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Apart from our fans and other equipment, CFW offers a comprehensive set of customer services. Our solutions aim to encompass all aspects necessary to ensure that our clients’ air systems perform at their best across their lifetime. We offer excellent after-sales services and repair, retro-fitting of existing systems and various design and project services. Make CFW part of your PPM programme to ensure that your ventilation and process control air equipment continues to function optimally.

Our knowledge base comprehends all aspects of air technology, not only the supply of equipment.

With the extensive experience we have built up over the years, we are able to identify and solve problems in integrating fans and climate control equipment into a factory. It is no coincidence that our advice on environmental control systems and associated cost savings is continually sought.

Often, many factors and variables need to be taken into account when doing troubleshooting of air systems. With a systems approach to air technology solutions, it is possible to avoid a great deal of trouble.

The sales-related services we offer include site and fan inspection, fan repair and replacement of any make of fan, providing spare parts, and after-sales servicing and maintenance. It is recommended that customers undertake regular maintenance or contract for after-sales maintenance, as proper procedures in this regard have a significant effect on the product’s life, safety and efficiency. The costs of unpredictable fan failure include not only that of the parts, but can also cause serious injury and damage to surrounding equipment where the impeller is large.

Aspects of the system that are must be considered include

  • fixings
  • correct clearances
  • coupling alignment and lubrication
  • parts replacement (motors, bearings and other parts)
  • impeller balancing
  • vibration analysis
  • cleaning

Our engineers will also advise factory personnel on procedures for basic maintenance and signs of possible future problems.

Engineering, Design and Development Services

CFW’s engineers have extensive experience with fan design and development. We offer services related to this field for a host of applications.

Mechanical Design

CFW offers mechanical design services for a number of industries.

CFW’s capabilities start with CAD/CAM programming. Our mechanical design team includes 12 mechanical designers and all designs are done in 3D Cad (SolidWorks). Designs are created with a strong emphasis on the exact needs of clients, energy efficiency, compactness, simplicity and user-friendliness. The designers pay great attention to detail. No parts are manufactured without a detail drawing showing the drawing number, type of material, all dimensions and critical tolerances. For fast and correct after-sales services, drawing numbers are clearly indicated in our spares manual. We can then use CNC forming, CNC punching and CNC bending to produce parts.

Electrical Design, PLC programming and control and monitoring software

CFW Projects has its own electrical department, offering services including electrical design, PLC programming, panel building and wiring. EPLAN is used for designs and a high standard is maintained for electrical drawings, which are included in our spares manual. The preferred control systems for PLC programming include Siemens and Allen Bradley models. With the resources at our disposal, CFW can also provide excellent product and after-sales services.

 Project Management

Because the CFW group is committed to producing the correct results on time, all sales are internally treated as a project, whether they involve a single item or turnkey delivery of a complete production line. Careful planning and resource management characterise our approach to project management.

We benchmark the quality of our equipment against the high European manufacturing standards and all exported equipment complies with European safety standards (CE).

Our in-house quality department ensures high quality on all our products. To maintain the high standard of quality, our measuring devices are calibrated on regular intervals.

AIR SYSTEMS ENERGY OPTIMISATION

At CFW, we offer consultation on air system energy efficiency from some of the most experienced specialists in Southern Africa. Our decades of wide-ranging work in air technology engineering mean that we can provide solutions for virtually any system making use of fans, including:

  • Commercial and industrial kitchen ventilation
  • Mining ventilation
  • Domestic and commercial HVAC and evaporative cooling systems
  • Industrial process air systems (e.g. convection furnaces)
  • Pneumatic conveying systems

Higher energy prices and ever more stringent legal requirements mean that opportunities for increasing energy efficiency are an important cost-cutting measure for a wide variety of industries. Optimising HVAC and industrial process air systems is part of this drive to improve savings. While they have often been overlooked in the past, air systems are known to make up a large part of total energy consumption. While energy consumption can differ widely, research suggests that the proportion of total energy use accounted for by ventilation is about 28% for commercial kitchens and 50% for mines (up to a third is of power use in mines is accounted for by the fans alone).

Air systems energy optimisation is a complex field that calls for dedicated solutions. Usually, a holistic solution or “systems approach” is needed – merely replacing parts will not produce good results.

To minimise energy use while ensuring that the system continues to perform adequately, we will consider the fans, fan accessories, ducting, vents, and airflow patterns in the building or other space and make the appropriate recommendations. We also provide the necessary equipment and installation services should they be required.

Whether you are installing a new system, upgrading an existing one or only making adjustments, CFW will work with you to ensure optimum performance for your system at the lowest operating and maintenance costs.

