tec november 2012

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November 2012

MSAThe SafetyCompany

TCMax

from Snap-on Industrial


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4/282 The Electric Current November 2012

VICE PRESIDENT OF

SALES

Bart Beason

205-733-1342

[email protected]

GROUP PUBLISHER

Jim Barnhill

[email protected]

EDITOR/

CIRCULATION

Brandon Greenhill

[email protected]

MARKETING

BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT

Hank Underwood

205-733-1341hank@theelectriccurrent.

com

ACCOUN

EXECUTIV

Kristy Wyn

205-733-20

kristy@handfmed

GRAPHIC

DESIGNE

Jacklyn Hobjacklyn@handfmed

FACILITATO

LEADS

COORDINAT

Steven Hobsteven@psmag

CEO

Christana Fe

Execuve and Adversing Oces

2070 Valleydale Rd, Suite # 6

Hoover Al 35244

phone: 205-441-5591 fax: 205-733-13

www.psmag.net [email protected]

Te Electric Currentis published six tima year on a monthly basis by H&F Media, Inc., 2070leydale Rd, Hoover Al 35244 USA. Te Electric Curis distributed ree to qualied subscribers. Non-quasubscription rates are $57.00 per year in the U.S. and

ada and $84.00 per year or oreign subscribers (surmail). U.S. Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama anadditional mailing oces. Te Electric Currentis distributed to toqualied owners and managers in the industrial indPublisher is not liable or all content (including editand illustrations provided by advertisers) o advertisments published and does not accept responsibility any claims made against the publisher. It is the adveor agencys responsibility to obtain appropriate releaon any item or individuals pictured in an advertisemReproduction o this magazine in whole or in part iprohibited without prior written permission rom thpublisher.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to

H&F Media, Inc., P.O. Box 382315Birmingham, Alabama 35238-2315

PRINTED IN THE USA

Inside this Issue:

4 Shasta College OfferingIndustry Specifc Classes

8 MSA Keeps You Safe At Work

18 The Ultimate Asset ManagementSolution- TC Max- Snap On Tools

22 Solving The Problems of FlexibleCables By Greaves USA

24 Ad Index

November2012

MSATheSafetyCompany

TCMax

fromSnap-onIndustrial

Cover Image Provided By:

Platinum Tools


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Are you good

with your hands and

thrive on adventure

and travel? Do you like to be outside and

enjoy nature? Do you want to contribute to thenations future of energy production? If you

answered yes to any of these questions, then

join an industry that offers the Best New

Jobs in America according to CNN Money

Magazine, and pursue a career in the fast

growing Wind and Solar industries!

Shasta College, a community college

located in beautiful Northern California, has

been successfully training job candidates in

renewable energy technologies since Spring

2008 with hands-on instruction for Residential

Photovoltaic students and Utility-Scale Wind

Technician trainees. Shasta Colleges

EWD Program Director Suzie Clark:

With a wind turbine and solar-ener-

gy farm in our area we are uniquely

positioned as a training center to

continue delivering these fast growing

green industry courses. Our in-depth

and intensive instruction prepares our

students with the real-world skills the

industry is asking for.

January 2009 saw Shasta College

offering the rst renewable energy workforce

training class in Northern California with their

Utility Scale Wind Turbine (USWT) technician

training. Since then Shasta has continued to

respond to industry demands by adding their

Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) training

and Biodiesel processing. These classes and

courses are short-term (3-4 weeks) and teach

skills the industry has identied as necessary

for entry level positions.

The USWT program encompasses all

topics identied by the American Wind Ener-

gy Association (AWEA) as necessary to be


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a successful Utility-Scale Wind Technician.

Shastas 3 week program includes safety,

climbing/rappelling, and hands-on instruction

using Utility Scale Wind Turbines. For more

information about Shastas USWT technician

training program, go to www.shastacollege.

edu/ll or email Program Director Suzie Clark

at [email protected].

Shastas Residential Photovoltaic (PV)

training was the rst in their region to get

approval to offer the NABCEP Entry-level test.

Assistant Project Director Shannon Essex

commented, Online electrical prerequi-

sites with an available hands-on electricallab provide our PV instructors more training

time on industry-specic topics. Additionally,

Shasta Colleges PV students earn their 10

hour OSHA Construction Safety and Health

cards, learn site assessment, install roof and

ground mount systems, use a tracker lab, and

learn off-grid scenarios. Shastas solar PV

lab activities ensure hands-on experience inaddition to the academic knowledge neces-

sary to pass the NABCEP Entry-level test.

