in Concord, North Carolina. Class Zero Air Measures Race Car Performance Suddenly, the driver-less car comes to a stop on the stainless-steel track. The rolling road track is supported by a cushion of compressed air. The lights dim in the test facility and some engineers review the data on their computers. The test is over and the race team engineers have collected the performance data they needed on their race car. Sensitive compressed air pressure sensors (accurate to ±¼ lb.) have played a key role in measuring the performance of the race car. This is the type Thanks to Rod Smith, Publisher of "Compressed Air Best Practices" for this story contribution. 11 Atlas Copco A four thousand, five hundred and fifty pound (4550 lbs.) race car is running at 170 mph and facing wind resistance of 150 mph. The car then enters a curve creating a three-degree “yaw” (the change in angle from the direction the car is headed and the airstream). The car struggles to maintain speed as the yaw changes and the dynamic downforce load on the car changes. The Windshear Single-Belt, 180 mph, Rolling Road in Concord, North Carolina of race car testing going on at Windshear Inc., in Concord, North Carolina. Windshear Business Unit Manager Peter Zierhut said, “Our facility offers highly accurate, repeatable test data previously only available to a select few Formula 1 teams, and never before available anywhere in North America.” Windshear Inc., is an independently operated division of California-based Haas Automation. Jacobs Technologies (a division of Jacobs Engineering) staffs and operates the facility. Jacobs Technology specializes in design, construction, and operation of wind tunnels for automotive and aerospace industries. In addition, when race teams bring their cars in for testing, they want to know that their performance data will remain confidential. “Security protocols developed by Jacobs Technologies guarantee the security of the data for our clients,” said Zierhut. Race teams are always looking for that extra edge which can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Demand for renting time at the testing facility in 2009 is said to be strong with dozens of customers involved from top-level motorsports organizations in F1, NASCAR, and IndyCar as well as auto manufacturers. Commitment 12 Left to Right: Carl Kline (Haas CNC Racing) and Jim Bruce (Atlas Copco) with the on-site oil-free rotary screw compressors at Windshear Inc. Compressed Air Supports the Rolling Road The Windshear rolling-road is manufactured by MTS Systems. The Single Belt FlatTrac® Rolling Road is elevated dozens of feet off the ground. The stainless steel track is 10.5 feet wide by 29.5 feet long and 1 mm thick. The track “sits” upon a cushion of 150 psi compressed air. A key piece of technology is in the revolutionary “through-the-belt” sensing system, which directly measures the aerodynamic downforce produced by the vehicle. A series of air bearings keep the track “rotating” on the cushion of compressed air. Nozzles within the air bearings are also able to create an 8 degree angle which simulates the conditions when taking a turn on the racetrack. Downforce is provided by the wind tunnel blowing air on the car. The fan is twenty two (22) feet in diameter and is powered by a 5,300 horsepower motor. The fan is capable of generating winds of over 180 mph. Extremely sensitive pressure sensors (tolerance of ¼ lb.) are able to measure and record the amount of downforce on the car. The static downforce is created by the weight of the car and the dynamic downforce is created by the resistance of the wind on the different parts of the car. The pressure sensors can measure this “drag” in various track configurations to see how well the car will perform. “Windshear told us they would be testing 4,550 lb. race cars, traveling at 180 mph, into a Hurricane Category 4 headwind, and that they wanted their pressure sensors to measure pressure to the accuracy of ±¼ lb.,” said Jim Bruce, then Vice President Eastern Region at Atlas Copco who supplied the compressed air system. “We knew right then and there that we had to use Class Zero oil-free air compressors to protect the sensors.” Left to Right: Clinton Gentz (Atlas Copco), Brian Nelson (Windshear), and Jim Bruce (Atlas Copco) standing underneath the Rolling Road. 13 Atlas Copco Selecting the Class Zero Oil-Free Air Compressors The original specification stated “oil-lubricated compressors could be used if adequate oil removal filtration is provided - including oil vapor removal.” Clinton Gentz, Atlas Copco’s Oil Free Air Sales Manager based in Charlotte said, “We were able to show Windshear and MTS that the integrity (pressure measurement) of the whole Windshear project would depend upon the proper function and maintenance of several air treatment components if an oil injected screw compressor was used.” Windshear agreed to eliminate the potential of any compressor oil contamination arriving on the crucial porous carbon air bearings. “They knew it