Category Archive:

Downtime Hurts, Redundancy is The Answer

Redundancy is a big word in business; it can be a great word or a bad word. If you have it, it’s a really good word. If you don’t, it’s a bad reminder of when you should’ve had it.

Tracking History, One Compressor at a Time

At Hycomp, we take manufacturing compressors seriously. When one of our compressors is placed with an end-user we do not believe our responsibility with that customer ends, not even when the warranty period is far past. In fact, we take that service a step further than most other companies.

The Compressor Tracking Record (CTR) is a database where we record all communications regarding individual compressors. It gives us a way to track all historical performance data and order history as well as all communication between the customer and Hycomp. Our CTR database also includes: customer contact information, design conditions, testing results, warranty card, photos, order history and performance history.

How it Works
Using the serial number as reference, we collect as much information as possible every time a customer calls, including: service conditions, changes in operation/application, customers concerns, etc. This information allows Hycomp service technicians to observe performance and diagnose/resolve potential issues before problems and unnecessary downtime turn costly.

Recently, an end-user utilized the Hycomp CTR by recording their own compressor conditions and parameters once a week for three months to track their compressor’s operational conditions and performance. They needed to ensure they would meet their scheduled date for preventative maintenance. This customer was so adamant about their air booster running perfectly—as it was such a critical piece of their pharmaceutical packaging process—that they simply could not afford to have any unscheduled downtime.

After compiling their data, they contacted Hycomp. Hycomp Service Technicians were able to review the performance of the compressor, via recorded data, and assured the customer that their compressor would meet the scheduled date for maintenance. Recording this customer’s conditions and parameters allowed us to keep their compressor running smoothly without a second of unscheduled downtime.

Why is this good for Hycomp Distributors?
Distributors do not need to keep a complete history on every compressor they have sold. Hycomp does it for you. We invite our distributors to use our CTR for sales and information. A distributor reminding an end-user when maintenance issues need to be handled and offering educated advice on required actions and parts purchasing can build a strong relationship of trust with their clients.

We work with our distributors to give them the exact information they need to accomplish this level of service. We are even willing to make those calls with our distributors. We want the compressor you purchase from us to run at top performance for its life, always purring and always producing.

Hycomp Digital Control: Smarter & Easier

Our customers spoke to us about potential improvements to the “Hycomp Digital Controllers” and specifically our HDC2 controllers, and we listened. Hycomp has completely overhauled the programming in our compressor digital control systems to streamline usability and increase functionality. We also continue to offer our standard level of control, the HDC1.

The Hycomp Digital Controller: Level 2 (HDC2) now includes several new features:
• Redesigned Process Overview and Details Screens
• Pump Up test Compressor Diagnostics
• Savable User Settings
• Restore Factory Default Settings

The Process Overview and Details Screens have been completely overhauled. Visual system improvements were made by moving from a text based interface to a graphical platform. The new design of the HDC2 interface has made navigation between screens more intuitive and user-friendly.

Distributor Training: Closing More Sales

Hycomp Distributor Training explains where we fit into your sales plan. We sell a niche product and are not looking to overtake any of your main product lines. We simply offer engineered solutions where others do not.

Receiving training offers many benefits, some benefits are obvious while others are not. Sometimes an end-user comes directly to Hycomp and requests a quote. When this happens, we try to match them with a trained distributor located within their area. This doesn’t happen every day, but it happens more often than one might think.

Last year we trained a distributor in the Southeastern United States. A few months later, a nearby steel company requested a quote directly from Hycomp for a nitrogen blanketing application. Hycomp Area Sales Manager, Ken Schiefer, felt confident our newly-trained distributor in that area could assist this company. Ken knew the distributor understood our products and knew how to sell them. A nitrogen booster was sold and is currently in operation.
That particular steel company was so impressed with the Hycomp equipment that they are currently looking at installing the same unit is several sister plants across North America. All sales will be going through trained Hycomp Distributors.