For more information about Shasta Colleges

Residential Photovoltaic program, go to www.

shastacollege.edu/ll or email Assistant Project

Director Shanon Essex at sessex@shastacol-

lege.edu.

All our classes are taught by industryprofessionals to provide our students with

the most up-to-date information and real-life

experience says Program Director Clark. All

classes visit a Utility-Scale Wind Farm or Pro-

duction Size Solar Farm to enhance students

experience.

Jump start your future and train to

climb a 250 tall Utility-Scale Wind Turbine or

install a solar Photovoltaic System all while at-

tending Shasta College in Redding, California.

Check out our website and get started on your

prerequisites now so you are prepared for the

industry-specic classes starting in April 2013.

Join us at Shasta College and energize your

future!!


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MSAThe Safety Company

Weve been the world's leading manuac-turer o high-quality saety products since 1914,providing sophisticated devices and protective gear

the result o countless R&D hours, relentlesstesting, and an unwavering commitment to qualitythat saves lives and protects thousands o men andwomen each day. Our core products emphasizeindustrial head, eye, ace, hearing and communica-tions protection, respiratory protective equipment,all protection products, portable gas detectioninstruments and sensors, and xed gas and amedetection systems.

MSA provides a comprehensive line o sae-ty products used by workers in the construction,general industry, re service, oil and gas, chemical,utilities, energy, and many other industries. MSAalso sells consumer and contractor saety productsat select home center retail outlets under the SaetyWorks brand. Several o our products, includ-ing our ALAIR line o portable gas detectors,V-Gard Hard Hats and Accessory System, CairnsFire Helmets, and FireHawk Air Masks, are recog-

nized as the de acto standard in their category.

Our Mission

MSA's mission is to see to it that menand women may work in saety and that they, theiramilies, and their communities may live in healththroughout the world.

Our Commitment to Customer Satisfaction

We aim to provide customers with a supe-rior customer experience. It begins with the de-velopment o high-quality products and continueswith support services that exceed customer expec-

tations. Our customer service promise is simple: omake the world saer, one person at a time.

Head, Eye, Face and Hearing (HEFH) Protection

MSA is the leader in industrial head pro-tection or a reason. Te MSA V-Gard hard hat,with the distinctive V on the top, is renowned orquality, comort, durability and t. MSA now ofersthe reliable V-Gard Accessory System o helmetaccessories, mirroring the same high standard o


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protection.

Weve been in the head protection businessor a long time and know that our hats dont justprotect heads: they save lives. A lie saved not onlycreates loyalty that builds a strong brand like MSA,but also inspires us to continually improve the per-ormance o all our HEFH protection products.

MSA head, eye, ace and hearing protectionproducts generate value through market-leadingabove-the-neck saety solutions, brand recogni-tion and loyalty, and the quickest turnaround timeor logoed hard hats. Program and ownership costsare also reduced with products compatible andcompliant with MSA helmets, including V-GardAccessory System ace protection products andLEF/RIGH earmufs.

Respiratory Protection

MSA has been a leader in respiratoryprotection products since World War I, makingthe most versatile products that meet the most

demanding industry standards. Our supplied airand air puriying solutions are the preerred choiceo customers world-wide, across a variety o indus-tries.

MSAs respiratory products, combined withindustry leading programs and support, simpliy

compliance and generate value or your organiza-tion. MSA Respiratory Protection products, such asAdvantage Hal-Mask and Full-Mask Respirators,OptimAir Mask Mounted PAPR, generate valuethrough unmatched product perormance, ad-vanced program resources and exceptional productsupport. Program and ownership costs are reducedwith smarter products, broad range o productchoices and easy-to-use design.

Fall ProtectionAt MSA we proudly stand behind every

all protection product we manuacture. End userspreer the comort and durability o MSA allprotection equipment, such as our popular lineso Evotech and Workman Personal Fall Limiters


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(PFL) and Harnesses, which helps ensure properuse and compliance with Occupational Saety andHealth Administration (OSHA) regulations.

User acceptance is the key to saving livesand ensuring compliance, so it is a priority to us.With more Fall Protection OSHA citations issued

in the workplace than ever beore, having con-dence in your manuacturer is critical. For thesereasons, MSA develops products and programswith our customers, and or our customers.

