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Supporting Businesses Worldwide.

FIND US: 1140 Gervais Avenue, Maplewood, MN 55109

CONTACT: (651) 653-5098
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HāF Equipment Acquires Semi-Bulk Systems, Expanding Ingredient Handling Capabilities

HāF Equipment Acquires Semi-Bulk Systems, Expanding Ingredient Handling Capabilities…Read More

Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT)

Engineer conducting factory acceptance test in food material handling equipment facility

by Erik Sutton and Aaron Gilles

Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) is a more in depth process than you may realize. This article covers the importance of FATs, as well as the ins and outs of a Factory Acceptance Testing Facility. Continue reading to learn more about how an exceptional FAT benefits the raw material handling equipment that makes up your manufacturing process.

What is a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT)?

A Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) is a process in which a manufacturer tests a machine or system before it is delivered to the customer. This process is done to ensure everything has been made and is working properly and all of the customer’s requirements are met.

Why Do a Factory Acceptance Test?

There is value to performing a Factory Acceptance Test for the customer. An FAT has many benefits that can significantly improve the overall success of a project. Performing a thorough test in a controlled environment helps detect any potential hazard with the equipment. This improves safety and reliability. A FAT equipment qualification also ensures that the equipment meets the specified requirements and functions before the equipment is shipped. This step helps in identifying and correcting any issues before installation. This reduces the risk of delays and further costs.

The purpose of factory acceptance testing is to promote better communication and collaboration between the manufacturer and the client. Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) provides an opportunity for both parties to understand the system’s operation and performance, leading to enhanced trust and satisfaction.

Lastly, it can result in cost savings. Early detection and resolution of issues means fewer on-site modifications and less downtime. This ultimately contributes to more efficient and economical project execution. Overall, factory acceptance testing is a critical step in ensuring quality, safety, and efficiency in industrial projects.

What is a Factory Acceptance Testing Facility?

A well-designed factory acceptance testing facility hosts an array of equipment, processes, systems and services, all specifically designed to ensure the highest standards of quality and performance. HaF Equipment offers a testing facility for customers to visit and utilize. Their engineers and technicians are working, researching, and enhancing the testing facility on a daily basis. Safety protocols are strictly adhered to, ensuring that every product leaving the facility meets stringent industry regulations. Each HaF team member plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and reliability of the equipment and material being tested. Some examples of equipment HaF designs and supplies to its customers include:

HaF Can Help! 

Organizing and executing FATs is one of the many services HaF can provide to support its customers and help execute projects to grow their businesses. CONTACT US to learn more about how HaF can support you.

HaF Equipment is a raw ingredient and material handling equipment manufacturer whose systems are designed to focus on partner success and excellence across various verticals and applications, from the food industry to pharmaceuticals and plastics to tires and rubber. HaF is a USA-based company supporting businesses worldwide. We are committed to our customers’ success through service with integrity and purpose. Factory Acceptance Testing helps bring an added benefit to their success.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS


Erik Sutton
Erik Sutton has been a Design Engineer for HaF Equipment for over one year. He received his degree in mechanical engineering.

Aaron Gilles
Aaron Gilles has been with HaF Equipment for two years. He is the Shipping and Receiving Specialist.

Quality Control Process

Equipment being built in Haf Equipment ensuring quality control

By Ansley Williams and Patrick Utecht

Quality control at HaF is a crucial aspect of our production process. Ensuring that each piece of equipment is manufactured to HaF’s elite standards is imperative. HaF strives to have all of our equipment operating at optimal performance levels to prevent costly errors, reduce waste, and maintain product consistency. In order to fully understand the critical role that quality control plays in manufacturing, it is important to know the details of this essential process.

What is Quality Control?

Quality Control is an integral part of the manufacturing process. However, the manufacturing quality control process looks a little different at HaF compared to other companies. Some companies use statistics to determine how many parts they need to inspect from a batch. This limited inspection gives the company confidence that there will only be an acceptable amount of defective parts without shaking the customers’ confidence in their product. At HaF, however, every single piece of equipment is checked to ensure it arrives at the customer site exactly the way it was designed. This standard of excellence in the quality control process is still maintained even if components were fabricated outside of HaF.

Who is Involved in the Quality Control Process?

HaF Equipment is passionate about having the whole team involved throughout the entire quality control process. Design engineers, project engineers, and service engineers all inspect each piece of equipment before it ships out. Even the sales engineers have a hand in the inspection process. We ensure our team actually interacts with the equipment they design, which gives them a deeper understanding of the equipment they work with every day. The team members involved sign off on their equipment after inspection. This step in the manufacturing quality control process holds the project team accountable for the work they have done.

How Do We Perform Quality Control at HaF?

The quality control process at HaF begins with inspection sheets. These quality control inspection sheets are prepared for each piece of equipment that HaF designs, manufactures, and ships out. By using these forms, HaF ensures that everyone performs a quality control inspection in the same way. This is helpful for providing consistent data even when multiple project teams are assessing several different types of equipment. In addition to providing internal accountability, these reports are shared with the customer. HaF’s level of quality control is completed for both fabrication and assembly.

