Benoni-based industrial elements manufacturer Independent Elements is adopting a number of new technologies that will enhance the reliability of the company’s product range, says Independent Elements chairperson Harry Flowers.

He tells Engineering News that, for example, the company bought a laser cutter for cutting mica – a heat-resistant electrical conductor – last month.

Heating-element wire is wrapped around the mica inside the band heaters, which are typically used for plastic extrusion machines. Cutting mica is typically done manually and the accuracy provided by the laser cutter will ensure better heat consistency from the band heater, says Flowers.

Consistently wound wire prevents different heat levels from being emitted at different sections of the band heater, he explains.

Another new technology that Independent Elements will adopt in the next few months is an induction welding machine to assist in applying silver solder rings, which are fitted to prevent leaks where the elements are welded to the boss.

Silver solder melts at 600 °C and is traditionally melted with a gas torch, which is labour- and time-intensive, he says.

Flowers adds that, for the past 50 years, only small tweaks to improve production efficiency and product cosmetics have been made in the elements industry. However, over the next five years, he predicts that element manufacturers will be pressured to integrate nanotechnology into their products.

All elements comprise a wound resistor and an insulating material such as magnesium oxide. However, while most elements use wire for their resistors, nanotechnology uses graphite and carbon fibre.

Therefore, along with a shift in the technology being used, there will be a shift in the raw material demanded for manufacturing, notes Flowers.

He explains that, while researching the possibility of integrating nanotechnology into Independent Elements’ product line, he is yet to find a raw-materials supplier for nanotechnology and has to date found only final-product suppliers.

Flowers highlights that venturing into nanotechnology will inevitably require the company to import certain goods or materials, though it intends to import raw materials to manufacture the elements.

“Even now, most of the material Independent Elements uses is ultimately sourced from outside the country, with about 50% of the components being bought from local sources that have previously been shipped to South Africa,” he says.

In terms of shelf-ready elements, 90% of Independent Elements’ product line is manufactured in-house , states Flowers. Almost all the elements manufactured in-house are used industrially, with the highest temperature reached by such an element being about 1 200 °C.

Flowers adds that some of the elements the company imports can reach up to 1 600 °C. These elements are generally made out of molybdenum disilicide, or ‘Moly D’, an intermetallic refractory ceramic used in high-temperature furnaces. However, Moly D is not produced in South Africa.

The elements that the company supplies for domestic purposes also tend to be imported, he adds.

Independent Elements also manufactures and supplies peripheral products such as temperature probes and instrumentation products.

About Independent Elements
The company was established in 1998 as a partnership between Flowers, originally a foundry metallurgist, and his brother-in-law, who was already working in the elements industry at the time.

Currently, Independent Elements has a highly diverse customer base, ranging from households to steel producer ArcelorMittal, and phosphate and phosphoric acid producer Foskor, says Flowers.

He says a diverse customer base is favourable because the company does not rely on a particular industry, adding that, amid a struggling economic climate over the past six months, the company did not experience a downturn until July.

“We will have to wait and see if this was a mere blip on our books or an actual downtick for the company,” Flowers concludes.

To watch a video in which Independent Elements chairperson Harry Flowers discusses the company’s operations amid a trying economy, scan the barcode with your phone’s QR reader, or go to 'Video Reports’ on www.engineeringnews.co.za