Our all protection line generates valuethrough best-in-class eld support, product cus-tomization, and training/assessment programs,while decreasing cost o ownership with advancedproduct eatures (like Radio Frequency Identica-

tion [RFID] inventory management) and supportsolutions such as our Fall Protection Promise andNeed it Now programs.

Portable Gas DetectionMSA is the leader in creating the easiest to


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use, most ecient and durable portable gas detec-tors in the industry. Our ALAIR line o portablegas detectors and GALAXY GX2 Automated est

Systems provide maximum saety and are simple touse in even the most demanding situations. Wevelearned that saving seconds on response time canalso mean saving lives. Tat is why MSA contin-ues to pioneer the most advanced technology thatdrives perormance improvement.

Our portable instruments generate valuethrough our state-o-the art technology and un-matched perormance while signicantly decreas-

ing cost o ownership with simple, yet efective,test equipment that combines durability with costsavings.

Fixed Gas and Flame DetectionMSA is the world leader in xed gas and

ame detection. Our diversied product oferingsare designed to act as eyes, ears and nose, in efect,to detect potential dangers, keeping workers and

acilities sae.

Known and respected globally or our highstandards, innovation, quality and customer ser-vice, our Fixed Gas and Flame Detection productscontinually evolve to bring you the latest and mostreliable technology available, providing you withadded-value and peace o mind.

MSA Fixed Gas and Flame Detection

products generate value through a varied productmix, authorized eld service representatives, astturnaround time, and global approvals. Programand ownership costs are reduced with gas detectionand multi-spectrum ame detectors such as UltimaX Series Gas Monitors, Ultrasonic Gas Leak Detec-tors, FlameGard 5 Flame Detectors, custom prod-

ucts, online product training, and unsurpassedtechnical support.

We believe that every lie has a purpose, soweve made it ours to ensure everyone goes homesaely. In the decades that have come and gonesince our inception, MSA has continued to leadthe charge or workplace saety. But weve neverorgotten where we came rom, or why were here.Were called Te Saety Company or a reason a

very important reason: Our goal, every singleday, is to provide our customers with dependable,high-quality products, instruments, and service tohelp ensure a sae return home at the end o eachwork day. For more inormation, please visit ourwebsite at www.MSAsaety.com or call customerservice at 1-800-MSA-2222.


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The Ulmate Asset Management Soluon

Asset management is a crical aspect of any

businesses engaged in construcon, manufacturing

or maintenance. Implemenng a robust system for

tracking things like capital equipment, spare parts,

maintenance schedules and tooling can have a

signicant impact on the boom line by reducing

misplacement, loss, out-of stock occurrences and

premature failure. Enhancements in asset control

typically have a direct posive eect in key areas like

safety and producvity, which can make or break

individual projects or an enre organizaon.

Snap-on Industrial designed the TCMax Total

Asset Management Soware as a powerful, yet

easy-to-use soluon. The program can track any as-

set, from consumables to employees, and maintain

records for things like prevenve maintenance and

instrument cercaon. Driven by a simple barcode,

assets can be inventoried, issued, returned, trans-

ferred, logged and reported in seemingly endless

ways. In addion, TCMax has one very unique fea-

ture it talks to you! The soware actually speaks tothe operator, conrming or denying each transacon

and even providing warnings or reminders as ap-

propriate. While 90 percent of the funcons within

TCMax can be performed in a single screen, audio

conrmaon reduces the need to check a monitor

which streamlines the process signicantly.

How it Works

Assets and employees are loaded into the

TCMax database and each assigned a unique ID.Mechanisms for secure tracking include: barcode,

employee badges, drivers license and even nger

prints and electronic signatures. Hardware is typi-

cally idened using the TCMax custom label maker

funcon, combined with a simple barcode printer.

However, smaller items like tools and instruments

can have the barcode permanently laser engraved.

Extensive product data can be entered,

including photographs, which signicantly enhanc-

es the programs use as a training tool. In addion,

based on skillset and training completed, employee

authorizaon levels can be added that determine ac-cess to specic equipment. The program will audibly

announce that a transacon is denied if an individu-

al is not approved. Employees training records can

also be managed within TCMax and updated with

any expanded access as appropriate.