Fabrication

This is where all individual components are created, prior to assembly, and are checked to make sure they match the engineer’s design, function properly, and use the proper materials

  • Do the critical dimensions of the equipment match what is on the drawing?
  • Are the welds free of pits, cracks, and crevices?
  • Are the welds destained and continuous?
  • Do the gaskets seal properly?
  • Are components painted where they are supposed to be?
  • Do finishes match what is called out in the drawings?

Assembly

This is where all components are checked to make sure they are present on the equipment, assembled correctly, and functioning properly.

  • Are all components present and assembled in the correct orientations?
  • Do compressed air components function and seal properly?
  • Do electrical components power on and work correctly?
  • Does the bolt finish match the construction grade?
  • Are fasteners all tightened down properly?
  • Are pipe fittings sealed properly?
  • Are washers included where specified and required?
  • Are all necessary safety stickers adhered in the correct places?

HaF is Dedicated to Customer Success

Team HaF understands the importance of quality control. That is why if a team member notices something is not covered in the quality control form — the form is changed! HaF does not operate at status quo. The manufacturing quality control process is ever evolving, so our team challenges themselves to be better than the day before! We value the success of our customers and want to bring them the very best equipment. HaF starts the quality control process as the equipment is in fabrication and follows it through to assembly. If something in fabrication or assembly needs to be corrected, action is taken immediately to confirm the equipment has met the elite level of standards HaF has in place. At HaF the quality control process is a team effort. Everyone is expected to be involved and responsible for the duration of the project.

ABOUT HaF

HaF Equipment offers turnkey services for projects big and small. Our team understands the concerns of our customers and takes the time to listen. We develop a plan and communicate along the way. If you need someone you can trust and want to eliminate the stress of managing all the details of your next project, HaF is Ready To Connect.

CONTACT US today to discuss your next project and how our team can help from concept to system solution.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ansley Williams
Ansley Williams is a Design Engineer for HaF Equipment. She has been working as an engineer in the material handling industry for one year, and received her masters degree in mechanical engineering in 2022.

Patrick Utecht
Patrick Utecht is the Design Engineering Manager for HaF Equipment. He has been a driving force of innovation for HaF Equipment for over 19 years.

Air Pollution Control Equipment and Solutions

Air Pollution Control Equipment

by: Hannah Niesen and Kao Vang

In 1970, the Clean Air Act was enacted to combat a variety of air emission pollution problems and to tackle emerging and future pollution threats.

By reducing the amount of harmful chemicals released into our atmosphere, we preserve the environment for the future. But in order to do this, acid gas emissions and the release of other harmful chemicals into the atmosphere must be reduced. As a business specializing in custom-engineered material handling equipment, HaF Equipment provides air pollution control solutions, technologies, and equipment that benefit our clientele and the environment.

The Role of Technology to Combat Air Pollution

When most people think about air pollution, they envision smog-filled cities or factories belching out black smoke. While these are certainly significant sources of pollution, there are actually many sources of air pollution, both natural and man-made. Air pollution was primarily seen as an unavoidable by-product of human activity in the past. However, as our understanding of the effects has grown, so has our ability to combat air pollution. HaF Equipment is dedicated to utilizing sound technology to continue the fight against air pollution with specially designed equipment and design solutions like those identified below.

Air Pollution Control Equipment

Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) systems removes acid gases like SO2, HCI and SO3 from an exhaust stream that is found in fuel combustion processes. DSI systems are ideal for air emissions regulatory compliance requirements for a variety of reasons:

  1. DSI is the lowest capital cost solution
  2. DSI has the smallest footprint, and
  3. DSI has the most flexible installation needs.

Commonalities in DSI systems are pressure conveying system, rotary feeders, splitters, and lances.

Baghouses accommodate a large range of particulate sizes and outlet emission targets.  Because of our extensive design capabilities, we can also design baghouses for a variety of temperatures.  And our designs are proven to limit stressful burdens on bags, which reduces the risk of broken bag incidences.

Baghouses can also be used in conjunction with our DSI systems. This improves acid gas removal efficiency by taking advantage of a filter cake built up on the baghouse filter media.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Technology (CFD modeling) is an analytical tool that can be used to predict airflow and particulate behavior in a flue gas duct. CFD modeling can be used to identify high-impact areas of optimization in the process of combating air pollution.

Pneumatic conveying.  HaF Equipment has solutions for ash handling: vacuum conveying, pressure conveying and mechanical conveying. Each conveying method can be achieved using a variety of products that we can customize to a specific need; even those that are dependent on conveying distance, ash loading, and temperature profiles.

Summary:
HaF Equipment is here to assist you with technology and air pollution control equipment solutions that will help you with your manufacturing while lessening the burden on the environment. Contact a HaF account manager today to see what air pollution strategies we can provide you.

CONTACT US today to discuss your material handling equipment needs.