Blog

A hot topic in today’s world of industry and manufacturing is addressing the growing gap with skilled laborers and an exiting workforce of experienced retirees. Many companies are looking for ways to attract new personnel and stay current with evolving technology. This is where wearable technology and other advances come into play. How Virtual Reality Is … Continue reading "Wearable Technology Proves Helpful for Social Distancing and Health Monitoring"

In 2020, Tip of the Week, a newsletter from Seal Connect launched at the end of April. All this great reliability information needed to be shared with our digital publication visitors as well. They are summarized below, and this post will be updated as new tips are delivered. If you’d like to receive the Tip … Continue reading "Tips of the Week from 2020"

Industrial businesses are often met with resistance when they try to change workflow processes that their employees have become accustomed to executing (and executing well). This is true even if the changes are ultimately positive for both the organization and the teams performing the work. The typical response to a change in workflow processes is … Continue reading "How to Address Teams’ Resistance to Changes in Workflow Processes"

Product leakage and contamination are major concerns for snack food producers. One effective solution is air sealing technology. Recently, a Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery article discussed mixing and blending applications in the important food and beverage industry. In the piece, how manufacturers of dough mixing equipment are adding improvements for safety, preserving product quality, and automation was included. … Continue reading "Industry Publication Discusses Importance of Sealing Technology and Reducing Product Leakage"

Even with sensors equipped with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, human input is still needed for reliability. In-plant personnel are able to use their own human senses and knowledge to asses problems and uncover solutions. Not to mention that many costly assets may not be compatible with sensors. In this case, the only available “assessment … Continue reading "Industry Publication Makes Case for Importance of Human Input and Field Testing"

Mechanical seals have become the primary method for sealing, so it makes sense that the industrial process pump repair cycle often is driven by the lifespan of this component. However, most end users do not consider tracking mechanical seals. Here’s the thing … According to a recent article in Plant Engineering, seals are mistakenly treated … Continue reading "Maximize Your EAM, CMMS, and Reliability by Tracking Mechanical Seals"

In a recent episode of the Manufacturing Tomorrow’s Workforce podcast, SEPCO’s own seal reliability engineer, Jack Ferguson discussed his transition from student life to that of an industry professional. He also talked about the growing academic-practice gap, with Plant Services‘ Alexandra Ditoro. In this conversation, Ferguson also touched on his strengths, like failure analysis, as well … Continue reading "Young Seal Reliability Engineer Discusses Academic-Practice Gap in Industry Podcast"

Do you work in a paper mill? Do you experience frequent pulper leakage or gearbox failures? Perhaps combining sealing technologies should be your solution. According to a recent Pump & Systems article, an Upstate New York paper mill experienced an ongoing problem: a leaking pulper. “Like many pulpers, it had major shaft runout,” the article … Continue reading "The Benefits of Combining Seal Technologies for Pulper Leakage Discussed in Industry Publication"

Most plants will require a scheduled outage at some point during its operation, but the amount of time, money, and manpower dedicated to this standard practice can be astronomical. This is why plant teams must do everything in their power to prepare and properly execute a successful shutdown. According to a recent article from Plant … Continue reading "How to Achieve a Successful Shutdown in 7 Steps"

Because of their low friction, bushings for vertical turbine pumps (VTPs) reduce and control pump flow by restricting the fluid pumped by the impeller into the mechanical seal area. They can be made from a soft metal, like bronze, or a high-performance plastic like the machined polymer Thermex 210. Gas Compression magazine published an article discussing … Continue reading "Industry Publication Explains How to Stabilize Vertical Turbine Pumps with Bushings"