would be costly and devastating, and that ISO 8573.1 Class Zero air compressors were the right solution for their process,” said Gentz. design spec called for full load capability during 8,760 hours per year, it was expected to be an application with intermittent demand as the wind tunnel turned on and off during testing procedures. Dynamic (centrifugal) compressors are greatly affected by ambient and cooling water temperature. The performance of a centrifugal compressor is also diminished when forced to operate above its designed temperature conditions. Therefore, you must design a centrifugal compressor for the hottest expected ambient conditions to ensure adequate flow for the process in the summer months—which is fine until the colder fall and winter months come along. The colder temperatures cause the centrifugal to use more BHP thus creating more air flow which has to be “blown off” or wasted by venting it to atmosphere. The throttling range or partial load performance of a centrifugal compressor is limited to 15-20% of its full load capacity so when the demand is below the turndown range the air must be blown off in order to provide a constant delivery pressure. Oil-Free Rotary Screw vs Oil-Free Centrifugal Air Compressor After it was agreed that Class Zero air was required, the question became whether to use a rotary screw or a centrifugal air compressor. Carl Cline was tasked with purchasing the compressed air system which would allow the rolling road to function. “Atlas Copco offers all the product technologies in question (lubricated screw, oil-free screw, and centrifugal compressors). We liked their unbiased product approach in advising us as to what the best system would be for Windshear. Our specification calls for 24/7 operation, 365 days a year. We also require that the air compressors provide ±1 psi tolerance of air pressure at the demanded air flow regardless of possible extreme temperature and humidity conditions.” It was also made clear that while the The selection of air-cooled compressors vs. water-cooled eliminated the potential consumption of 131.4 million gallons of water per year. Commitment 14 Did You Know The Solution The Atlas Copco Z Series is a positive-displacement, oil-free, rotary screw air compressor. The installation is made up of two ZT250 air-cooled machines which provide the base-load air. Fluctuations in demand are taken care of by a ZT315 VSD (Variable Speed Drive) air compressor. With positive displacement compressors, brake horsepower (BHP) will remain nearly constant summer to winter. Yet in the winter, the screw compressor will deliver significantly more mass flow while maintaining BHP nearly constant. In other words, being a positive displacement compressor, the rotary screw compressor’s energy is only slightly effected by changes in air temperature. The Variable Speed Drive (with partial load control down to 30% of full load) matches the required demand and efficiently provides constant pressure delivery within ±1 psig. In addition, by offering air cooled air compressors, the installation costs were greatly reduced by not requiring additional cooling water capacity and piping. This was very appealing to the Windshear project team and allowed them to size a smaller cooling water system for Atlas Copco is located in over 160 countries. the overall project. The smaller cooling system provided initial cost savings as well as overall operational cost savings by reducing the required cooling water flow by 250 gallons-per-minute (gpm). The system design specification calls for 8,760 hours of operation per year. This equates to 131.4 million gallons of water saved per year, simply by choosing an air-cooled air compressor. “We were able to save significant installation cost by not having to install water cooling systems here at Windshear, ” said Tom Eshelman, Compressor Center Manager for Atlas Copco in Winston-Salem. Conclusion Windshear Inc., is open for business and uniquely positioned in the North American market. The compressed air systems are up and running and the rolling road measurement systems are working perfectly. Race cars are running at 180 mph and engineers are measuring “yaw” and its effects on the dynamic downforce on the car. Quietly and efficiently, compressed air continues to play a key role with new technologies and applications. For more information please contact Compressed Air Best Practices, email: [email protected], www.airbestpractices.com Left to Right: Robert and Tom Eshelman (Atlas Copco) supervised the installation and perform the scheduled maintenance on the compressed air system. Windshear, Inc. Windshear Inc., is an independently operated division of California-based Haas Automation. Jacobs Technologies (a division of Jacobs Engineering) staffs and operates the facility. Jacobs Technology specializes in design, construction, and operation of wind tunnels for automotive and aerospace industries. www.windshearinc.com 15 Atlas Copco Commitment 16 The GX11-FF compressed air system