Siemens Energy has secured an order for the supply of 98 wind turbines for the Crossroads wind power plant in Oklahoma. The owner of the project is OG&E (Oklahoma Gas & Electric). Siemens will supply 95 units of the SWT-2.3-101 to the Crossroads project. Furthermore, the contract includes three units of the new SWT-3.0-101, Siemens’ new gearless direct drive wind turbine. The SWT-3.0-101 was launched for sale in America just a few months ago.

Construction of the 227.5 MW wind power project will begin in late August, with the first wind turbines being delivered in April, 2011. The Crossroads project will be built in Dewey County in northwest Oklahoma, approximately 160 km (100 miles) from Oklahoma City. The scope of supply for the Crossroads wind farm includes the delivery, installation, and commissioning of all turbines. Siemens will also provide services for turbine service and maintenance for an initial period of three and one-half years. Upon completion in the second half of 2011, Crossroads will be able to meet the electrical needs of more than 68,000 average U.S. homes. This is already the third Siemens wind power plant that will provide clean energy to OG&E, following the OU Spirit and Keenan II wind farms, built in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

“We are proud that OG&E has chosen Siemens again as the supplier to their wind power projects,” says Jens-Peter Saul, CEO of the Siemens Wind Power Business Unit. “This is the first time that the new SWT-3.0-101 direct drive turbine has been sold in the U.S. Bringing our new generation of direct drive wind turbines to Oklahoma is the first step in establishing this game-changing technology in North America.”

“We are excited to move forward this project, which we have negotiated on very favorable terms for OG&E’s customers,” says Jesse Langston, vice president of utility commercial operations. “By its third year in operation we expect Crossroads to be delivering net savings to our customers for the balance of the projects’ 25-year life. This is possible because of the excellent business partnerships we have formed with Siemens, and also due to the constructive regulatory environment we have in Oklahoma.”

Wind turbines are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2009 revenue from the portfolio totaled about EUR23 billion, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period the company’s products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 210 million tons. This amount equals the combined annual CO2 emissions of New York, Tokyo, London, and Berlin. More information is available at: www.siemens.com/energy.

Cumulative global investment in smart grids—including smart meter implementations, as well as upgrades to the transmission and distribution infrastructure—will approach $46 billion by 2015 according to the latest forecasts from ABI Research. A smart grid is an energy generation, transmission, and distribution system equipped with an advanced two-way communications system that allows for greater visibility, control, and automation over the system for the utility operator. Simultaneously, it provides a greater level of energy usage choice and automation for customers. It’s that communications system that makes a grid truly “smart” because it allows for the real-time monitoring of the current operational state of the network, as well as the ability to respond to those conditions automatically, as quickly as possible.

Larry Fisher, research director of NextGen, the ABI Research unit that published this study, says “Most of the electric utility infrastructure deployed in the industrialized world was built between 60 and 80 years ago. Much of this infrastructure is outdated, and with the continuing increase in demand for power year after year the grid cannot safely and reliably manage the loads of today and tomorrow without significant upgrades.”

The groundwork for smart grids has been laid in a number of countries over the past several years, but the pace of investment and implementation is increasing. “Transmission and distribution (T&D) investments will account for the lion’s share of smart grid investments through 2015,” Fisher says. “On a cumulative basis, a total of almost $41 billion will be invested globally in the electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure through 2015, compared to $4.8 billion for the purchase and installation of smart meters. This infrastructure spending will focus on grid automation and control, distribution automation, distributed generation and demand response programs.”

ABI Research’s new study “Smart Grid Applications: Smart Meters, Demand Response, and Distributed Generation” forecasts the market for smart grid equipment and services for the 2010-2015 period covering North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and selected other countries. For more information call (516) 624-2500 or visit www.abiresearch.com.

CommScope introduces  GroundSmart grounding products into its BiMetals family of wire and cable solutions. These products help reduce the costs of managing and maintaining electricity transmission and distribution networks by deterring theft and vandalism. CommScope’s use of copper-clad steel in its GroundSmart products provides a safe, highly reliable alternative to the use of solid and stranded copper for grounding applications. These products are specifically designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. GroundSmart products offer proven performance for optimizing grounding design in substation, distribution and transmission systems, as well as in wind and solar farms.

