Technofast Industries – a global leader in bolt tensioning solutions – has customers in a range of sectors. These include, mining and quarrying, shipbuilding and food processing where reliability and safety is essential. The Technofast EziTite® hydraulic nuts – which are also applicable to mining and quarrying applications – are being used by Sunshine Sugar mill, Australia to speedily secure and release roller clamping, mill stand and cap bolts in less than a third of the time taken previously. The large EziTite® clamp nut has been used for cane shredder applications in Australian sugar mills and others for many years.

Technofast EziTite® hydraulic nuts were tensioned simultaneously to ensure an even tensioning force over all units

The rapidly installed EziTite® nuts were supplied by Norbar Australia – a specialised distributor of Technofast tensioning products – and installed by Technofast’s Technical Solutions specialist, Matt Blundell.

The simultaneously actuated hydraulic nuts, used in place of the previous flogging spanners, precisely tension multiple hex nuts up to 5in (127mm) diameter by stretching the bolt with hydraulic tensioning during installation then locking it in place in a clean and fast operation.

The ruggedly reliable nuts (which have decades of service in different applications) can be simultaneously and easily detensioned as required for roller and other machinery maintenance. This cuts downtime of vital machinery operating continuously during harvesting, while at the same time curtailing OH&S (organizational health and safety) concerns about working at heights within confined spaces using physically demanding heavy tools with no control of bolt loads to ensure ongoing reliability and safety.

Operators reviewing the EziTite® installation report major time and safety gains with the technology, which simplifies operational and installation processes and applies precise bolt loads.

Operators reviewing the EziTite® installation

Results of the installations include:

• Roller clamping nuts – actuated simultaneously by a Technofast hydraulic pump configured with 4-way manifold – are installed in 30-60 minutes by two personnel, compared with 4.5 hours previously, with 2-3 or more personnel. Time savings achieved at the busy mill total 3-4 hours per operation, with maintenance personal reporting that the EziTite® nuts are much faster to use and require less effort to install. They remove hard manual labour and OH&S risks.
• The mill stand and cap bolts application is similarly far swifter. It now takes an hour using two personnel, compared with four hours and 30 minutes for the old method, which used 2-3 personnel. Again, on-site maintenance personnel report the EziTite® nuts are much faster and require less effort to install.

Operators reviewing one of many EziTite® installations in the USA

“These are big savings in downtime and major increases in safety in a seasonal industry, says international fastening specialist John Bucknell, Founder and CEO of Technofast precision engineered solutions. “Primary industries such as sugar can be extremely busy during harvesting time with many people operating under arduous conditions. Technologies that can save time and cost, while increasing safety, are wonderful for staff and wonderful for the bottom line”.

Case study – Australia’s Sunshine Sugar’s Sweet move to EziTite®

Sunshine Sugar has made the switch to Technofast EziTite® hydraulic nuts for their speed and safety benefits.

EziTite® hydraulic nuts are now being used on mill caps, superseding the more labour-intensive method that involved manual spanner tightening. Installed at the beginning of the 2021 crushing season, mill maintenance operators noted that the EziTite® tightening method was not only far easier and safer, but also took less than one third of the time taken previously.

“Another advantage of hydraulic nuts is that the tension in all the cap bolts is the same. Previously when using a manual spanner system there was no guarantee that bolt loads were equal, or that the caps would be pulled down evenly,” said a company spokesman.

The Mechanical Engineers at Sunshine’s Broadwater Sugar Mill said their job is much easier with the EziTite® nuts, “you just release the hydraulic pressure so the nuts can be tightened to the required force, then dial in the hydraulic power to do the job without manual effort – it is simple, safe and reliable.”

International success

Technofast’s international success with such sugar industry applications extends from Australia through the Pacific Islands to its substantial and rapidly expanding American customer base.

Customers are adopting its technology to respond to competitive markets by being both smarter and faster in their maintenance and reducing downtime of critical equipment while removing potential hazard sources.

“We have had a long and productive involvement with the sugar industry in Australia resulting from our ability to engineer and commission for individual sites and a demonstrated capacity to provide quality service backup. Our company has a strong record of engineering innovation and excellence and a dedication to improving our products through ongoing Research & Development” says John Bucknell. “This allows us to meet the most unusual application requirements and provide the most eloquent and productive solution to end users. It is this commitment which is translating so well to international markets and driving our strong growth”.

For further information, please contact:

Technofast Industries Pty Ltd

A: 2-4 Calcium Court, Crestmead, Qld 4132, Australia

T: +61 7 3803 6550 E: sales@technofast.com

www.technofast.com

Technofast Americas: Mike Nanney, Mooresville, NC, USA

+1 704 454 2666 mike@technofast.com

Technofast Americas: Wes Grooms, Tampa, FL, USA

+1 813 625 4350 wes.grooms@technofast.com