It is important to remember that energy optimisation does not mean the minimum energy use apart from all other considerations. If an air system cannot provide enough air when and where it is needed, or if it becomes inordinately difficult and costly to maintain, the price of lower energy use will outweigh the benefits. Fortunately, energy-saving improvements often go hand in hand with longer equipment life and lower noise.

The particular optimisation strategies recommended may vary. However, they might include:

  • Controlling fan speeds. Eliminating excess is the most fundamental principle of efficiency. Various ways of controlling fan operation are available. In many cases the higher capital cost of variable-frequency drives on fans is justified by the savings in operating costs. When ventilation or process loads are lower, fan speeds can often be reduced accordingly. Because the fan affinity laws state that horsepower is proportional to the cube of speed, a relatively small reduction in fan speeds can result in a large reduction in fan power consumption. For example, in the ideal situation, a 10% reduction in fan speed will lead to a reduction of 27% in power use.
  • Optimising ducting diameters. This results in reduced friction and pressure drops, reducing the energy consumption of fans.
  • Implementing IGV control on large centrifugal fans.
  • Improving system layout. More duct turns and turns at greater angles have higher pressure losses. The location of fans and vents is also important to ensure that air is properly distributed.
  • Selecting the right ancillary equipment. Fan accessories such as guards, louvers and cones all have advantages, but tend to increase the power demand of the system.
  • Implementing advanced computer control systems. This reduces the effort and possibility of human error inherent in manual control of the air system.
  • Reconfiguring according to the loads that are actually placed on the system at various times. This will involve carefully ascertaining how the air system is used in practice. For example, long experience has led many agricultural users of fans (e.g. for livestock barns and greenhouses) to install multiple fans that are sized and selected according to the needs of a certain time of year.
  • Recommending a maintenance programme. Dust and debris in the air system will reduce the total system efficiency considerably. Fan components need to be properly lubricated, leaks repaired and louvers, impeller blades and filters cleaned or replaced as necessary.

Product Testing in Airflow Lab

CFW offers product testing for airflow in the same facility in which our own products are tested. This laboratory conforms to ISO 5801, so that you can be assured that the performance of your product is assessed in accordance with international standards.

While fans may appear to be simple devices, they are precision machines that often operate under high and variable stresses in the field. In order to ensure optimum performance, thorough testing needs to be conducted. Air performance testing involves measurement of airflow, pressure, power and efficiency characteristics. This gives an indication of what the fan is capable of under particular circumstances. The testing equipment includes a large wind tunnel and an array of mechanical and electronic measurement equipment.

The ISO 5801 standards specify tests for all combinations of ducted and free inlets and outlets (installation types A, B, C and D).

Due to the complexity of factors influencing airflow in the field, laboratory testing cannot guarantee that the fan will perform at its maximum efficiency where it is installed. A great number of operating conditions, such as obstructions, accessories, ducting pressure drops and ambient temperature and humidity, need to be taken into account. For this reason, it is advisable to have the manufacturer or a third-party professional to assess the performance of the product in situ.

Using the results, it is possible to prevent using the fan in situations unsuited to its design characteristics. Attempting to do so can result in reduced efficiency and airflow, greatly increased noise, accelerated wear and higher maintenance costs. Operating the fan in an unstable region can eventually result in catastrophic failure.

We also determine the vibration and noise characteristics of the fans. These two aspects of fan performance are closely related and relate both to whether the fan will be disturbing to people living or working where the fan is operating and to the expected life of the fan. The inlet, outlet and total sound power produced may be determined. These tests are normally performed separately from the airflow lab tests.

This testing process ensures that all the fans we develop are optimised for airflow, noise and a longer operational life.

CNC AND FABRICATION

SERVICES (OEM MANUFACTURING)

CFW’s manufacturing facility is constantly upgraded with latest machinery, ensuring competitiveness, consistency, best quality and a fast aftersales service. The CFW group’s experience as a successful industrial design and manufacturing company demonstrates our understanding of the need for outstanding metalworking services. We provide CNC machining, CNC machining, CNC punching, CNC bending, CNC forming, CNC spinning, stainless steel fabrication, and Laser Profiling.

The type of machining you will need depends on the accuracy, repeatability and production rates required as well as the final product that is desired.

CNC Machining

We provide CNC turning and milling services for computerised mass production of a wide variety of items, including hubs, pulleys, blades and other parts.

CNC turning is used to make parts by rotating a work piece and feeding a cutting device into the material. The machine used can thus be considered a kind of lathe. The shape of the cutting tool and the angle at which it strikes the work piece can be varied to produce various parts that are symmetrical around some axis of revolution, with many types of profiles and threaded surfaces if needed. Chess pawns are a type of item that can be made with CNC turning. Multiple axes can be used for more flexibility, and the process can be combined with CNC milling for a great range of parts.