offers the legendary power and reliability of Atlas Copco rotary screw compressors in an integrated package that is sized and equipped for small and medium sized industrial applications. Growing a Woman-Owned Auto Body Business Using The Power of Air Automobiles move. The environment in which they move contains objects moving in different directions at different rates of speed, and other objects that aren't moving at all. Even with rules governing what can move when, where and how fast, the predictable Fortunately, most of the damage resulting from everyday vehicle collisions can be repaired, and vehicles can be refinished to look and drive like new. Auto body repair businesses apply skilled work forces and specialized equipment to straighten bent bodies, remove dents, replace parts that cannot be fixed, and repaint surfaces. One basic resource found in practically every auto body facility is compressed air. It is used to operate pneumatic tools (such as air flanges, air nibblers, and air sanders), to blow dust off surfaces, and to apply primer, pigmented paint, and clear-coat finish. The quality of compressed air used in the painting process has a direct influence on the outcome of a paint job. If impurities such as fine particulate, moisture, or lubricating oil carry over into the compressed air, the quality of the finish can suffer from bubbles, spots or other faults. The increasing use by auto body shops of waterborne paints – whether by choice or to comply with environmental regulations – raises the issue of compressed air quality to an even higher level. Considering their scale, auto body shops are large users of compressed air. Even so, auto body shops and other light industries have traditionally settled for inefficient and noisy piston compressors, typically because they are often the low-cost option at the time of purchase. Trouble is, they cost much more to operate than more sophisticated compressors that use rotary screw technology. Since energy is the most expensive component in the production of compressed air, any savings realized when purchasing a piston compressor is quickly eaten away by higher operating costs. Piston-type compressors have other shortcomings for auto body applications. The basic design of the compression element means that lubricating oil carries through to the process air more than is the case with a rotary screw compressor. Oil carry over is something to avoid in general, but for a painting operation it’s crucial. Simply put, getting oil downstream into the paint lines can ruin a paint job. As energy costs account for a growing share of the cost of doing business and as customers demand higher standards of quality in auto body services, the owners of auto body businesses are paying closer attention to their compressed air systems. Sandra Chaney, owner of Pat’s Auto Body in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is an auto body shop owner whose success in business brought the issue of efficient, high quality compressed air to the forefront. “When I recently expanded into our newest building,” Sandra says, “I started researching upgrading our three existing air compressors. They were all older piston machines and the maintenance was getting expensive. I asked my paint distributor for advice and he told me about screw compressors. I had never heard of this type. He said they were more energy efficient than piston compressors and quieter, too.” outcome of all this movement is occasional collisions. 17 Atlas Copco Commitment 18 Did You Know A chance encounter at a neighboring business led to a solution for Sandra's compressed air needs. “It’s interesting how some sales opportunities come about,” Mike Brown explains. (Mike is a Sales Representative with Carolina Compressor Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.) “My boss Robert Eshelman was picking up swimming pool chemicals one Saturday and learned that Pat’s Body Shop, a business located behind his pool supplier, was expanding. He left me a message that Saturday and I dropped by the following Monday. This turned out to be great timing as they were indeed expanding and were interested in replacing their old piston compressors.” Sandra picks up the storyline. “When Mike Brown called me I was already talking to some other manufacturers, but he came over right away and was extremely helpful. I ended up getting prices from four suppliers. Atlas Copco was the second highest price, but Mike spent a lot of time with me discussing the advantages of rotary screw technology. He convinced me that his product was the highest quality and most energy efficient of all four units I was looking at. I was especially pleased that it was the most energy efficient since we are working to make our operation more ‘green.’” Sandra bought a 15 hp Atlas Copco GX-11-FF compressed air system. GX series systems include an energy efficient rotary screw compressor, refrigerated dryer, and coalescing filter in a compact, quiet, all-inone package. It has a minimum footprint, which