Items filtered by date: May 2019

Thamsanqa “Thami’ Shongwe is WearCheck’s new in-house instrument technician. Armed with a national diploma in electrical engineering (light current), and several years of experience as an electronic technician, a production technician and a repair technician – this has stood him in good stead to ensure that he is highly instrumental in keeping the company’s laboratory equipment operating accurately and efficiently.

Thami is responsible for maintaining all the instruments in 15 of the 16 WearCheck laboratories - those that are situated on the African continent.

Lubricants can thermally degrade for a variety of reasons and causes. Unlike oxidation, thermal failure can occur in new lubricants with healthy additive packages. However, many of the symptoms of oxidation are also symptoms of thermal degradation.

One of the most common causes of thermal failure in hydraulic fluids and some lubricating oils relates to aeration, i.e. entrained air bubbles. These bubbles can become rapidly compressed in hydraulic pumps and in the squeeze zones of bearings. This results in high localized temperatures. Hot surface carbonization is another form of thermal failure. When an oil thermally degrades, problems associated with sludge, varnish, deposits, viscosity change and additive decomposition will often occur.

Dennis Swanepoel – WearCheck’s reliability solutions consultant, Mobius trainer and CAT IV graduate – just returned from the latest CBM (Condition Based Monitoring) Conference in the Middle East, where he conducted four different presentations for delegates from all over the globe.

The sessions run by Dennis included two one day presentations - Animated Introduction to Vibration Analysis and Practical Vibration Analysis, and two 45 minute presentations titled Time Waveform Setup Fundamentals and Practical High Frequency Demodulation.

WearCheck MD Neil Robinson says the company is proud of Dennis. ‘It is a great honour to be invited to present to such high-calibre delegates on highly technical issues. These topics are Dennis’ areas of expertise, and we are delighted that he is gaining international recognition for his in-depth reliability solutions knowledge.’

To add to the honour, Dennis is currently serving a year-long term as an editorial board member of the international organisation CBMConnect, which is run by the Mobius Institute. The board is made up of nine industry thought leaders from around the world and is tasked with guiding condition-based maintenance multimedia content for CBM professionals.

Image left: Dennis Swanepoel, WearCheck’s reliability solutions consultant, Mobius trainer and CAT IV graduate, presented four papers at the CBM conference in Abu Dhabi recently.

Image right: Dennis Swanepoel is on the editorial board for CBMConnect this year, run by the Mobius Institute. Here, he discusses vibration analysis with another delegate at the CBM conference in the Middle East in April.

WearCheck will once again be exhibiting at African Utility Week (AUW), which takes place in Cape Town from 14 to 16 May 2019. We will be at stand H6 – please come and meet us.

We offer specialist condition monitoring services across many industries, including the electrical/power generation sector. Our Transformer Chemistry Services division and our Reliability Solutions division will be showcased at AUW.

We believe that, to minimise maintenance costs, it is critically important to boost the health of components, including transformers, engines, gearboxes and electric motors. Optimum health of components is achieved through regular assessment and used oil analysis. Examination of the physical condition of components helps avoid unplanned failure, while transformer health is monitored through regular assessment of insulating fluid.

Compared with the cost of unplanned machinery failure, investment in regularly-scheduled oil testing is a cost-effective and sound maintenance practice that helps optimise the life of components. Other condition monitoring techniques include vibration analysis, balancing, alignment, motor circuit analysis and thermography.

Remember - come and meet WearCheck at stand H6 at AUW. Visit www.wearcheck.co.za or https://www.african-utility-week.com/ for more info.

Contact WearCheck on tel. (031) 700-5460 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. – we are standing by to help you reduce your maintenance costs.

Calling all Capetonians - WearCheck is running these training courses this month: Oil Analysis 1 (14^th, 15^th May) and Oil Analysis 2 (16^th May) at Eversdal.

It’s a proven fact – the maintenance costs are reduced for machinery or components that undergo regular condition monitoring in the form of oil analysis, and they also have far less unplanned failure. To gain a deeper understanding of oil analysis and how it can benefit both you and your company, sign up for the next training course, which takes place next week. To book your spot email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you can’t make the Cape Town courses, here are future dates for other courses around the country:

2019 WearCheck Training Courses

Oil Analysis One covers two full days and costs R6 660.  Oil Analysis Two and the NetCheck course cover one full day each and each costs R3 450.  All courses include course material, refreshments, giveaways and certificates. Prices exclude VAT and are subject to change. 

For more details on course content, view Training at www.wearcheck.co.za. For bookings contact Michelle van Dyk on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On-site training

All courses can also be presented at the customer’s premises for a minimum of ten delegates. 

WearCheck also offers two more on-site courses:

• WearCheck Practical (in English or Zulu), a half day course costing R860 plus VAT per delegate
• WearCheck Customised – oil analysis for workshop technicians, a full day course costing R3 000 plus VAT per delegate.

For on-site training, there may be an additional charge for the lecturer’s travel and accommodation, if needed.

Arrange a training course near you

Training courses can also be arranged in any of the following areas:

• Bloemfontein
• Cape Town
• Kimberley
• Makopane
• Middelburg
• Nelspruit
• Port Elizabeth
• Rustenburg
• Steelpoort
• Botswana
• Namibia
• Tanzania (Mwanza)
• Zambia (Kitwe)