The press arrived in Gothenburg Harbour in mid May following a three-week crossing from Pittsburgh in the US, and was then moved by truck to its new home in Mattmar, in central Sweden.

It complements an existing press at the plant, allowing for a significant increase in production capacity to meet ever-growing demand for Nord-Lock products. “The arrival of the press was a big day for us and is an important part of the expansion of our plant,” says Mattias Andersson, engineering manager in Mattmar.

To make room for the new press, plus to be able to handle larger volumes, 1,000m2 is being added to the factory’s production area, an increase of about 30%. Several other new machines have also been installed for other steps in the manufacturing process.

Production with the new press is set to start in June.

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On crucial bolted joints Agility Group, a Norwegian engineering, procurement and construction company, uses Nord-Lock safety washers – to the delight of its drilling company customers. From the Gulf of Mexico to the far north of Norway, Agility Group’s PetroFlame® burner booms are trusted by drilling companies to safely flare off oil and gas when the pressure in the well reaches dangerous levels. Jutting out some 30 metres from the side of oilrigs and drill ships, these burner booms are battered by wind, sea spray, and subjected to heavy vibrations, fierce sunshine and ice build-up.

Since being introduced to Nord-Lock Group and their wedge lock products about five years ago, Agility Group has become a loyal customer. And it is not just its own engineers and designers who have come to appreciate performance and reliability of the Nord-Lock wedge-locking technology. “Our clients often ask us how we have secured the bolts. When we say that we use Nord-Lock wedge lock washers, they are confident that everything is okay. They know what Nord-Lock wedge-locking system is and what it does.” says Tom Mathisen, Agility Group’s Project Manager Marine Solutions.

Each burner boom – the Swan-Neck, Cantilever and King Post Mounted PetroFlame® – has several hundred bolted joints and for many of the most crucial ones, such as the pipe supports, access platforms and walkways, Nord-Lock wedge-locking system is used.

“With Nord-Lock washers we can reduce that to one nut, which makes installation easier and we consider it to be a more secure solution.” says Structural and mechanical design engineer Stian Jenssen.

Petter Viken, Nord-Lock’s sales manager for Norway, says that the Oil & Gas sector is growing in importance for Nord-Lock. “Safety is a top priority in the Oil & Gas industry, and although it is a rather conservative sector, the Nord-Lock Group has built up a strong reputation worldwide.”

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Because of the crushers compact size, the engine and crusher box are close together, causing two areas of opposing resonance creation – in other words the bolted joint has a lot of vibration to deal with during operation. Red Rhino chose Nord-Lock wedge lock washers to secure the joints and ensure a joint that stays tight during the rebuilding effort.

“It really is a case of fitting them and forgetting them, because you are sure that the joint will not vibrate loose,” says Julian Mik, General Manager for Red Rhino, who also visited Haiti to train local personnel in the operation and maintenance of the crushers.

This program, named CRUSH by CHF, has succeeded in recycling more than 20,000 cubic meters of rubble by demolishing buildings damaged by the earthquake.

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Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Eastern Wind Power (EWP) is about to launch a wind turbine that could soon be spotted on roofs of urban high-rises, at remote industrial plants, or in developing countries, providing power for basic needs like drinking water and lighting.

Unlike the propeller-type horizontal axis wind turbines that are common in many parts of the world, EWP’s vertical axis wind turbine has three vertical six-metre high carbon fibre blades. The benefits of this vertical configuration include lower noise, less risk to birds, no gearboxes and their associated mechanical issues, and they can be erected closer together than traditional wind turbines.

Not satisfied with the bolt securing solutions they had used previously in their Sky Farm 50kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, EWP tried Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers and were amazed with the results. “We cannot afford failures,” says Linda Mongelli Haar, Chairman of Eastern Wind Power, Inc. “We wanted to make sure after all our design and development work that we didn’t lose the quality by putting on nuts and bolts that weren’t going to do the job. That is why we turned to Nord-Lock.”

EWP currently uses Nord-Lock NL8ss washers – 24 per turbine – to secure the blades to the struts. “If the bolts here are not properly secured you get the bolt backing out a little and it will start to vibrate,” says Jonathan Haar, President and CEO of EWP. “And even if it doesn’t back out all the way, it might snap the whole blade off because you’ve allowed enough space for vibration. That vibration can throw your whole turbine out of balance.”

EWP has attracted the attention of Siemens Industry Inc, one of the biggest players in the world wind power sector. “Siemens was looking to venture into ‘small wind’ and they wanted to prototype their inverters with a vertical axis turbine,” says Linda. “They interviewed a lot of companies and they selected us, which was a great vote of confidence.”