“A survey published last year estimated that theft of copper wiring from electrical utility sites creates more than 7,500 hours of downtime and costs the industry more than $60 million annually,” says Paul Bedder, vice president. “Copper-clad steel wire and cable products provide the same reliability, performance, and durability as solid copper but are unattractive to would-be thieves and vandals.

“These facts alone make copper-clad steel the smart alternative to solid copper in most grounding applications,” he continues. “The advantages of this solution increase when combined with CommScope’s reputation for service and reliability. GroundSmart users realize long-term benefits when repairing their current systems damaged by theft and vandalism or when bringing online new systems such as wind and solar farms.”

CommScope’s copper-clad steel wire and cable products meet the relevant National Electric Code (NEC) and ASTM wire and cable standards and are approved by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS). They are engineered and manufactured at CommScope’s ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 registered facility in Statesville, North Carolina.

CommScope, Inc., is a world leader in infrastructure solutions for communication networks. Through its Andrew Solutions brand it is a global leader in radio frequency subsystem solutions for wireless networks. Through its SYSTIMAX® and Uniprise® brands, CommScope is a world leader in network infrastructure solutions, delivering a complete end-to-end physical layer solution, including cables and connectivity, enclosures, intelligent software, and network design services for business enterprise applications. CommScope also is the premier manufacturer of coaxial cable for broadband cable television networks and one of the leading North American providers of environmentally secure cabinets for DSL and FTTN applications. Backed by strong research and development, CommScope combines technical expertise and proprietary technology with global manufacturing capability to provide customers with infrastructure solutions for evolving global communications networks in more than 100 countries around the world. More information is available at www.commscope.com.

WindLogics has released OnSite 3.1, a software upgrade to its existing data management system. The OnSite system enables wind energy developers and operators to remotely monitor their met towers and maximize the value of their wind measurement investment. The upgrade provides enhanced functionality in response to customer feedback, including the dynamic generation of wind roses and the ability to attach documents to a met tower’s record.

The OnSite system can quickly detect changes in a wind sensor’s “health” status and send relevant data and alerts directly to a met tower’s owner. Continual data quality checking ensures that problems with equipment are promptly resolved, thereby increasing the value of met tower data for use in formal, bank-worthy assessments. More than 700 met towers have been enrolled on the system since 2005. Currently OnSite is used to manage met towers representing more than 30,000 MW of future wind projects, equivalent to three times the amount of wind power installed in the U.S. during 2009.

OnSite automatically collects, processes, and securely stores wind data gathered from each tower. It also includes Web-enabled user interfaces that allow customers to enter or view tower information, including configurations and maintenance history, and examine quality-checked data from any combination of sensors and towers. Staff meteorologists and wind energy analysts are available to assist with questions or provide additional support as part of WindLogics’ full spectrum of wind energy services.

“We assist many different types of customers with our OnSite service. Landowners with a couple of towers appreciate the peace of mind that results from our secure data storage and find the overall service to be a great value,” says Mike Coriale, product manager. “Larger wind energy developers find our new fleet-wide tower status reports essential in monitoring the health of tens or hundreds of towers.”

WindLogics is a renewable energy consulting services firm that combines leading scientific analysis with deep expertise in the planning, development, and operation of renewable energy projects. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources. For more information e-mail sales@windlogics.com or visit www.windlogics.com.

Avanti Wind Systems is now a strategic distributor and service partner for Cresto ResQ products in the wind energy industry. Previously named ResQ, Cresto has sold more than 25,000 sets of evacuation and rescue equipment for wind turbine towers around the world. The agreement means that Avanti will establish training and service centers for Cresto equipment in Germany, Great Britain, Spain, the United States, India, Australia, and China, where Avanti already has offices and factories. “Safety in wind turbine towers always has top priority at Avanti, so it is natural for us to have entered into this partnership,” says Avanti’s Training Manager, Ole Jensen.

Cresto and ResQ have until now been trademarks for fall safety equipment. Henceforth they will be marketed under the Cresto brand. However, ResQ will be kept as the product name for rescue equipments and related training.

Regulations require that there be an alternative exit route from the top of wind turbine towers so that technicians can get down should fire or other causes block the normal route up and down, for example. Therefore there should be rescue equipment in the nacelle so that technicians can descend externally.