frees up valuable floor area for other equipment or workspace. The pre-piped tank-mounted design provides for simple and economical installation – often as simple as connecting to electrical power and to the facility’s air piping system. Sandra had her plumber install an airloop system with galvanized piping to deliver air to points of use. “Even with a filtration system,” says Mike, “the old piston compressors at Pat’s Auto Body couldn't get all the oil out of the system and there was no refrigerant dryer to remove moisture. Atlas Copco offers superior filtration and an onboard refrigerant dryer to provide the high quality air needed to spray a high quality paint job. The old compressors were noisy, too, which was a big deal since they had to run continuously to provide enough air for the shop. The Atlas Copco compressors are much quieter, plus they can go into energy-saving sleep mode when demand drops and then restart automatically when demand rises.” Smart business investments like these are driving quality improvements and energy savings, helping Sandra to continue expanding Pat's Auto Body. She has 31 employees, and according to statistics compiled by PPG Industries Automotive Paint Division, her business is one of just three 100% female owned body shops in the U.S. with more than $2 million in sales. Pat's Auto Body is a family business that's been in operation since 1954, and Sandra became the sole owner in 2001. The business currently has four buildings and Sandra plans to take over two more in the near future. “I want to offer my customers the option to have minor repair work done while their cars are here for body work,” she says. “Customers like this because of the convenience of not having to drop the car off at another repair shop.” Atlas Copco has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. Her satisfaction with her Atlas Copco compressor led her to purchase another GX11-FF and a 10 hp GX7-FF for her body shop operations. She plans to buy a 7.5 hp GX5-FF for the clean-up and detailing operation. With her Atlas Copco compressors on the job for many months now, Sandra can share her experience. “The quietness of the Atlas Copco compressors is superb. I was so glad to get rid of that noise from the piston compressors. You just don't realize what a difference it makes for the work environment. I am also very pleased with the power savings. We moved part of my operation into a larger building with two additional air conditioning units, but because of the energy efficiency of the new air compressor, my power bill for that building has gone down by about $600 each month. That's over $7,000 of savings per year, and that will pay for the compressor with power savings in less than one year!” In a sense, the benefits of lower noise and lower operating cost are a bonus, since the primary concern for an auto body business is a reliable source of high quality compressed air. “No matter how well you apply paint,” Mike Brown contends, “impurities in your compressed air supply can turn a great deal of labor and materials into expensive waste and unhappy customers.” The GX series also features advanced sound dampening that results in operating sound levels of only 61 to 68 dB(A), much lower than piston compressors with similar output. Reducing sound levels creates a more comfortable work environment. GX series compressed air systems include a coalescing filter and integrated refrigerant dryer which remove impurities and moisture from the compressed air, ensuring a supply of clean, dry air at all times. This is particularly important for auto body repair shops, which rely on compressed air for many purposes, most importantly applying paint. 19 Atlas Copco Clean, dry air plays an even more important role in the application of waterborne paints. As environmental laws governing release of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) get more and more strict, working with waterborne paints is something every auto body business will have to contend with in the future. Those with an eye toward the future can make a difference today by investing in compressed air systems that use energy efficient rotary screw technology. Paint Requires High Quality Air Pat’s Auto Body knows, no matter how well you apply paint, impurities in your compressed air supply will ruin a paint job. Clean, dry air is even more important with waterborne paints. Atlas Copco has your solution. Our GX Full Feature compressed air systems include an energy efficient rotary screw compressor, refrigerated dryer, and coalescing filter in a compact, quiet, all-in-one package. Commitment 20 Significant changes in the body core temperature can cause conditions ranging from mild weakness and fatigue to decreased athletic performance to coma and even death. To reduce these risks, the TMS system delivers cool, compressed air to airflow channels embedded in shoulder pads. The cool air flows across the chest and back of the player, cooling core body temperature and reducing the