The project is in particular receiving a lot of interest from markets like Hawaii and the Caribbean where the energy prices are as high as the wind speeds. “We are also starting to get some interest from owners of high-rise buildings closer to home who understand that distributed energy will pay them back quickly and they will have a good 20 years of virtually free energy after a short break-even,” says Linda.

James Brooks, President of Nord-Lock Inc., calls EWP “a fantastic example of a progressive original equipment manufacturer (OEM)” in the wind power segment.  “In the last four years Nord-Lock in North America has seen its OEM business grow as a result of companies like EWP focusing on innovation and safety – and safety of bolted joints is our primary mission,” he says. “We are rapidly becoming an industry standard in the wind power segment.”

http://www.easternwindpower.us

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In this issue we also visit Heerema Fabrication Group, a company commissioned to build a moveable self-installing offshore gas platform. The platform, located in the Dutch sector of the North Sea, is a true feat of engineering: strong and stable enough to withstand the elements in the open water, yet flexible enough to be dismantled and relocated.

Also in this issue, discover why Mitsubishi Heavy Industries decided to turn to Nord-Lock for a new solution to secure the components on their ultra-large gas turbines, an application where challenges of heavy vibration are unavoidable.

Racing fan? Don’t miss the interview with Thomas Berglund, a Dakar Rally contestant who gives an insight into this legendary race and mechanical challenges that the drivers face. You will understand what a big difference properly secured bolted connections can make.

That’s not the only race of Nord-Lock customers! Another satisfied team of young engineers from Gothenburg’s Chalmers University of Technology won the Formula Student competition held in the UK. Learn how their single-seater secured by Nord-Lock beat other 102 teams.

In this issue you can also learn about yet another interesting solution in the Nord-Lock product portfolio: steel construction washers. This product is especially designed to fit the HV bolting systems used in steel construction in Germany.

The eighth issue of Bolted is available in seven languages: English, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Swedish and Finnish. Visit www.bolted.com to find out more and download the magazine in PDF!

We would be very happy to learn what you would like to read about in the next issue. Send us your suggestions!

The post Increase your bolting knowledge – new issue of Bolted magazine out now! appeared first on Nord-Lock.

Subsea is the fastest growing segment in the global Oil & Gas industry, with half of all fields explored at present being subsea fields. With the Oil & Gas industry as a whole shifting its focus towards other parts of the world, the subsea segment is becoming increasingly important for Norway. Today, the Norwegian subsea industry delivers an impressive 60 per cent of all subsea installations in the world.

“Being among the leading suppliers when it comes to bolt security and bolt optimization to the Norwegian Oil & Gas industry, we have clearly noticed the increased interest in developing subsea applications, and we have a number of interesting ongoing projects”, says sales manager Petter Viken of Nord-Lock A/S. Read more about two of our previous projects here: Plunging to new depths  and Sea change.

“The subsea environment is one that really puts the bolted joints to the test, but after tens of years of field experience, we know that our products can handle the harsh environment. Wanting our customers to feel the same confidence in our products, it was important for us to obtain the trusted ABS and DNV approvals, as well as the HISC testing by DNV”, says Gösta Rydin, Global Industry Manager, Oil & Gas, for the Nord-Lock Group. We are also recommended in a number of best practice documents and handbooks in the industry.

“Subsea applications are supposed to stay submerged for decades and should the bolted joints fail, the repair work is extremely expensive and difficult due to the inaccessibility in deep waters; everything has to be handled by ROVs. For this reason, all design and construction work within subsea is very much focused on foreseeing and preventing problems. Failure and subsequent downtime for subsea equipment has a huge negative impact in terms of financial, technial and environmental aspects”, says Csaba Madru, Global Development Manager of the Nord-Lock Performance Services.

Nord-Lock will be available for discussions about optimization of your bolted joints during the Subsea Valley Exhibition and Conference, Fornebu, April 10-11^th. This is Norway’s leading meeting places for the Subsea Industry, focused around a cluster of 128 world-leading subsea companies located in the area from Kongsberg to Oslo, including Aker Solutions, FMC Technologies TESS and many more.

Want to learn more about bolt securing in subsea applications? Visit us at the Subsea Valley exhibition and conference, Fornebu, April 10-11^th.

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This year a record number of 19 innovative technologies were competing for the first prize. A panel of experienced industry judges had a hard nut to crack reviewing all the entrants and choosing the top three products most deserving of the title of Fastener Technology Innovator 2013. The new multifunctional wedge-locking washer from Nord-Lock turned out to be one of them.