As with everything related to wind turbine tower safety, the evacuation equipment must be inspected and tested at least once annually. But Cresto has developed approved packaging that makes it possible to test the safety equipment just once in 10 years. “The safety equipment is vacuum packed,” says Jonas Cedaas, managing director of Cresto. “That is, put into a foil bag from which all air is pumped out. And when a rescue device, ropes, and other accessories are not in contact with oxygen they last longer, since the materials cannot wear down. The vacuum packing also safeguards the equipment against the wind turbine tower vibrations. However, wind turbine owners must continue to inspect the vacuum packing for air-tightness at least once annually.”

The Avanti-Cresto partnership also means that the two companies will jointly launch new series of harnesses and other personal protection equipment for technicians working on wind turbine towers. Go online to www.avanti-online.com.

Maintaining momentum in its renewable energy investing, GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE, has made an equity investment in Idaho’s largest wind power project. The almost half billion dollar portfolio of 11 wind farms under construction was developed by Exergy Development Group.

GE Energy Financial Services made the announcement at the American Council on Renewable Energy’s Renewable Energy Finance Forum in New York City. The GE unit will own a majority equity interest in the Idaho Wind Partners project. Exergy Development Group will own a minority interest along with manager and operator Reunion Power. The wind farms will sell all of their power to Idaho Power Company under 20-year agreements. Once completed, the portfolio is expected to qualify for the Federal Treasury Grant program designed to stimulate renewable energy projects. Additional financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Through our investment in Idaho’s largest wind power portfolio, GE Energy Financial Services is putting millions of dollars to work to bring jobs and clean energy to Idaho and help the country meet growing demand for domestic, renewable sources of energy,” said Kevin Walsh, managing director and head of Power and Renewable Energy at GE Energy Financial Services.

Construction company Fagen, Inc., initiated project construction earlier this month and expects to complete the wind farms located on farmland clustered near Hagerman and Burley by year’s end. Using 122 of GE’s 1.5-megawatt turbines, over 13,500 of which have been installed worldwide, these wind farms will have the capacity to generate 183 megawatts, enough to power approximately 39,700 average Idaho homes and—according to US Environmental Protection Agency methodology—avoid approximately 331,000 short tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of taking about 57,000 cars off the road. In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE will provide seven years of operational and maintenance services to the project.

The project is expected to create approximately 175 construction jobs as well as permanent employment for operations and ongoing seasonal maintenance requirements. In addition to those employed directly, a wind project of this size would typically support the equivalent of over 2,200 full-time jobs in the United States for one year—about half of which would be in-state—and create 25 permanent jobs, based on a National Renewable Energy Laboratory model. Go to www.geenergyfinancialservices.com, or to www.ge.com. 

Windspire Energy announces a partnership with Australian-based AllSafe Energy Efficient Products to be the sole distributor of the Windspire® wind turbine in Australia. AllSafe is recognized as one of the leading and fastest growing energy efficient product providers in Australia. The partnership will now begin the process of certifying the Windspire for the Australian market for an expected sales launch later this year.

Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy industry in Australia, driven by government initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2050 and a commitment to ensure 20 percent of Australia’s electricity supply will come from renewable energy sources by 2020. The market for small-scale turbines is expected to grow through rebate programs that can offset the costs for customers by as much as 50 percent. AllSafe is introducing a unique business model that addresses the desire for customers to maximize energy efficiency due to rising energy costs. Unlike most companies that specialize in just one product type, AllSafe offers a complete line of efficiency products including insulation, skylights, solar hot water, solar power, and ventilation. The Windspire was chosen by AllSafe for its innovative and small-scale design, and it will be the company’s only wind turbine product.

“Given their desire to cut emissions and focus on renewable energy solutions, Australia is a very important market for us,” says Windspire Energy President & CEO Walt Borland. “We are pleased to have found a partner in the market who is not only a leader but values innovation as much as we do.”

“Australians are famous for quickly adopting cutting-edge technologies from the U.S.,” says Sean Cochrane, managing director of AllSafe. “The Windspire is a wonderful departure from the old-style windmills and will give our customers a truly unique way in which they can reduce their energy use.”

Windspire Energy, Inc.—formerly Mariah Power, Inc.—is developer of the innovative Windspire wind turbines, which are designed for use in urban, suburban, and rural settings. The propeller-free, vertical-axis design enables silent operation and features patented technology that maximizes energy conversion from wind into electric power, regardless of changing wind speed and direction. Learn more at www.windspireenergy.com.

