New wheels improve lodge's cleaning operations.Lodge Manufacturing, South Pittsburg, Tenn., a manufacturer of cast iron cookware Cast iron cookware is, as its name states, cookware made out of cast iron. Cast iron is non-toxic, has excellent heat retention and diffusion properties, and is easy to mold into a variety of shapes. These properties make cast iron a natural choice for cookware. , was experiencing maintenance problems with the wheels on its wire mesh wire mesh, wire netting n → tela metálica belt machines. The motors on the machines kept giving out due to hub failure on the old wheels, which caused ongoing maintenance problems. Repairing the wheels was a messy mess·y adj. mess·i·er, mess·i·est 1. Disorderly and dirty: a messy bedroom. 2. Exhibiting or demonstrating carelessness: messy reasoning. , time-consuming job. Lodge decided to replace the four bottom wheels on one of the wire mesh belt machines with EZEFIT wheels from Wheelabrator. Four direct drive wheels with 18-in. (45.7-cm) blades were installed in April 2005. By replacing the four bottom wheels on the machine, which runs 16 hours a day five to six days a week, Lodge Manufacturing was able to resolve its maintenance issues and increase the line speed from 3 ft./ minute (0.9 m/minute) to 6-7 ft./minute (1.8-2.1 m/minute). "Our new EZEFIT 18-in. blades are lasting a lot longer than our old wheels," said David Mantooth, cleaning room supervisor. "Since our installation at the end of April, we have not had to replace one single part. We have exceeded 1,500 hours of blade life so far in our metalcasting facility with sand loading." The hardest area to clean on the castings at Lodge Manufacturing is the recessed re·cess n. 1. a. A temporary cessation of the customary activities of an engagement, occupation, or pursuit. b. The period of such cessation. See Synonyms at pause. 2. bottoms of the pots and pans. The new wheels offer a wider blast pattern than the old wheels, improving the media distribution and prolonging their life. The increased size of the blast pattern with the four wheels is the equivalent of adding a fifth wheel. The EZEFIT family of wheels reduces maintenance cost and improves productivity with bi-directional rotation. Wheels can be used in clockwise clock·wise adv. & adj. Abbr. cw. In the same direction as the rotating hands of a clock. clockwise Adverb, adj in the direction in which the hands of a clock rotate or counterclockwise applications, lowering parts inventory Noun 1. parts inventory - an inventory of replacement parts inventory, stock list - a detailed list of all the items in stock costs. The wheels' direct-drive design offers standard or custom-based mounting and is available in 3.5- or 2.5-in. (8.9- or 6.4-cm) blade widths with a variety of wheel diameters, from 13 to 27 in. (33 to 68.6 cm) with 3,600 and 1,800 RPM (1) (Revolutions Per Minute) With electric and electronics devices, RPM measures the rotational speed of the motor's spindle. Floppy disks rotate at 300 RPM, while hard disks rotate from 3,000 to 15,000 RPM. versions. The wheels also feature Targetlok control cage positioning for consistent control cage location every time the tune-up kits are changed. After seeing the results of the wheel replacement without a large capital expenditure, Lodge Manufacturing plans to eventually replace all of its wheels with EZEFIT wheels. "We are very impressed im·press 1 tr.v. im·pressed, im·press·ing, im·press·es 1. To affect strongly, often favorably: with the life of the blades, the ease of maintenance and the cleaning capabilities of the new wheels," Mantooth said. Visit www.wheelabratorgroup.com for more information |
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