“We are very proud to be awarded the Silver Prize in the Fastener and Fixing Innovator Technology Competition,” says Andreas Weiss, Managing Director Nord-Lock GmbH. “This proves that the continuous innovation at Nord-Lock and our efforts in the field of bolted joint design are not only recognized by our customers, but also by independent judges.” adds Andreas.

The Fastener Fairs always attract a large number of visitors from all over the world, offering the first hand opportunity to assess new products, technologies and market trends. In this respect the February show in Stuttgart did not leave the visitors disappointed. “The turnout was really impressive! Great atmosphere, a lot of trading activity, definitely a valuable show,” comments Andreas. For global companies like Nord-Lock it is a particularly good occasion to be able to meet international customers and partners, all in one place!

The 5th edition of the Fastener Innovator Technology competition was as exciting as ever, both for the entrants and judges. “The decisions have not been easy,” admitted Phil Matten, Executive Director of the Fastener & Fixing Magazine and one of the judges, at the award ceremony. “All of the entrants should genuinely consider themselves winners for their understanding that innovation plays a crucial role in the success of the fastener industry, as well as their individual businesses.”

Joining Matten on the judging panel were Bernd Stapf, recently retired secretary of the European Fastener Distributors Association, and Mark Salmon, a highly regarded independent fixings consultant. Recognition of experienced judges on an international forum says a lot about the appreciation that Nord-Lock X-series have already gained for its revolutionary new design possibilities and ability to meet market ever increasing needs.

The new multifunctional solution from Nord-Lock ensures a problem-free bolted joint, from design and installation to operation and maintenance, and adds benefits throughout application’s lifespan. “The success of the product and the Silver Award at the show in Stuttgart wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of everyone involved with the X-series washer. I am happy to work with such a great team, they are doing a fantastic job,” summarizes Andreas.

Learn about the X-series principle
Read more about the Fastener Innovator results

The post Nord-Lock X-series wins Silver at the Fastener Innovator 2013 appeared first on Nord-Lock.

“Our bolt securing systems, including both wedge locking products and MJTs, which are particularly ideal for bigger bolts, secure the world’s most critical bolted joints. A good number of these can be found within wind turbine towers; from the foundation bolts to the joints keeping the different sections of the tower secured and numerous applications within the turbine itself. Turbine applications typically include front and rear main bearings, yaw bearings and bolts on the nacelle frame, as well as bolted joints connecting the main shaft to the hub, and the blades to the bearing”, says Sales Manager Brian Troest, Nord-Lock Denmark.

“By joining the DWIA we want to build our network and strengthen our relationships further in this industry. Nord-Lock is also a member of the Finnish wind power association, an interesting market, where we can now see increased activity within wind power“, says Anders Manfred, Sales Manager Northern Europe.

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From our original wedge lock washers, to Superbolt tensioners, and introducing our newest innovation, the X-series multifunctional lock washer, Nord-Lock will have the most advanced bolting technology available today, on display.

Visit our events calendar today to see when we will be coming to a trade show near you!

The post Nord-Lock bolting technology coming to a city near you! appeared first on Nord-Lock.

One of the most extreme races in the world, the Dakar Rally had 448 vehicles entered in four classes of competition. Participants traveled over 8,500 kilometers in some of the toughest terrain known to man. The vehicles must be designed to withstand these harsh conditions, and the bolted joints on these machines are an important factor to any racing team’s success.

The French-based team Xtreme Plus used Nord-Lock wedge-locking washers on the mechanical assembled parts and Nord-Lock X-series washers on the Kevlar-carbon parts assemblies of their Polaris 900 RZR buggy.
The Xtreme Plus team had a successful Dakar, with driver Willy Alcaraz (racing number 350) winning the new-to-Dakar T3 class and Nicolas Duclos (racing number 386) No.2`ranking within the same category. Furthermore, Alcaraz’s team mates, Nicolas Duclos and co-driver Sebastien Delaunay, were awarded the title ‘Best Rookies in 2013.’ Congratulations to the Xtreme Plus team!

Thomas Berglund used Nord-Lock washers on his bike to ensure his bolted connections would stay tight. “The biggest problem is the vibrations. It is common for the bolts to loosen due to the extreme vibrations…”, says Thomas, who experienced a dangerous situation in 2011 when his handlebar came loose, twice.

“For the 2013 rally, I secured all the bolted joints of the additional equipment mounted on my bike with Nord-Lock X-series washers. I chose these because they offer the highest security on the market.”

Both teams were pleased with their results using Nord-Lock washers. For more information on the Dakar rally, please visit www.dakar.com.

