WORKING AT HEIGHTS - Wind Energy Network

SPONSORS OF TYNE & TEES FEATURELeading the way for boltingservice to the renewable sectorIn the constantly changing landscapeof the wind power industry, turbinedesign is being taken to new levels inorder to maximise efficiency. Largerparts with tighter tolerances are beingused, higher quality materials aredemanded, reliability is essential, andcost-efficiency is a must.Wind turbine assemblyHYTORC has been involved in turbineassembly since the early daysof the industry, and hasinvested heavily to stayahead of the curve onits progression. Thiscan only be achievedby implementingthe new techniquesand products fromthe company thatmake wind turbinemanufacturingand maintenancesimpler, faster andmore cost effective.ExperienceWith over forty years of experience inindustrial bolting technology, HYTORCis the world’s oldest and largestmanufacturer of hydraulic and pneumatictorque wrenches. They are dedicated toproviding the highest level of customerservice by continually developing newproducts to make bolting jobs as safeand hassle-free as possible. More andmore specially designed tools are useddaily in the wind industry than all otherbrands combined. The products are CE,TUV & ISO 9001:2000 approved and thecompany understand that the renewablesector is different in attitude to other powergeneration sectors and have respondedwith a unique approach to supplyingcustomers.Local Support and ServiceWith its local presence in the North East,Aberdeen and Ireland the companyhas worked hard to build a wind energynetwork to provide fast service and quickturnarounds in every area of the BritishIsles. The new UK head office is locatedin Cramlington. The new premises havebeen designed with the expansion of therenewable industry in mind, with over10,000 sq. ft. of space tohouseits trainingfacility andindustryapprovedcalibrationand servicecentre.DedicationWhile most torque tool manufacturersmerely supply tooling through theirnormal distribution network, thecompany discovered a need for reliableequipment and, more importantly,dedicated, knowledgeable wind energyrepresentatives. In the early stages ofthe renewable industry the companyresponded by hiring specialists that hadworked in the wind power industry andwere familiar with the many differentmanufacturers of wind turbines. The nextstep was identifying the different obstaclesthat each manufacturer was facing duringturbine assembly and/or maintenanceand working together with their highlyexperienced engineering staff to provide asolution.In the last five years alone, kits have beendeveloped for nearly every applicationon the various turbines offered by everymanufacturer in the industry. Withspecialist engineers available for free onsitesupervision and training in nearly everycountry in the world, the company hasoffshore trained personnel to assist withthe development of easier systems andmethods of bolting and are constantlylooking to build on their reputation forreliability in the industry.Engineering a SolutionAlthough most torque tool manufacturersrely on existing technology, in-house hasa designated CAD-design centre whichis available to provide 3D drawings ofproducts and/or customised solutions.These drawings can be integrated intothe turbine design/manufacturing processto allow manufacturers to reduce designtime and minimise unknowns during theassembly process.With an emphasis on safety, trainedwind power specialists will facilitatecommunication between the turbinemanufacturer and the HYTORC designcentre to optimise production processesand to help alleviate assembly linebottlenecks. In one example, a customfixture was designed to reduce assemblytime for the shrink disc application.This application had previously takenup to nine hours, which slowed themanufacturing process for the entireturbine. HYTORC delivered a customdesigned solution which reducedmanufacturing time for the shrink disc tojust one hour.As the inventor of the first hydraulic wrench,the company has been behind nearly everyinnovation in the bolting tool industry. Theirlatest tooling includes the most innovativedevelopments to improve safety and liabilitywith the benefit of accurate bolt loadswithin 2%. This is achieved using thepatented ‘hands free bolting’ technology.Within the range of bolting solutions wehave special wind tooling which can beoperated hands-free, giving maximumsafety to the operator.52www.windenergynetwork.co.uk