In addition to our well-known Firefly spark detection systems, this year Orthos will exhibit a line of sample preparation equipment from our new partners Laarmann at the 2012 MHEA Bulk Handling Conference (Materials Handling Engineers Association).  You will be able to see examples of table-top Pulverisers, Mills, Crushers and Grinders.

Scheduled for 16-17th May 2012 at the Forest Pines Hotel Conference Centre in North Lincolnshire, the event will encompass keynote and plenary presentations, gala dinner and after dinner speaker entertainment.

Forest Pines Hotel and Conference Centre
Ermine Street
Broughton
Lincolnshire
DN20 0AQ

Conference registration form and programme

Can’t wait until May to see the new goodies from Laarmann? Why not have the mobile demonstration laboratory come to you instead?

For any of you planning a visit to this year’s Powtech show in Nuremberg (11-13th October) we’d like to inform you which of our principals will be exhibiting there and invite you to call in at their stands for a coffee:

Allgaier (sieves and screens) – Hall 7/7-326
Celsius (screw heat exchangers) – Hall 9/9-457
Eirich (mixers) – Hall 7/7-249
Lindor (mixers) – Hall 7/7-411
Tema Process (fluidbed dryers) – Hall 7/7-633

There will also be some staff from Orthos circulating the show, so if you want to meet up for a chat, just email sales@orthos.uk.com and we’ll organise something to suit you.

Likewise if you fancy saving yourself the 25EUR entrance fee, let us know (soon) and we’ll post you a free entrance ticket (while stocks last)

From the MHEA 2011 Bulk Handling Conference in North Lincolnshire, Orthos Firefly sales engineer Justin Hamilton reported 120 delegates and speakers in attendance.  Amongst many other topics presented were some of the Hazards associated with Biomass Handling & Storage.  In his presentation, Dan Birkett from Portasilo commented:

“Silo fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish and this can often be a protracted affair, the fire will be much easier to control and extinguish if self-heating is detected early”

This is where Firefly’s innovative multi gas detection system for protecting biomass storage silos can provide state-of-the-art protection.  The MGD works by detecting the “smell” of burning material much earlier than conventional smoke detectors can.  There was much interest shown in the MGD by those attending.  The general response to the conference by all in attendance was very positive, with many staying on for the Annual MHEA Golf Day at the neighbouring Forest Pines Golf Course.

Biomass Pellet Fire Protection Systems by Firefly

Orthos will exhibit Firefly’s new MGD – Electronic Nose at the MHEA Bulk Handling Conference (Materials Handling Engineers Association).  You will be able to see an example of Firefly’s innovative multi gas detection system for protecting biomass storage silos by detecting the “smell” of burning material much earlier than conventional smoke detectors can.

Scheduled for 11-12 May 2011 at the Forest Pines Hotel Conference Centre in North Lincolnshire, the event will encompass keynote and plenary presentations, gala dinner and after dinner speaker entertainment.

Click here for conference registration form and programme

Orthos have booked a stand at EBEC 2011 (European Biofuels Expo and Conference) the largest dedicated Bioenergy event in Europe.

Scheduled for 5-6 October 2011 at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, you will be able to see demonstrations of Firefly’s spark detection system for protecting biomass plants from fire.  Firefly’s MGD-Electronic Nose responds to a “smell” from burning material much earlier than smoke detectors can.

Additionally we have a speaking slot reserved in the Biomass and Energy From Waste Theatre, where a speaker from Firefly will present some case studies.

We would be delighted to see you on stand A4

Save time at the entrance by pre-registering

We’re here at the Imago Holywell Park, all set up and ready to go! 

Rather than bring any one piece of process equipment or a spark detection system, we’ve gone for an ‘information point’ type approach and brought literature on our whole product range.

With over 50 delegates on the list we’re optimistic of some interesting discussions about powder processing and fire protection.

First speakers are Declan Barry “Exploding Experiences – What happens if you get it wrong!” and Russell Morgan “Improve your Solids Handling Efficiency through Lean Manufacturing“.

Further news later…




UPDATE:
Though there weren’t as many end-user delegates as we would have liked, Andrew and Justin reported they made some useful contacts during the conference so we’ll see how these develop over time.

If you missed this years conference and would like to be kept informed of future events send us an e-mail and we’ll add you to our newsletter mailing list.

If you are an engineer or manager involved in the handling/processing of loose bulk solids materials and powders (and you want to increase your power!) then the next SHAPA Knowledge Conference may be for you. 

Scheduled for Tuesday 5th October 2010 at Loughborough University’s Imago Holywell Park, the conference offers delegates an opportunity to hear about the latest regulatory issues, their interpretation and implementation and the latest ideas and thinking on different aspects of solids handling techniques from some of the foremost authorities in their fields. 