risk of heat stroke. Temperature Management System An Innovative Shoulder Pad System Cools Football Players with ... Compressed Air Bill Bates played for the Dallas Cowboys for 15 years, as safety, linebacker and on special teams, earning three Super Bowl rings along the way. He coached with the Cowboys for 5 years, and for another year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He left the pros to coach football at Nease High School in Florida, where the team included his own sons as well as Tim Tebow, who went on to win a Heisman Trophy and two national championships at the University of Florida. Bill knows a thing or two about football. Today, he is involved with a revolutionary product that protects football players from heat related illness, on the practice field and on game day. 21 Atlas Copco From Pee Wees to the NFL, the game of football places extreme physical demands on players. It’s the nature of the game for football players to continually push themselves to higher limits of strength, stamina and performance. Training for the fall season typically begins in the heat of summer, and across America games are played in hot weather. Coaches and trainers do their best to keep players cool with fluids, shade and rest, but effectively cooling players’ bodies is a challenge because the helmets, pads and gloves players wear drastically reduce the effectiveness of the body’s natural temperature regulation through perspiration. A rise in core body temperature is associated with a decline in athletic performance, but preventing players from overheating is much more important. It can be a matter of life or death. According to an annual report published by the University of North Carolina, 33 football players have died from heat stroke since 1995. Heat related illness is second only to head injuries as a cause of death among athletes in the United States. Tragedy Leads to Action In 2001, a University of Florida player collapsed during practice and died of complications from heat stroke. This tragedy led the University to puts its intellectual resources to work in search of a solution. “Physicians and scientists from the University of Florida immediately began researching a means to prevent heat stroke in football players,” according to Bill Bates. “Researchers determined that the air temperature under a football player’s shoulder pads often reached dangerously high levels, leading to severe dehydration. Players frequently remove their helmets to cool down, but this only fools their bodies into thinking that they’re cooler. In fact their core body temperature remains dangerously elevated. In looking for solutions, researchers found that they could reduce the body’s core temperature by passing cool air over strategic areas of the player’s shoulders and back.” A Revolutionary Idea Dr. Nikolaus Gravenstein of the University of Florida developed the concept of a pad that players could wear to enable this method of cooling with air. This concept was brought to Fred Williams of Williams Sports Group, LLC of Jacksonville, Florida, who has invented numerous protective designs used by NFL and college football programs. “Fred Williams developed an air flow channel system built into the protective cushion of an existing shoulder pad,” Bill explains. "The system was field tested by University of Florida research scientists. In short, it worked.” This revolutionary system is called the Temperature Management System, or TMS. With TMS, cool, dry air is blown under pressure into a tube on the back of the player's shoulder pads and through the airflow channel system. This distributes the cool air onto the shoulders and back, lowering a player's core body temperature to prevent it from rising to dangerous levels. (This air-cooling technology also has applications beyond football, including for the military, bomb squads, mascots, and more.) A Business Venture When Bill began coaching a new freshmen team at Nease High School, he went to Williams Sports Group of Jacksonville, Florida, to source protective gear for his team. It was there that Fred Williams introduced him to a new shoulder pad product being used by the University of Florida. Bill immediately recognized the potential of the air cooled shoulder pads for players and teams at all levels. Commitment 22 Did You Know Atlas Copco just celebrated their 136th anniversary. Q. What does TMS stand for? A. Temperature Management System. stadium. We want to make the system a permanent fixture in every stadium.” In college football, the University of Florida, UCLA, South Carolina and Georgia Southern are among early adopters of the TMS system. Three high schools in Florida own systems, and a lot of teams are renting. To take this potential to market, Bill, Fred and Melvin Carter became business partners in TMS Sports. “The University of Florida owns the patent on the air-cooling system,” Bill explains, “and Williams Sports Group has the exclusive rights to sell the technology through TMS Sports.” Bill is hard at work