CNC Punching

CFW provides fast, accurate and economical punching of mild steel and aluminium sheet up to 6.0 mm thick and stainless steel up to 3.0 mm thick. Our equipment and experience enable us to produce high-quality sheet metal products at competitive prices.

We use an Amada CNC turret press brake with a press capacity of 29-30 tonnes, capable of handling sheet sizes of up to 1270 mm x 3660 mm. Cost-effective for low-volume runs and excellent for fast prototyping, this machine can blank or punch to produce a wide variety of complex parts. With the right tools, it is suitable for producing vents, louvers and extrusions of various kinds.

CNC punching lets one make parts from a work sheet by preparing a part programme that runs on a computer. This determines the movement of the work sheet on the machine, the tools used, and punching and forming, thus automating the operations needed to produce the part. Many CNC punching machines can now do laser or plasma cutting, automated loading, unloading, storage, retrieval or sorting of parts and other operations when optional extras are added.

With a full turret punch press, work sheets can be moved, tools selected, and various auxiliary operations can be performed to further automate parts production. The reprogrammable nature of CNC turret punch presses means that runs of various sizes can be produced and part designs can be easily revised at little or no retooling cost.

CNC Bending

CFW offers a flexible and effective service for fast and precise sheet metal bending. With modern, electronically controlled press brake machinery incorporating automatic bend sensing technology, we handle jobs requiring bending lengths of 4000 mm and press force of up to 320 tonnes. Our skilled CAD designers and press brake machine operators are of great value for the sheet metal fabrication industry.

With CNC bending, plastic deformation of the shape of a material normally takes place around a single axis. This distinguishes it from press forming, which is used to create more complex shapes using multiple axes.

The main failure mechanisms for bending with softer materials are adhesive and abrasive wear. Harder materials may be susceptible to additional failure mechanisms such as galling and plastic deformation.

Modern press brakes typically use “air bending”, where the die assembly is such that the bend in the work sheet occurs between areas that touch the die.

CNC Forming

CFW handles CNC forming for complex components.

CNC forming applies plastic deformation to a material by using a computer-controlled press brake. Shaping, making shallow impressions and flanging can be done on a part that has been taken from sheet metal. It is similar to bending, but can produce more complex components.

Forming can be done on aluminium as well as a variety of steels and other alloys. Applications include the fabrication of metal framing and housing for specific parts, mass production of machine and equipment brackets and some part decoration.

CNC Spinning

CFW uses a computerised multifunctional machine that can function as a CNC spinning lathe as well as doing punching.

Stainless Steel Fabrication

We offer cutting, bending, and welding facilities for light and heavy gauge stainless steel plate. Our flame-cutting and welding services include the most common industrial arc welding processes. These include both types of gas metal inert welding (metal inert gas: MIG; and metal active gas: MAG), usually favoured because it is fast and versatile.

MMA (manual metal arc welding), also called by other names such as flux shielded arc welding, shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) or “stick welding”, is the most preferred method for maintenance and repair because it is simple, flexible and economical. Usually, the sheet metal used is more than 3 mm thick. It is also used in steel construction and fabrication.

Tungsten inert gas (TIG) or gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is used where more control is needed, often producing a better weld, but is much slower and more difficult. It is often used for aluminium and alloy fabrication (e.g. stainless steel). It works best for sheets less than 0.6 cm thick.

Industries served include the automotive, food processing and power generation industries. We can produce sheet metal racks, housings, tanks, frames and many other products.

Laser Profiling

We offer laser profiling facilities, providing excellent service, competitive pricing and on-time delivery. Our dedicated CAD designers and machine operators will produce custom parts at low cost.

For high-precision, versatile and cost-effective cutting of parts, laser cutting is often the solution. The narrow kerf that is produced helps to reduce the amount of the original material that is wasted, and there is little burring.

Contact Us

Address

Cape Town, South Africa (HQ)

3 Parin Road, Parow Industria, 7500, Western Cape

Johannesburg, South Africa

4 Chilworth Road, Founders View North, Modderfontein, Edenvale, 1645, Gauteng

Phone

Cape Town, South Africa (HQ)

T +27 (0)21 931 8331
F +27 (0)21 931 3165

Johannesburg, South Africa

T +27 (0)11 452 5830 / 5146
F +27 (0)11 452 5132

Email

Cape Town, South Africa (HQ)

environmental@cfw.co.za

 Johannesburg, South Africa

environmentaljhb@cfw.co.za

Mailing address:

P.O. Box 1542, Parow, 7499, South Africa