ARi Industries, Inc., a longtime market leader in temperature measurement, announces immediate availability of its AerOpak mineral-insulated (MI) thermocouple cable in an expanded assortment of sizes and sheath materials. MI cable offers thermocouple fabricators, instruments designers, process engineers, and various equipment builders a unique solution to the challenges of temperature measurement and electrical signal-sending in harsh, corrosive, and other hazardous environments.

Offered as thermocouple and conductor cable, AerOpak products comprise thermocouple or conductor wires insulated with compacted ceramic powder, drawn, and encased in a seamless metallic sheath material. Standard thermocouple or conductor cables up to 10-wire configurations are available in various stainless steel, Hastelloy, and Inconel sheath materials in OD sizes ranging from 0.020” to 0.750” diameter. Cable can be supplied for temperatures up to metal melt points of 2600ºF and over 1000 ft. in length, making these products suitable for all types of process operations and very large equipment. Owing to the strict manufacturing and production standards of ARi, MI cable signal integrity is consistent over the longest length applications. Thermocouple cables in Types K, E, J, T, N, R, S, and B are stocked in calibration tolerances to meet all applicable ASTM, IEC, and ANSI standards.

MI cable from ARi can be welded, brazed or soldered in the field, relative to the application and techniques used. Please consult the manufacturer for details or installation assistance. Custom wire configurations, other sheath materials, and assorted insulation ingredients are also available on request to suit virtually all applications. For more information call (800) 237-6725, e-mail sales@ariindustries.com, or visit www.ariindustries.com.

WindIngen—a new division of Mechanical Dynamics and Analysis—has launched its wind service business from their new offices in Fort Collins, Colorado. This division has hired experienced technicians with extensive industry knowledge and multi-OEM technical and mechanical expertise in preparation for fulfilling their wide range of service offerings. WindIngen also announced that their highly-trained technicians have completed a nine-day safety program.

All WindIngen technicians have completed OSHA 30-hour training, which exceeds the 10-hour OSHA wind specific course being proposed by the AWEA safety committee. The technicians are also qualified on the industry’s two most commonly used high-angle rescue devices, as well as personal self-rescue and evacuation techniques. The completed training comes on the heels of MD&A’s commitment to improve safety performance across their entire business.

MD&A is one of the largest non-OEM steam turbine service providers in North America. Many of MD&A’s clients have expanded their portfolios to include wind assets, and MD&A has committed to growing its business in direct response to their customer’s developing needs. WindIngen’s comprehensive maintenance services are backed by MD&A financial strength as well as 25 years of service industry experience. With “Quality, Reliability and Ingenuity” as its core values, WindIngen delivers premier wind turbine service, repair, parts and engineering for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. For more information call (970) 224-3139 or go to www.windingen.com.

New SKF® TKSA shaft alignment tools introduce highly affordable and easy to use solutions to align the shafts of rotating machinery quickly and with pinpoint accuracy. The tools represent the latest generation of SKF laser-enabled technology to align shafts properly in a fraction of the time compared with traditional methods.

This latest family in the SKF laser-technology toolbox includes the TKSA 20 and the TKSA 40 versions. Both are competitively priced to deliver a quick return on investment, simple to use, and display real-time alignment values to confirm results of alignment corrections as they are performed. No special training is required and a quick-start guide promotes their ease of use. Among features, the TKSA 20 integrates a quick-start guide and fast measuring unit positioning capabilities and the TKSA 40 is designed with built-in tolerance checking and a memory facility enabling results to be stored and shared. These tools can help reduce energy consumption and the potential for machinery failures typically encountered when shafts are misaligned. Their use can contribute to reduced stress on mechanical components, enhanced equipment reliability, and extended machinery service life.

The TKSA series is the latest innovation in a growing family of laser shaft alignment tools available from SKF Maintenance Products. Contact Joe Marcin, SKF USA Inc., at (267) 436-6766, joe.f.marcin@skf.com, or www.mapro.skf.com/alignment.