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One particular application, the crosshead jamnut, is well known for the difficult and unsafe bolting methods used to attempt to tighten it. Common methods include using sledgehammers and overhead cranes. As an example, one petrochemical company employee had his jaw broken and facial damage when the wrench he had hit with a sledgehammer slipped and hit him. Other common occurrences include hand, arm, and back injuries.

The large sizes of piston rods make it especially difficult to obtain proper tightness. Since tightening the crosshead nut requires going through an inspection door there is little room to maneuver.

Superbolt multi-jackbolt tensioners from Nord-Lock make the installation of piston rods easy. Thousands of crosshead jamnuts have been used in the field. The torque on the individual jackbolts is applied with only a hand held torque wrench to achieve a high preload. This eliminates the dangerous and inaccurate bolting methods commonly used.

Ease of use and reliability have led to many customers outfitting all their critical reciprocating compressor bolting components with multi-jackbolt tensioners.

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The positive results were immediate and impressed everyone involved in the process; Nord-Lock themselves, the suppliers, the owner and the external LEAN coaches. “These kinds of results are usually seen in companies after working with LEAN for ten years or more,” says LEAN coach Anna Godevärn (pictures left) from Produktionslyftet, who has guided Nord-Lock throughout the journey. The efforts have also gained national recognition, with Nord-Lock among the five finalists for the Swedish Lean Award 2012.

In one year, the 110 employees of the Mattmar based factory have come up with impressive 900 suggestions for improvement in their own work. So far, the company has carried out about 550 of these.

“As an employee, it is truly rewarding to experience that you have such a great deal of influence your work processes,” says Jonas Panther, operator of the factory gluing line, and coordinator of his team’s improvement work.

Nord-Lock has moved around machinery, to shorten throughput time and also make the production flow more transparent. “Where we used to have 10000 tractor kilometers annually only moving washers between the different steps in the coating process, we are now working with a well-planned route,” says production manager Daniel Eriksson (pictured left). For the customer, the results of the new LEAN culture primarily show in the significantly improved lead times.

Although Nord-Lock has already exceeded everyone’s expectations in the very first year of the LEAN process, there are no plans to stop there. Erik Jonsson (pictured right), LEAN manager at Nord-Lock, still sees plenty of room for improvement. “In three years from now, we will we will have a truly transparent flow throughout the whole production system, as well as the administration. Also, we will have deepened our supply chain relationships with both suppliers and customers, in order to extend the LEAN process as far as possible.”

• To learn more about the Swedish LEAN award, click here.
• To read the full version of this announcement, click here.

The post Nord-Lock among finalists for Swedish LEAN award 2012 appeared first on Nord-Lock.

Whether it is upstream or downstream, the Nord-Lock Group is the globally trusted partner when it comes to bolted joints in the Oil & Gas industry. We have extensive experience and a proven track record, and also hold certifications and are recommended in several best practice documents and handbooks in the Oil & Gas industry.

This new brochure highlights the bolting applications Oil & Gas companies and workers are facing, and how the Nord-Lock Group has the expertise and technology to meet these challenges. Find out how Nord-Lock can help you on your drilling equipment, top drives, rotating equipment, cranes, blowout preventers, turbines, compressors, fracturing pumps, and more!

Oil & Gas brochure available here!

The post New brochure covers critical Oil & Gas bolting applications appeared first on Nord-Lock.

In this issue we also visit the French company Poma and its facilities. This designer and manufacturer of cable-based public transport discusses how Nord-Lock helps them achieve maximum security for their critical bolts.

You can learn about yet another interesting solution in the Nord-Lock product portfolio: tamper-resistant Superbolt tensioners. This product helps companies ensure their applications will not be tampered with by unwanted parties.

That’s not all! Racing enthusiasts will be particularly interested in our story on Donkervoort sports cars, and an article about the challenges of ice racing. The magazine also features an interview with Mr Andrzej Serednicki from DNV, who talks about their rigorous certification process and its significance to offshore safety.

Bolted 2, 2012 is available in seven languages: English, German, Japanese, French, Chinese, Swedish and Finnish. Visit www.bolted.com to find out more and download the magazine in PDF!

We would be very happy to learn what you would like to read about in the next issue. Send us your suggestions!

The post Bolted 2, 2012 is now available! appeared first on Nord-Lock.

See the film below for the reportage from the exhibition, which includes a special interview with Frédéric Silvert, Chief Technical Officer at Nenuphar, where he provided his views on the Nord-Lock X-series.

Following the official launch of Nord-Lock X-series, more exciting events and activities will be coming soon! Do check out our Events calendar.

Would you like to learn more about how you can benefit from this multifunctional wedge-locking product? Contact us.

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