getting this important system into the hands of football programs at all levels nationwide. “The NFL’s league office needed us to explain the benefits of the TMS system in order to approve its use in the League,” Bill says, “so the NFL gave the University of Florida a grant to study it and determine whether it’s medically beneficial. The University of Florida finished the study summer 2008 and found that the TMS system effectively cools the core body temperature significantly and keeps the body’s core temperature from rising to potentially dangerous levels.” (See sidebar for a summary of UF findings.) Working with the NFL The Green Bay Packers were the first team in the NFL to use the TMS system. (In case you're wondering, it also can be configured with heated air to warm players – an advantage if you play in Green Bay!) Today the Miami Dolphins own a TMS system. The Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans use the system as well. It was featured on Monday Night Football, which introduced air-cooled shoulder pads to football fans all over. The NFL still has some issues to work through regarding the TMS system, notably whether its use constitutes an unfair advantage. When the Indianapolis Colts played the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI in Miami in 2007, the Colts had been using a TMS system all season. The Bears had not, and the NFL ruled that the Colts couldn’t use their TMS system in the Super Bowl. “The NFL is going to review the system during this off season and make a ruling for usage in the future,” according to Bill. “Our goal is to get TMS systems, complete with air compressors, in every NFL 23 Atlas Copco Air – Lots of Air In addition to new air-cooled shoulder pads or retrofitting of existing pads, the TMS system includes a custom cooler, a high-efficiency air compressor, a manifold, and tubes and fittings for distributing cool air to multiple players at once. “At the time when we were getting TMS off the ground, one big issue was getting the right air compressor,” says Bill. “It’s really the backbone of the system. When a football player is connected, the system replaces the air across his chest and back over 100 times a minute. To move that much air, you need to produce compressed air at 8 to 10 cubic feet per minute per player. Remember, TMS is designed to take care of 12 players, maybe more, all at once. We sourced the idea to Atlas Copco in Houston, and they were kind enough to let us borrow a compressor for testing.” "The cool, dry air used during the COOL sessions decreased the core body temperature of the research participants at specific time points leading to a positive impact on other measured parameters. The results suggest that the use of cool, dry air can potentially help decrease the risk of heat related illnesses in football players." Discussion & Conclusion from Intermittent Cold and Dry Air Underneath Football Shoulder Pads as a Method to Assist in Temperature Homeostasis: Evaluation of Efficacy, by: Enrique D Escobar, MS, University of Florida College of Medicine Kathryn LuCante, MS, University of Florida Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Samsun Lampotang, PhD, University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology Sedat T Aydog, MD, University of Florida Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation William Schwab, PhD, University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology Nikolaus Gravenstein, MD, University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology MaryBeth Horodyski, EdD, University of Florida Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation The air compressors being offered in conjunction with the TMS system are Atlas Copco GA WorkPlace Full Feature compressed air systems. These are electrically powered, plug-and-play systems designed for industrial use. They include the air compressor, tank, filter and dryer all integrated into one compact cabinet. Atlas Copco offers GA compressed air systems in a wide range of sizes to address the needs of different applications. With the GA at work, clean, dry air leaves the compressor under pressure and is routed through a network of copper pipes immersed in an ice bath inside a custom-made cooler. As the air circulates through the copper pipes, its temperature drops significantly. The air delivered to the players’ shoulder pads can be 30 or even 40 degrees (F) cooler than the outside air, resulting in the desired cooling effect. Prospects Look Good Currently, Bill is working with the Miami Dolphins to get an air compressor for the visitor's sideline. “This off-season we hope to learn the NFL’s ruling on the TMS system from the competitive standpoint,” he explains. “Atlas Copco is helping us to develop compressor specs for the system and will partner in testing for the NFL.” Word is spreading, and by all accounts the Temperature Management System air cooled shoulder pad system accomplishes its objective of protecting football players from the potential danger