Receiving market introduction for IMTS, MAG’s new vertical turning centers with 5 to 8 meter tables are engineered to make short work of large-part manufacturing for a variety of industries, including wind and nuclear, offering multiprocessing machining capabilities with high-end specifications like 2500 mm ram travel and 1500 mm minimum height under the rail. The modular machine design is built for high metal removal rates on large parts, with twin columns mounted to the base, 150,000 to 250,000 kg table load capacity, and 350 mm cross-section ram for extreme rigidity and chatter-free machining. Four models, with table diameters of 5, 6, 7 and 8 meters, are being introduced in fixed and adjustable-rail styles. All are engineered for full ram travel to either side of the table center, providing facing capacity that is one meter greater than table diameter for any given model. Powered by a 142 kW (190 hp) table drive, the 5- and 6-meter models have a maximum speed of 72 rpm and constant torque rating of 160,000 Nm (118,000 lb ft), while 7- and 8-meter models have 45 rpm maximum speed and 255,000 Nm (188,000 lb ft) constant torque.

These new VTC models continue MAG’s design tradition of building on an extremely rigid platform, with excellent ergonomic and operating features driven by “voice of the customer” research. Customer-driven features include use of standard modular tooling, including KM and Coromant Capto C8; green design with minimal hydraulics; energy-conservation with selectable “sleep” capability; minimal foundation requirements; and innovative chip management and removal that minimizes operator intervention. Ergonomic features include an operator platform that provides an excellent view of the cutting zone, as well as access to the tool and tool magazine. Options for the platform include fixed position, or moveable in vertical, or horizontal and vertical directions. A full machine enclosure meets CE specifications and ensures a dry floor environment. To learn more visit www.mag-ias.com.

LUDECA, Inc., introduces VIBXPERT® II, the latest addition to the PRUEFTECHNIK family of portable route-based vibration data collectors. VIBXPERT II is rugged and lightweight and combines the advantages of a rapid processor with a brilliant energy-efficient color VGA display. Enhanced with an Fmax of 51KHz and up to 102,400 lines of resolution, all machinery problems can be captured and easily analyzed on the large color screen.

The VIBXPERT II basic platform is a one-channel device that can be upgraded at any time to two individually configured channels via a special passcode—user upgradable, does not require hardware changes. All forms of machine vibrations, bearing conditions, process data, and visual inspection information can be collected and stored on the expandable compact flash card (up to 8 gigabyte) for report generation or for later transfer to the powerful OMNITREND® software for further analysis, reporting, and archiving. The VIBXPERT II provides an easy to use icon driven platform that offers comprehensive analysis functionality for the diagnosis of simple or very complex vibration problems.

Capabilities include order spectrum, phase, cepstrum, cross-channel phase, orbits, run-up and coast-down measurements, bump test, negative averaging, and more. Analysis tools—including various cursor types, machine-specific frequency markers, signal post processing, and extensive bearing databases—are included for evaluating each spectrum. Alarm notifications based on ISO standards or user-defined standards are visually identified with the aid of colored LEDs. It also features modular functionality including dynamic field balancing, extended time waveform recording, transient data capture, UFF file export, and modal/ODS support. For more information go to www.ludeca.com/vibxpert.

How do you expand on a product that exceeds customer expectations every time and saves money to boot? Simple, just add a rental program and make it deliverable to anywhere in the continental United States in two days. That’s the case with Snap-on Industrial’s new mobile tool crib rental program.

The company’s existing mobile tool crib product is built around a customized tool container that’s available in sizes from 20-40 ft. The crib includes a selection of both Snap-on tools and products specified by the customer, and standalone cribs can be linked together to create an even larger tool selection at a remote site. Now this offering is available in a rental program boasting a container stocked with pre-selected Snap-on tools.

“The mobile tool crib concept has been adopted by diverse industries as not only the solution to a problem, but as the template for asset management going forward,” says Dale Alberts, director of business development for Snap-on Industrial. “The rental program takes that idea one step further by making the tool crib available almost instantly for short- or long-term assignment. We have outfitted the rental tool crib to meet the requirements of 90 percent of the tool needs at an industrial, power, mining, or construction site.”

A 40 ft. container can provide tool service for up 20 technicians or millwrights, and the 22 ft. trailer provides tools for eight to 10 workers. Rental units are shipped from centrally located Conway, Arkansas, and can be delivered anywhere in the contiguous states within two days. Rental terms extend from one week to a year, and longer-term arrangements are available under a leasing plan.
Additionally, Snap-on Industrial offers turnkey service that can include everything from delivery and set up to staffing. Cribs are available in sizes and configurations that can fit any worksite footprint.