When assets are issued, the date, me and

assignee are recorded. Work order and locaon can

also be added for addional traceability. Even elds

for serial numbers of equipment used on a parc-

ular job are available. Those serial numbers can beassociated with another set of records including

important informaon like: MSDS, calibraon due

dates, visual inspecon requirements or complete

instrucon manuals. If an item requires tesng or in-

specon, the soware will again announce that fact,

and if its overdue for a cercaon the program

will recommend against issuance of that hardware.

Addionally, responsibility for equipment can be

easily transferred when it moves to a new job site

or is taken over by another crew by simply using the

TCMax transfer funcon.

If a group of items make up a higher level

assembly, the complete package is called the par-

ent. The components are considered children,

grandchildren, etc. A toolkit or even work truck

can be issued as a parent and all traceable items

under that umbrella can be clearly dened as its

children. When a parent level item is issued, TCMax

goes to the level of determining if all the children

are in compliance or in need of any addional aen-

on. And remember, the operator is always awareof whats happening through the verbal nocaons

within TCMax.

TCMax is networkable throughout an organi-

zaon, and can be set up with minimum/maximum

requirements indicang when to re-order products,

in what quanes and with the ability to actually

issue purchase orders. System oversight is incorpo-

rated using authority designaons that allow view-

ing and transacon capabilies as necessary.

TCMaxfrom Snap-on Industrial


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Tool intensive environments oen combine

TCMax with the Snap-on Level 5 Tool Management

System. Level 5 is founded on the principles of 5S

and incorporates: organizaon, visibility, security,

trackability and accountability. Each tool has a spe-

cic, silhoueed locaon that allows rapid inventory

which helps prevent misplacement, loss and foreign

object damage by a missing tool.

TCMax in Acon

Thousands of TCMax seat licenses are

deployed in a broad range of applica-

ons. Sikorsky Aircra is one compa-

ny thats been reaping the benets of

improved producvity from using TC

Max.

Since TCMax was implement-

ed, weve seen a dramac decreasein the number of lost tools, said Je

Hemme, tool crib supervisor. He add-

ed that more than 5,000 tools have

been coded into the system and the

simple process for issuing, returning

and inventory has provided a signi-

cant producvity improvement.

The U.S. Air Force also uses

TCMax in its aviaon maintenance

squadrons. In fact, all four majorcommands are required to use the

program for tool control. One Ohio

Air Naonal Guard base has taken the

plaorm a step further by using it to

track base safety records.

Flexibility of the TCMax plat-

form is almost endless. The city of

San Antonio, TX, for example, is using

it to track and monitor more than 1

million items from police cars to lawn

mowers to lap top computers.

A Snap-on Industrial rep-

resentave can perform an on-site

evaluaon and audit your organiza-

on to create an asset management

program that accomplishes your goals

and objecves. Asset management

has become an absolute necessity

to operate smoothly and eciently.

A well-managed program will save

money, reduce lost or missing tools, and provide a

level of oversight for streamlined operaon.

About the AuthorJohn Tremblay is Energy Segment Manager for

Snap-on Industrial, a Global provider of Tool Asset

Management and Producvity Soluons, based in

Kenosha, Wisconsin. He can be reached at 413-519-3380, or [email protected]. You can also

visit www.snapon.com/industrial.


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Flexible cables were once the province

of specialty applications in locomotive, electric

motor and similar vibrating machinery applica-

tions. Vibration tolerance was the major goal.

Certainly the origin of the now-common DLO

(Diesel Locomotive) cable is easily traced to trains

powered by a diesel fueled railroad engines. Inrecent years, nely stranded exible power cables

have increasingly found uses for other reasons and

in other situations. Sometimes exible cables are

chosen because of their higher amperage rating

(due to more copper surface area where current

primarily ows), sometimes for voltage rating of

the jacket material, for pull-out drawers or robots

requiring motion, amusement park rides and tents,

temporary docking facilities, temporary genera-

tor hookups, and sometimes to help t into tight

cabinet spaces where their smaller bend radiusallows tting in limited space. Recent switchgear

designs emphasize a compact box, which naturally

limits the interior space available for large cables

when the layout calls for a tight 90o bend inside the

cabinet. These tight bend requirements necessitate

selection of exible, high strand cable. Whatever

the reason for selecting exible cable, the termi-

nations can be troublesome. The cable cannot be

directly terminated in the set-screw type connector

supplied with the switchgear.

All too often, a exible cable is delivered

to the jobsite with little or no planning about how

to terminate it. This means that the contractor

must devise a termination method quickly, in order

to maintain the jobs schedule.