of heat stress illness. And that’s cool. Q. What is it? A. A system that reduces the core body temperature of football players by delivering cool air through their shoulder pads. Q. Why was this invented? A. To help fight heat stress illness and possible fatalities in football players, which occurs much too often. Q. Who invented it? A. Medical doctors and research scientists from the University of Florida Research Foundation developed the concept; Fred Williams from Williams Sports Group developed the airflow channel for use in commercially available shoulder pads. Q. Is the medical data available from the University of Florida Research Foundation? A. Yes. It can be accessed through www.footballshoulderpads.com under the TMS tab. Q. Is the system already in use? A. Yes, the TMS system is commercially available through TMS Sports and is being used in every level of football – from Pee Wee Football to the NFL – in practice, scrimmage, and game settings. Q. Is the TMS system easy to use? A. Yes. Set up and take down requires just minutes. Q. How much manpower is needed to operate the system? A. During a game it usually requires someone behind each bench to connect and disconnect players as they come and go. Q. What shoulder pads is TMS available with? A. TMS has been incorporated into the Douglas Custom Pro and Riddell Power Shoulder Pads. Existing pads can be retrofitted. Temperature Management System Fo more information about the Temperature Management System: email Bill Bates at: [email protected] Commitment 24 Save Money While Maximizing Compressed Air Productivity: Top 10 Tips from a World Leading Compressor Manufacturer 5 Check Drains. Are your condensate drains stuck open? Condensate drains on timers should be adjusted periodically to ensure they open as intended and aren’t stuck open. Better yet, replace timer drains with zero-loss drains to stop wasting compressed air. 6 Your piping system design should optimize transfer of compressed air at the desired flow and pressure to the point of use. Increasing the size of your pipe from 2” to 3” can reduce pressure drop up to 50%. Shortening the distance air has to travel can further reduce pressure drops by about 20-40%. The more flow you try to put through a pipe the greater the pressure drop will be. Pressure drop in a pipe increases with the square of the increase in flow. For example, if you triple the flow, the pressure drop will increase nine times what is was! Air distribution piping should be large enough in diameter to minimize pressure drop. Where to Start? Measure. You can’t build a cost saving strategy around unknowns, so begin by measuring your compressed air system’s energy consumption, flow rates and operating air pressure. This will provide baseline values, help to identify problem areas and compute actual cost savings from any improvements you make. A great way to analyze a compressed air system is to draw a pressure profile that shows the pressure drops through a system. These pressure measurements give feedback for control adjustments, determine pressure drops across components, and help to determine system operating pressures. Ask your Atlas Copco representative to show you how. 7 Turn It Off. Set your machines to switch off nights and weekends. 8 1 Prevent New Leaks. Dry and clean your compressed air. Prevention beats cure, so be proactive and look inside your piping system. A clean, dry pipe means you have good quality air and should have no corrosion issues. Dust in the pipe is caused by particles in your air. If you don’t filter it, or if your filter is clogged, you’ll have pressure drops and increase the risk of contaminating your end product. Sludge in the pipe is bad news and must be fixed immediately. In addition to the problems that occur with dust in the pipe, your pipes will corrode very quickly (if you see sludge it’s likely started already) and leaks will greatly increase. Dried and filtered compressed air keeps piping clean. 4 Recover Heat. Compressing air generates heat – reuse it! It’s simple physics that compressing air gives off heat, and you can recover as much as 90% of the heat for use in your operation. For example, you can produce hot water for washrooms or direct warm air into a workspace, warehouse, loading dock, or entryway. The savings can really add up! Fix Existing Leaks. Start with the oldest and biggest pipes. A quarter-inch air leak at 100 psi costs more than $2,500 a year! Pipe systems older than five years can have leaks of up to 25%. You must spend money to compress air, so air that leaks out is money wasted. Fix leaks, save money. A word of caution here is that around 80% of air leaks are not audible and so to really minimize these problems, third party help in detecting these is a necessity. 