“The tool crib is an important component of any job site, but especially in large operations or in remote locations,” Alberts says. “It needs to be well stocked and ready to go. But maybe the crib only needs to be at a location for 30 days. It doesn’t make sense economically to purchase an asset like that for short-term deployment. But rental makes a lot of sense.”

Mobile tool cribs from Snap-on Industrial can be purchased, rented, or leased. Customers also can have an existing tool crib retrofitted with the Level 5 Tool Control System, add the Level 5 Asset Management Software to an existing tool crib or hire a Snap-on consultant to organize an existing tool operation. For more information call (877) 740-1900 or visit www.snapon.com/industrial.

Onset has broadened its offerings for energy and environmental monitoring by expanding the range of measurement options for its line of HOBO® U12 data loggers. Specifically, multi-channel versions of HOBO U12 data loggers can now measure and record kilowatts, air velocity, gauge pressure, differential pressure, DC current, and other energy and environmental parameters.

The expanded measurements are possible through the introduction of a new, compact power adapter. The adapter enables energy and building management professionals to conveniently power external sensors that require 12 volt A/C excitation power. This augments the company’s existing line of measurement options, which includes air temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, AC current, and AC voltage. The adapter can also power any user-supplied external sensor that requires up to 400 mA at 12 VDC. HOBO U12 data loggers are small, durable devices designed for high-accuracy indoor environmental, and energy monitoring. They can record data unattended for days, weeks, or months at a time, storing up to 43,000 measurements. Using a USB connection, HOBO U12 data loggers offer convenient, high-speed data offload directly to a computer or to a HOBO U-Shuttle data transport device.

For plotting and analyzing data gathered by the HOBO U12 data loggers, Onset offers HOBOware® software, an intuitive graphing and analysis software package for Windows and Macintosh. HOBOware provides a user-friendly interface for graphing, analyzing, and printing data files as well as exporting data to Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet programs. To learn more call (800) 564-4377, e-mail sales@onsetcomp.com, or go online to www.onsetcomp.com.

Trans-United, Inc., of Burns Harbor, Indiana, was named the Overall Grand Safety Winner during the IMTA’s (Indiana Motor Truck Association) annual spring council conference held in May. As seen in the accompanying photo the award was presented (from left) to Tom Boo, director of safety, and Jeff Fleming, president. They were joined by L. Cook of the company’s sponsor, Volvo North America. The trucking company qualified for this award by entering in IMTA’s 2009 Fleet Safety Contest and winning in the “Over the Road” zero to 1,000,000 miles category and the Local Division,” also ranging from zero to 1,000,000 miles.

Established in 1964, Trans-United is a specialized carrier and serves 48 states in the U.S., in addition to Canada and overseeing other international moves. Typical loads are components for wind, transformers, construction equipment, and the military. Trans-United is a C-TPAT (Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) partner and has taken its experience in hauling oversize loads to the benefit of the wind energy market. The company’s permitting department works closely with the states and communities along the route to ensure safe passage to destination. As a Smartway-certified company, Trans-United is excited to do its part in the creation of green energy resources. Learn more by calling (877) 762-3111 or visiting www.transunited.com.

Gear Technology—a leading international precision gear manufacturer and related services provider—has recently announced the promotion of two senior-level managers. Joe Campa, formerly quality assurance manager, has been promoted to director of engineering.  A 10-year veteran of the company, he was previously employed with Boeing Space and Communications Group as a procurement quality specialist and has held quality management positions with Kosmo Gears and Newman Machine Works. In his new position he will be responsible for the company’s integrated engineering department. Jerry Flores has been elevated from quality assurance representative to quality manager. His new management responsibilities will include the implementation and maintenance of the company’s ISO9001:2008/AS9100 AMS quality standards, inspection, employee training, safety, internal and external audits, performance monitoring, and lean manufacturing.

“We are pleased to recognize the dedication and performance of these two long-term employees who have demonstrated their commitment to the company’s business goals and customer service value standards,” according to Tom Marino, president. “Our integrated manufacturing processes, including sophisticated job tracking systems, ensures products are produced with careful attention to the most intricate engineering detail and product specifications. The company also offers gear blanking, engineering consultation, and sophisticated inventory management services.”

