Energy costs account for approx. 30% of a production facility’s operating budget. That means nearly a third of all the money organizations invest into their plant, goes straight to the power bill. Power cost is a pivotal determinant of the overall cost to companies. 

Globally, business owners have embraced sustainable techniques to ensure   convenience, and efficiency in their facility, but is it possible to go too green? Absolutely. 

Considering the implications of global warming, ELGi introduced a Heat Recovery System, which enables the reuse of heat energy generated during the compression process for tasks like heating water. 

Refine Your Compressed Air System with ELGi’s Heat Recovery System 

ELGi’s Heat Recovery System can assist in using 78% of the waste heat generated by the compressor for other facility operations, such as heating water. As a result, there is no longer a need to purchase additional equipment to heat water, thus lowering CO2 emissions. The Heat Recovery System is an accessory which can be used with the ELGi EG Series rotary air compressor. Customers can easily plug the HRS into an air compressor to warm water and air for use in showers and boilers by using the heat produced by the air compressor.  

In a typical compression system, the theoretical recoverable heat is 96% of the overall electrical energy consumption. It consists of heat dissipated in the oil cooler (78%), the after cooler (13%) and the heat radiated from the drive motor (5%). The heat dissipated by the oil cooler can be used for heating water and the heat dissipated by the after cooler and drive motor can be used for supplemental space heating. The remaining 4% heat cannot be recovered, since 2% radiates through the canopy and the other 2% vents inside the canopy. 

Robust Operations Across Industries 

The Heat Recovery System finds its operation in industries like automotive, textiles, cement, paper & pulp, machine tool shops, steel making and the food processing industry where there is a need to heat / pre-heat water to a certain temperature ELGi’s HRS can significantly reduce energy costs by eliminating the use of special heating equipment or by offering the initial heat to start the heating process where higher temperatures are required. 

Elgi is a global air compressor manufacturer with an expansive line of innovative and technologically superior compressed air systems. ELGi has consistently ensured that its customers achieve their productivity goals while keeping the environmental impact low. Our product innovation for the Heat Recovery System is driven by the potential for savings and by examining the carbon footprint of an air compressor. ELGi firmly believes that sustainable technology is at the heart of positive environmental change.    

Explore our portfolio of sustainable & efficient solutions here: http://www.elgi.com 

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”

– Sydney J. Harris

Situated in Singarampalayam, India, the ELGi Vocational Training School is a training centre that serves as a perfect example of skill development. The institution strives to provide holistic development to young students from underprivileged backgrounds, by equipping them with technical training and on-the-job skillset.

At the centre, the students receive technical training. Daily, through a practical-based approach, they get to learn basic engineering concepts and production technologies. This is augmented by the centre’s facilities, such as the multimedia classrooms and training spaces for fitting shop, machining, welding, and electrical work.

Apart from this, they also get access to yoga centres and sports facilities, which is instrumental for their physical and mental wellbeing.

For the duration of their course, the students are provided with free boarding and receive a monthly stipend, which helps them provide critical financial support to their families.

Today, let us take a look at the stories of four of our students, whose professional careers have been deeply enriched by the EVTS experience.

There are several parameters to keep in mind while buying an air compressor. Apart from deciding the size, rating expressed in CFM (for airflow), and bar (for air pressure), you also have to choose between an oil-free and oil-lubricated system.

The choice depends on the kind of applications where you intend to operate your air compressor. This is why, it is good to understand how these compressed air systems work and the applications that they’re used for.

Inspite of the availability of spare parts in the market at attractive prices, it is critical to procure your air compressor’s components only from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Purchasing spares from authorised dealers will give you benefits like:

• Warranty
• High product quality
• Longer lifespan
• Higher productivity
• More energy savings
• High reliability
• Ease of service and maintenance

The parts that need to be replaced or replenished include:

Their distinct features can be understood in terms of:

If you plan to buy an air compressor for your industrial application, you need to mull over several factors that best suit your needs. One important consideration is the air pressure requirement of the equipment that the air compressor will operate.

The free air delivery in an air compressor is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). It is the amount of air generated by the air compressor at a certain pressure level. Another parameter considered along with CFM is the amount of pressure that the air compressor can offer, which is measured in bar, kg/cm2 or PSI.

For instance, small pneumatic tools usually need up to 5 CFM at 4.8-6.2 bar. Larger equipment, on the other hand, demand more than 10 CFM at 6.9-8.2 bar. Remember that when you have multiple applications with different airflow demands, you should add up their individual requirement and consider the total usage to be 40-50% higher than the obtained number. This is to ensure the air compressor doesn’t run at full capacity at all times.

Take a look at the airflow required for some common air compressor applications:

Today, let’s read about a global leading elevator manufacturer, which chose ELGi’s EG Series screw air compressors for their newest plant in Pune to achieve their ambitious production targets for market expansion in India.

According to historians, it is believed that sandblasting was first patented after the observation of what appeared to be sand-laden winds. Apparently, this seemed to significantly affect objects or surfaces they met. This observation was made by none other than Benjamin Chew Tilghman – the person who invented the first air compressor.

Sandblasting is also known as abrasive blasting. It is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive materials against a surface. It is done under high-pressure to smooth out a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface or shape the same to remove its contaminants.

The abrasive material for this operation is chosen based on the finish required on the surface.

To get the best performance from your sandblaster, you need to select the right compressor for the job.

Choosing your compressor:

Compressors and sandblasters are sized based on:

• Flow: Defined as the volume of air that the system can move in a minute, the flow is dictated by
  • Number of users
  • Hose length
  • Hose diameter
  • Nozzle size and type
• Pressure: The pressure generated by the system is dictated by media, hose length, & diameter
  One must consider both numbers to make sure the compressor and sandblaster will work together. The size of the sandblaster and nozzle will determine what size of the compressor should be used for the operation.

How sandblasters work:

To select the right size of the compressor for the operation; it is necessary to understand how exactly a sandblaster works. They clean out rough surfaces by abrading them with sand that is fired out of an air-powered gun at high velocity.

• Different types of projection systems that can throw abrasive using compressed air:
  In pressurised projection systems, both abrasive pot and air mixing champers are under the same pressure, sweeping the abrasive material along in the blast hose.
• In suction systems, compressed air is injected into the gun through a nozzle which creates a partial vacuum that sucks a mix of air and abrasive materials from the pot.
• In gravity systems, the abrasive material enters the mixing chamber by gravity and is then pushed by compressed air into the nozzle.

Major operations of the ready-made garment industry fall under these three categories:

1. Pre-production
2. Production
3. Post-production

Pre-production: This phase involves arranging materials, line planning, sample development and approval, sourcing, and production scheduling.

Production: During production, fabrics are spread, cut, bundled, and sewn.

Post-production: Post-production includes inspection, pressing, folding, and packing, making the garment ready to sell.

The labour dependent nature of cutting and sewing makes the readymade garment expensive. Fabric costs and cut-and-sew costs are two of the largest expenses in garment manufacturing. While raw materials contribute up to 50 to 60% of the total product cost, sewing contributes approximately 35% of the total cost.

Efforts have been made to lower labour costs through supply chain management by locating production facilities in developing countries like India, Bangladesh, etc. However, this strategy is becoming complex and difficult to sustain, forcing the industry to find alternative solutions. Thus, automating ready-made garment manufacturing processes are becoming the need of the hour!

Automation not only improves productivity, but also the quality of the finished product by minimising human intervention and preventing errors. Some of the automated techniques adopted by the industry includes:

1. Mechanised fabric handling
2. Computerised cutting
3. Automatic sewing
4. Use of robots