Why The Problem

The spongy nature of high-strand cables

means that mechanical set-screw type connectors

are not adequate terminations because they can-

not produce enough force to properly compress

the copper strands enough to result in a reliable

electrical connection. Even worse, the twisting

action of the screw can distort, or even sever some

strands, resulting in a poor connection which then

becomes an even higher resistance joint after cy-cling or vibration. Ironically, cycling and vibration

are the conditions for which the exible cable was

selected. Field experience has produced examples

of these poor connections, resulting in hot joints

with charred wires and insulation. Installing a

lightweight collar on the wire, in an attempt to

provide a solid surface to a mechanical set-screw,

has resulted in wires easily pulling out of the con-

nector, because the set-screw still does not create

enough force properly to deform the strands to

result in a reliable connection.

The Termination Solution

The ultimate goal of compressing the barrel

onto the cable is to create a solid mass of copper to

assure a low-resistance connection which will pro-

vide a long service life. The combination of cable,

barrel size, and proper compression die tooling

is necessary to achieve the needed solid mass of

copper.

Cable manufacturers specify the use of

compression connectors on high-strand cables,

because they impart equal radial pressure around

the wire and help to form a dense mass of copper.

Sizing and installation must be correct to assure

a solid termination for reliable, long term service

life. As for barrel sizing, the diameter of a ex ca-

ble is larger than Class B building wire for a given

volume of copper, owing to the large number of

interstices, or spaces, among the strands. There

Flexible CablesSolve Some

Problems ButPresent Others


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are several different common styles, or classes, of

ex cable, such as DLO, weld cable, and rope

stranded cable. The actual bundle dimensions

often differ among manufacturers, and even from

the beginning of a production run to the end. So,

proper barrel-size selection is critical. The bar-

rel size must be large enough to accept the cable.

Barrel-size selection can be simplied with a chart

which helps to account for the many sizes and

stranding types of various class designations. I

some cases, the barrel selection should be veried

with testing.

During installation, the strands of the cut

end of the cable spread, or blossom, causing dif-

culty in inserting all of the strands into the barrel.

A smooth are on the barrel provides a funnel

shape to assure that every strand slides easily into

place.

Usually, the most direct termination meth-

od is a compression lug compressed onto the ex

cable, then bolted to a bus or transformer pad.

Specially designed compression lugs are available

in various sizes, types, and bolting patterns to

terminate ex cables. But when the lug or circuit

breaker in the switchgear is a permanent xture,

the cable must somehow be terminated into it. To

accomplish this, a compression adapter is needed,

both to terminate the exible cable and to present

an appropriate Class B wire to the lug. To inter-

face between the cable and the lug, the adapter has

a ared barrel on one end, and a pin on the other.

Finally, there is a great variety of situations in the

eld, so sometimes a solution cannot be found

within a standard product line. Thus, a manufac-

turers capability to fabricate adapters for unique

combinations of sizes, and with special length

pins, can be critical to a particular situation in the

eld. For example, special in-line splices can be

fabricated to accommodate new-to-old system

extensions.

In summary, to accomplish terminations

with high-strand exible, the reliable method iscompression connectors or adapters. Correct siz-

ing and installation are necessary to assure long-

term, reliable service. Lugs and adapters specif-

ically designed for ex cables are available, and

special constructions can be fabricated for unusual

circumstances. For more information visit:

www.greaves-usa.com .

Company Pg. Website

Byte Brothers 20 www.bytebrothers.com

Dee Zee IBC www.deezee.com

Dur-A-Lift, Inc. 3 www.dur-a-lift.com

Greaves BC www.greaves-usa.com

Helios Solar Works 15 www.heliossolarworks.com

Herculock 14 www.herculock.com

Hioki USA 5 www.hiokiusa.com

Jeffrey Machine 11 www.jeffreymachine.com

Krenz Vent 16 www.krenzvent.com

LEDtronics IFC www.ledtronics.com

MSA 12-13 www.msasafety.com

Phase-A-Matic 17 www.phase-a-matic.com

Platinum Tools 1 www.platinumtools.com

Rammount 21 www.ram-mount.com

Shasta College 7 www.shastacollege.edu

Steelman Industries, Inc. 14 www.steelman.com

Sunwize 9 www.sunwize.com

Winola 23 www.winolaindustrial.com

Advertisers Index


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