The company has also acquired a new Zeiss Prismo Navigator Coordinate Measuring Machine; the most advanced measurement technology available that provides highly accurate, complete, and precise gear measuring and analysis. “It’s a versatile system that can handle a large range of gear configurations, including spiral bevel gears, Gleason bevel straights, internal and external spur gears, worm gears, helical gears, and internal and external splines up to 25.50 inches in diameter,” Flores explains.

In addition to the Prismo Navigator CMM, Gear Technology has purchased a new Fellows CNC Gear Shaper to break into the green energy market. “This advanced gear shaper will allow us to cut gears up to 20 inches in diameter so we can expand our customer base with companies in the clean and wind energy industries,” says Tom Cruse, director of operations. “We will now be able to fabricate larger gears, and full gearbox designs and assemblies.”

The company has been manufacturing quality precision gears for some of the world’s largest and most widely recognized aerospace, military, and commercial manufacturers since 1986. Today the company occupies over 16,320 square feet of modern manufacturing space with state-of-the-art, computer-controlled equipment. Contact Marino at (909) 476-0343 or tmarino@gear-tech.com. Visit online at www.gear-tech.com.

Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology recently set up the largest MMZ G gantry measuring machine. This highly accurate coordinate measuring machine has a measuring range of 5 x 11 x 3.5 meters which is excellent for the measurements of wind turbine components.

Gearboxes are a major part of all wind turbines, and the quality requirements are high. The industry has to meet these requirements, despite the fact that not many manufacturers have been able to produce such large gearboxes. Also, with the prospect that the new offshore systems being created, the size of the units will have to increase further. All this means that manufacturers have been faced with the problem of going into large-scale production not knowing the quality requirements for such large pieces of machinery. Gears—ring gear, sun gear, and planets—bearings, and housings have to be produced with tolerances down to 1/100mm on components with 4m and more in diameter. It is no longer possible to machine these parts without specific measures to ensure the quality: The parts are too expensive to produce rejects. So a reliable control of the manufacturing process has to be installed, in real time to the machining. Finally, there is the MMZ G for really large, precision-engineered components. The flexible modular system of the MMZ G line enables full customization. Currently, measuring ranges of up to 5 meters in X, 11 meters in Y and 3.5 meters in Z are available. Additional dimensions are available upon request. On the largest model, the linear measuring uncertainty MPEE is no more than 7+L/250 µm. Combined with proven ZEISS measuring technology, the gantry design ensures the reliability of the results.

MMZ G coordinate measuring machines can accommodate parts on the ground or on a clamping plate. Special loading systems considerably reduce downtimes. For example, a pneumatic pallet system was developed for a manufacturer of printing machines to keep set-up times short and optimally utilize the capacity of the measuring machine. Together with CAD-based CALYPSO® measuring software, VAST® technology from Carl Zeiss optimizes measuring processes. It can deliver form, size, and position information, and also determine the roundness of parts in a single measuring run. Make inquiries by calling (800) 327-9735, e-mailing imt@zeiss.com, or visiting www.zeiss.com/imt.

Hydro-pneumatic piston accumulators from Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, provide long-term effectiveness in critical wind turbine applications through significantly lower maintenance and servicing costs. Piston, bladder, and diaphragm hydro-pneumatic accumulators are used in a variety of wind turbine applications, including use with a power unit and pitch cylinder to feather blade pitch that enables the turbine to continually extract maximum power during fluctuating wind speeds. In addition, during excessive wind conditions or power failures an accumulator acts as an auxiliary power storage device to quickly and safely rotate the blade to a null position. Both the high speed shaft brake and yaw brake systems also employ accumulators as a fail-safe source of auxiliary power.

“While all three types of accumulators are used in wind turbine applications,” says Mike Schubert, marketing manager. “Piston accumulators, because they have less frequent service intervals and maintenance requirements compared to bladder or diaphragm units, will provide a lower total cost of ownership, saving substantial operating costs over the life of the turbine. As a general rule of thumb maintenance and service requirements for piston accumulators are 1/4 of that for the other two types.”

