• Members of the SMC Energy Conservation Group: mechanical engineer Tim Ho and project engineer Alex Bonella.
    Members of the SMC Energy Conservation Group: mechanical engineer Tim Ho and project engineer Alex Bonella.
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A portable compressed air leakage analyser, which doesn’t require host machine reprogramming has been designed and built in Australia by SMC Corporation.

SMC’s Energy Corporation Group, formed in 2015, develops and integrates technologies to reduce energy use and costs for the manufacturing sector. With direction from the group’s ANZ manager Bill Blyth and the Sydney-based team including project engineer Alex Bonella and mechanical engineer Tim Ho, the analyser was commissioned and exported to a global food manufacturer in Dubai.

According to SMC, the plug-and-play solution can be easily installed and is used to manage and monitor the host machine whilst calculating air consumption for the predetermined pneumatic application.

Blyth said: “Finding and assessing individual leakage in a compressed air system can be costly and time consuming. This analyser makes use of a SMC monitoring technology to identify the location and volume for individual leaks; both static and dynamic.

“A bonus is the ability to also carry out consumption and usage profile analysis for the machine during operation – without the need to reprogram the host machine or process. This is the real time and labour-saving aspect.”

The analyser develops and provides a file detailing all measured leaks and other relevant compressed air data and costs, allowing detailed machine maintenance analysis.

“This truly is a gamechanger for manufacturers. It allows our customers to make informed decisions about easily identifying and prioritising when there is need to repair a leak and what the real value is to your business,” Blyth said.

The Compressed Air Leakage Analyser is now available for both local and global applications; and can be tailored to suit the many valve control protocols including serial and parallel connected platforms.

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