Ten punchy presentations in two streams during the day cover diverse topics such as explosion safety, ATEX/DSEAR conformance, improving productivity, batch and continuous mixing, conveying technologies and others.  Delegates may select the sessions that best suit their needs, with efficiency and economy at the heart of many of the presentations.  All will receive material from every session, whether individually attended or not. 

Focused discussion groups on the topics presented give a further opportunity to meet and learn from speakers and other delegates.  In addition there will be table top displays illustrating techniques and capabilities of a number of companies, including Orthos.

We’ll have info on all our powder processing and plant safety equipment/systems.

In the processing of domestic or industrial waste there is a high risk for generating a fire.  Waste recycling plants process many different flammable materials such as rubber, plastic, paper, wood, fabrics to name a few, all of which have relatively low ignition thresholds.

One of the key operations within a waste recycling plant is shredding of the material into manageable pieces.  The shredder is a rotating system of knives and cutters that tear and rip the material, generating high frictional forces which can lead to local heating of the waste materials.  If unchecked, this material can ignite with potentially devastating consequences.

Firefly’s ShredderGuard™ stops fires by cooling potential ignition sources using a system of highly sensitive infra red detectors and high speed water extinguishing.  For each activation water is applied to the material as it leaves the shredder, extinguishing all flames or burning particles before they move further through the process.

Orthos will exhibit Firefly’s new ShredderGuard™ system for the first time in the UK on their stand (1586) at RWM 2010.

Read more here.

After making some last minute finishing touches to our stand the night before, we had a minor panic on Tuesday morning because our main display on the Eirich mixer stand wouldn’t operate as required.  However
a quick swap of two wires rectified the problem and we were good to go.  This unit was an Eirich RV12W mixer of 400 litre capacity that also featured a tipping head to make cleaning as easy as possible.

Over from Eirich was Dirk Heuer, one of the technical sales guys and a concrete specialist.  Like the rest of us Dirk was happy to be out in the sunshine and looking forward to a well attended show – just as well because the night before he’d taken a ride from Manchester airport to Buxton with a taxi driver we nicknamed Dick Turpin (the highway robber).

Down at the Allgaier stand were Armin Heussler and Gerd Stölzner, two more German colleagues amazed by the British weather.  As Hillhead debutantes, neither knew what to expect in terms of visitor numbers and interest level, but after day one Gerd commented that despite only a few enquiries, all of them related to real projects with investment behind, so he was satisfied with the quality.  Brand new for the Allgaier tumbler screen we had the “G-section” sealing for external screen decks.  Made from silicon, the main advantage of this sealing profile is that it can be wrapped around the screen frame and held in place without glue, therefore doing away with the flat gaskets normally glued to the cylinders above and below the screen deck, saving time and money (More news coming soon).

Wednesday was similarly warm and dusty but naturally most people’s minds were on the World Cup matches scheduled for later that day, and consequently we noticed less visitors circulating our area of the quarry.  Several hours later with England already safely through to the knockout stage, and Dirk on his way back to the airport (this time in a pre-booked taxi at half the price of his inbound one) we learned that Germany would be England’s opponents in the last sixteen of the tournament, which naturally was the main talking point of the evening for these English/German colleagues!

Despite the weather turning grey and wet in the morning, Thursday still seemed fairly well attended and we met several familiar faces from client’s in the building materials and minerals industries. After a rough ride in the last two years, the general feeling seeming to be one of cautious optimism, which was good news to hear.

Standing room only at our neighbours Terex Finlay!

Case Construction had an awesome motorbike display!

Watching the big stuff in action at the demo area

What a lovely day to be out in the fresh air!  We arrived on site around nine o’clock, and the sun was already beaming down with not a cloud in sight.  Thanks to the efforts of the guys from Mobex Ltd our display trailer and gazebo were already in position on the stand.  Special thanks to Bill Harrison of Hewden who had stepped in 24 hours earlier to help us with some rather short notice craneage services when our main display, an Eirich R12W mixer, arrived from Germany a day early!

Orthos’ stand (M20) is down in the main part of the quarry, behind the very impressive Terex Finlay stand (look out for their tall scaffold signage and an array of red painted tracked crushers).

We spent a few hours doing all the usual exhibition build stuff, mounting our display graphics, organising minor exhibits, leaflets etc. and, as there was still no sign of any electrical power to test run the mixer (yes, we’ll be running this one) we tidied up and headed for home, with a short list of things to finish off next Monday afternoon when we’ll be back.

If you’re visiting Hillhead this year make sure you come down to see us, there are plenty of drinks cooling in the fridge!

Finally, we couldn’t resist posting this photo taken on the way out of the quarry…

A rather patriotic message carved into the hillside!