Bladder and diaphragm accumulator operation depends on molded flexible rubber bladders or diaphragms. Should there be a failure, it is sudden and allows the stored nitrogen gas to enter the system. Because of their small seal piston accumulators fail gradually and allow plenty of time for scheduled maintenance. “What most designers don’t account for in bladder and diaphragm accumulators is the inherent loss of pre-charge that occurs over time due to gas permeation through the flexible rubber compounds,” according to Chuck Taylor, project engineer. “And if a low temperature compound is used because of the wind turbine site location, the tradeoff to its use is higher gas permeation rates through the compound at working temperature, hence more frequent service checks are required to ensure that the proper pre-charge is maintained.”

Parker’s piston accumulator capability includes 1.5- to 20-inch bore sizes with capacities up to 200 gallons. All are designed to fit specific wind turbine applications utilizing a total custom-based systems approach that includes application engineering and worldwide support. To learn more contact an applications engineer at the Parker Global Accumulator Division at (815) 636-4100. Also visit www.parker.com/accumulator.

ZF has signed a contract with global wind energy market leader Vestas to supply wind turbine gearboxes. Production is scheduled to begin in early 2012 at the new U.S. facility under construction in Gainesville, Georgia, with the goal of eventually producing 2,000 gearboxes per year for the growing wind power industry. In addition, ZF will add manufacturing test stands for the wind gearbox industry to its substantial experience in providing engineered end-of-line and development test benches.

ZF has been providing service for the wind power industry since 2007, and is currently investing in service centers for wind turbines in Dortmund, Germany and in the United States. “We will leverage our expertise and leadership in designing and building world-class drivelines for the transportation sector to enter the growing and exciting field of alternative energy,” says ZF Group CEO Hans-Georg Härter. “This will diversify our core business and expand our product portfolio.”

ZF aims to achieve annual gearbox sales of more than $200 million. With more than 40,000 turbines in 63 countries, Vestas is the world leader in wind power. The Danish company has been in the wind turbine business since 1979. ZF is investing about $90 million to build the new Gainesville facility, which will employ about 200 workers. “We are delighted that ZF has chosen to enter the wind industry and work with Vestas as gear box supplier,” according to Soren Husted, president of Vestas Nacelles. “ZF’s global position as transmission supplier in the automotive industry and its high quality and productivity standards are fully in line with our manufacturing and sourcing strategy and the cooperation with ZF will strengthen our supply base of gearboxes.”

Last year at its Dortmund/Holzwickede site in Germany, ZF invested $9 million euros establishing a service competence center for wind power. By 2012 various brands and models of wind turbine gearboxes will be serviced and overhauled there. By 2014 ZF Services aims for its worldwide wind energy sales to rise to $50 million euros. ZF is also constructing a loading test rig with a four-megawatt performance capacity. More information is available at www.zf.com.

Austrian bearing specialist NKE introduces modular bearing systems for planetary gears in wind turbine gearboxes. The new bearing assemblies offer the advantages of a standardization of the bearings used in this application, a reduced diversity of parts and simplified logistics. Many wind turbines are equipped with single- or two-stage planetary gearboxes. Because the bearings of the planetary gears are among the highest-loaded in this specific application, integrated bearing assemblies have decisive advantages. NKE’s bearing systems consist of cylindrical roller bearings that are fitted directly into the planetary gear. The bore of the gear acts as the outer raceway, so that the bearings themselves do not have an outer ring.

The bearing systems are developed to customer specifications. For gearboxes rated 1.5 MW, 2 MW and 2.5 MW NKE has already realised projects with such modular systems consisting of single-row cylindrical roller bearings without outer race. The bearings have bore diameters of 160, 190 and 200 mm, with versions up to 220 mm currently being developed. The choice of bearing depends on the available space—in particular when replacing existing bearings—as well as customer requirements. To further boost their load capacity, the cylindrical roller bearings feature an improved internal design that is even stronger than that of the standard types. These bearings are fitted with an inner race-guided, one-piece brass cage, which contains inspection grooves for endoscopic condition assessment of the inner race surface as standard. For higher loads and wider gears, the bearings can be assembled to sets of two, three, or four bearings.

Beside modular planetary gear bearings, NKE also supplies all other bearings for use in wind turbine gearboxes, main shafts, and generators. These include full complement cylindrical roller bearings as well as cylindrical roller bearings with cage, taper roller bearings, spherical roller bearings, and four-point contact and deep groove ball bearings. For more information call Dick Scott, U.S. representative for NKE AUSTRIA GmbH, at (518) 371-5759 or visit www.nke.at.