3 Change Filters Systematically. Not every once in a while. Just as you change oil in your car at scheduled intervals to ensure optimum performance, change filters in your air compressor and air system regularly to ensure air quality and to prevent pressure drops. Inspect and replace filters systematically to ensure the quality of your air. Go beyond the air compressor and compressor room. There are several air line and point of use filters within your facility. Those are just as important to maintain as the air compressor and air compressor room filters. There are 168 hours in a week, but most compressed air systems only run between 60-100 hours at anything near full capacity. Depending on your shift pattern, turning your compressors off evenings and weekends could reduce your energy bills up to 20%. 2 Review Piping Infrastructure. Many systems aren’t optimized. Reduce Pressure. Run at required pressures, not beyond. Each 2 psig reduction cuts energy consumption 1%. Check the pressure your system is running and don’t keep turning up the pressure to compensate for leaks or drops in pressure due to piping problems or clogged filters. Fix these issues and the chances are you can drop the pressure. A central supply side controller can greatly reduce the operational pressure band and orchestrate air production much more efficiently and effectively. 9 Emphasize Proper Maintenance. Ignoring maintenance costs more. As with most industrial machinery, a compressor runs more efficiently when properly maintained. Proper compressor maintenance cuts energy costs around 1% and helps prevent breakdowns that result in downtime and lost production. Protect your reputation and profits with proper maintenance. 10 Stop inappropriate use of compressed air. Cut these to save even more. Inappropriate uses of compressed air include any application that can be done more effectively or more efficiently by a method other than compressed air. For example, often high pressure air is used for cooling or applications where much lower air pressure is effective. For a free copy of Atlas Copco’s 156-page Compressed Air Best Practices Guide, please send an email to [email protected]. Put “Manual” in the subject line and provide your delivery address in the body of the mail. We’ll send you a copy with our compliments. Did you know? • If your existing compressor is running at less than, say, 65% of capacity, a smaller one could pay for itself in 18-24 months on average. If your compressor is more than 10 years old, cost savings with today’s compressor technology could result in a pay back of 18-24 months on average. A compressor that is both smaller and using today’s technology could pay for itself even faster. • The most expensive component in the total cost of compressed air is energy. In fact, over the lifespan of a typical compressor, energy typically costs several times more than the purchase price of the compressor. Maximizing energy efficiency saves you money. 25 Atlas Copco Commitment 26 Spend Less For Compressed Air. Let Atlas Copco Show You How. Atlas Copco offers a specialized, one-day energy management seminar focusing exclusively on compressed air systems. Now you can learn about your compressed air system’s true cost—and how to reduce it. Compressed air is one of the most expensive uses of energy in a manufacturing setting, yet many facilities are not aware of the true costs of their compressed air system – and the many ways this cost can be reduced. Atlas Copco’s one day energy management seminar focuses on real ways you can change your compressed air system to reduce energy consumption and therefore save money. Attendees leave armed with real-world knowledge to apply to your compressed air system to improve reliability, protect production, cut energy consumption, and save money. About Atlas Copco Satisfying customer needs with ground-breaking integrated compressed air technology, quality air accessories and 24/7 service support enhanced with remote monitoring tools positions Atlas Copco as a leading global compressor manufacturer. Our unwavering commitment is to be First in Mind – First in Choice® for all your compressed air requirements. Who Should Attend Managers and engineers responsible for maintenance, plant, facility, energy, environment or quality – and anyone involved with your compressed air system. Topics Covered • True cost of compressed air • Reducing plant air demand • Eliminating artificial demand • Benefits of compressed air storage • Choosing the correct air piping system • Compressor controls • Variable speed drive technology • Heat recovery • Energy savings technologies Date May 20 Sept 16 Oct 27 Location Seattle, WA Commerce, CA Tampa, FL Phone Number 206-244-3818 323-722-6603 904-636-8555 www.atlascopco.us 866-344-4887 Atlas Copco Compressors LLC 1800 Overview Drive Rock Hill, SC 29730 © 2009 Atlas Copco Compressors LLC 27 Atlas Copco Contact John Scofield Bruce Lidie Mark Steven If you have an product application story you would like share with our readers please contact: Paul Humphreys at [email protected] or Holly Boutot-Lalonde at [email protected] We are commited to your superior productivity through interaction and innovation Atlas Copco Compressors LLC 1800 Overview Drive Rock Hill, SC 29730