Fluid precision - optimised IMI Precision Engineering

IMI Precision Engineering is a long-established British company headquartered in Birmingham. It specialises in the design and manufacture of highly engineered products that control the precise movement of fluids. Today it is focused on high growth sectors that include energy, transportation and infrastructure, as Philip Yorke reports.

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IMI Precision engineering was founded in 1862 by Scottish entrepreneur, George Kynoch. Initially it made percussion caps, parts for bicycles and components made from non-ferrous metals. Today it is a global leader in three key industrial sectors: critical engineering, precision engineering and hydronic engineering. IMI stands for Imperial Metal Industries – the name was adopted on the 100th anniversary of the company in 1962. IMI Precision Engineering is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a component of the Financial Times top 100 UK companies. In 2018 IMI employed over 11,000 people and recorded sales of around €2 billion. Critical engineering advances

IMI’s Critical Engineering division’s ‘Value engineering’ is a core component of its New Product Development activities and over the last two years has enhanced its skills and capability, which in turn has significantly improved its competitiveness. Despite challenging market conditions, this largest IMI division has won around half a billion pounds of new contracts since 2016, through its application of the company’s ‘Value Engineering’ tools and processes. On average, a cost reduction of more than 15 per cent has been delivered across all divisions.

Among this division’s recent 2018 contract wins, was an order for IMI Remosa to provide a package of products for installation in a Spanish Oil Refinery that was undergoing a major refurbishment programme. The product package included control systems, actuators and slide valves, which operate together in extreme temperatures of up to 980 degrees centigrade. These high precision products control and shut down the flow of liquids and gases during the critical “Crude oil to liquid fuels” conversion process. By utilising ‘Value Engineering’ IMI Remosa was able to significantly reduce welding and other manufacturing costs and deliver a solution for the customer at a cost-effective price.

Utilising the New Product Development processes that are now embedded across all its business sectors, IMI Critical Engineering developed and launched a new choke valve product line.

The 100DMT (Drag Multi-Trim) was created specifically for the growing Middle Eastern oil and gas market. This new product range offers a unique multi-trim solution for high flow environments and advanced noise abatement requirements.

As the energy industry faces the potential of “lower-for-longer” oil prices and rising costs, the 100DMT provides customers with an innovative and low-cost solution. The special valve range allows customers to use one valve for the entire lifetime of the oil well.

This is far more cost-effective than the current situation where customers are obliged to undertake expensive maintenance and change-out valves, as well as additional problems relating to pressure drop. However, with the 100DMT, the total life costs of operation are dramatically reduced.

New actuator solution

Recently IMI’s Precision Engineering division launched a new electric actuator solution that offers greater flexibility, enhanced control and significantly lower costs for industrial automation systems. Designed to reduce energy consumption and the total cost of ownership, IMI Precision Engineering’s unique electric actuator range was unveiled at the Hannover Messe Trade Fair in April this year. Ideally suited for a broad range of industrial applications, including automotive, packaging, labelling, machine tools and the food and beverage sectors, the innovative IMI Norgren ‘Elion’, increases the levels of precise, repeatable control and accurate positioning for industrial users.

The new product offers a range of flexible benefits including variable acceleration and deceleration and allows the cylinders to glide into position without stopping abruptly. This makes the IMI Norgren ’Elion’ ideal for applications where vibration and disruptive movement are not acceptable. This high-tech actuator allows multiple actuators to move in sync and change speed without the need to stop or overrun a position.

Based on ISO 15552, the new electric actuator offers the in-built flexibility of multiple intermediate positions, ensuring acceleration and constant speeds are controllable and predictable at all times.

Perfect balancing act

Hydronic balancing is the key to achieving peak performance in global HVAC systems. IMI’s Hydronic division products provide high-precision valves that provide energy-efficient indoor climates at minimum operating costs. The division’s extensive range of innovative, balancing, control and actuating products have been refined and improved over many years of research and development. They deliver industry-leading solutions that help manufacturers effectively manage individual system elements to achieve hi-performing HVAC installations.

IMI Hydronics’ also offer a comprehensive range of balancing valves that deliver precise control and exceptional hydronic performance that are particularly suited for use on the secondary side in heating and cooling systems or tap water applications.

Manufactured from long-lasting corrosion and leak resistant ‘Ametal’® or stainless steel, the digital hand-wheel makes them easy to set and provides a positive shut-off function. It also simplifies essential maintenance and self-sealing measuring points. This help installers to quickly and efficiently achieve optimal balance control throughout the system.

Instant data access

Recently IMI Precision Engineering joined other leading component manufacturers to showcase comprehensive data for their products on the Eplan Data Portal. This is a web-based platform that can be freely used without charge. This new Data Portal gives specifiers and engineers instant access to high-quality, standardised information and CAD drawings for electrical, mechanical, fluidic and pneumatic products.

The Eplan Data Portal includes technical specifications, ordering information, installation manuals, graphical images, logical symbols and 3D macros for designing with the Eplan platform. The portal currently contains data for more than a million components sourced from over 220 manufacturers. n

For further details of IMI’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.imiplc.com