Our distributor training is specifically designed to provide you with the tools you need to make more high-dollar sales and build a deeper relationship of trust with your clients. They will know that when they have a problem, you have the solution.
“If opening up a distributor’s options to more quotes/opportunities is our goal (which it is), then the Hycomp Distributor Training can be called a huge success,” commented Rob Hunt, Hycomp Area Sales Manager, “When compared to the number of quotes generated in April, May & June of 2010, the Western US produced a 260% increase in quotes for those same three months this year! This just happens to parallel when the new distributor training was introduced and implemented with the distributor force.”

No matter what your needs are as a distributor or what markets you serve in your area, we offer the training that provides you with greater access to high-quality engineered solutions for your clients. Give them solutions – not just products. In return, they will give you loyalty – not just their business.

Major topics covered in initial training session:
• Who is Hycomp / The Hycomp Niche
• When & How to Sell Hycomp
• Industries & Applications
• Distributor Protection
• Sales Process Help

Service Training: Success With Air Liquide

When major OEM Air Liquide contacted us and asked if they could receive some service training on site at the Hycomp factory, Hycomp said… YES!

Ten men from multiple Air Liquide Process & Construction hubs around North America joined us for a two day service training seminar on June 7 & 8. Managers, engineers & service technicians came from Air Liquide to receive hands-on and classroom service training. When training was completed they walked away with a solid understanding of how to properly service and perform maintenance on Hycomp compressors, receiving the official Hycomp certification of: Hycomp Service & Repair.

Quality Manager Todd McGregor and Service Technician Andy Hansen headed up the training instruction in the classroom and hands-on demonstrations. Mike Durbin of Air Liquide commented, “Todd & Andy kept the class interesting… they included a good mix of ‘real world’ examples and experiences.”

When the training ended, Hycomp employees took the Air Liquide crew to nearby Logan Canyon, a local hot-spot for hiking, to walk The Crimson Trail and enjoy a Dutch oven dinner. Though the crew got caught in the rain towards the end of the four-mile hike, they certainly didn’t let that dampen their spirits. Dan Davey of Air Liquide commented, “Best corporate event ever!”

We would like to thank Air Liquide for the opportunity and privilege of providing them with service training at our manufacturing facility in Hyde Park, Utah. It was an honor to have them with us and we look forward to our next training session with them. We would also like to train any Hycomp Distributor that would like to be able to offer certified Hycomp Service & Repair.

Hycomp In Compressed Air Best Practices Magazine

Hycomp’s product was mentioned in the May 2020 edition of Compressed Air Best Practices. We would like to thank Rod Smith and the CABP editorial staff for our inclusion, and we look forward to the opportunity to add additional material to this excellent magazine. You can find the full article here:
https://www.airbestpractices.com/sites/default/files/CABP_2020_05May_LR.pdf

191.5 Miles, But Who’s Counting

Hycomp Team Hits the 2011 Ragnar Relay

A day, a night, and half a day of continuous running? Sign us up, please! Meet team “If We Weren’t All Crazy, We Would Go Insane” —a crew of Hycomp employees and friends.

June 17 – 18, the team competed in the renowned challenge of the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back. The relay, an annual tradition for the company, covers approximately 192 miles of arduous terrain through the mountains from Logan to Park City, Utah.

Teams of twelve individuals ran three legs each, all varying in difficulty and distance (between 3 and 10 miles each). As one team member ran, the rest followed along in vans or trucks offering support, eventually meeting up at an exchange point where the next runner took on the task.

Despite steep climbs, knee injuries and sleep deprivation, team Hycomp, “Had a BLAST!” finishing with an unofficial time of 35 hours and 59 minutes.

From drenching each other with water shot from a weed sprayer to cheering for Spencer Hansen (office traffic assistant) while he ran with a Hawaiian grass skirt and coconut bra, the 2011 Ragnar certainly created memories for the Hycomp history books.

Hycomp Gas Compression: Safe & Reliable

Hycomp engineers truly understand gas compression, and more importantly, we know how to engineer gas compressors and boosters that are both safe and reliable.

In 1979 we were chosen to manufacture four units for the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Station. Because of the nuclear incident at Three Mile Island, this was an extremely sensitive decision. Pennsylvania Power and Light was very selective and discriminating in their search for a company to provide reliable nitrogen containment compressors. Characteristically, those compressors we provided 34 years ago are still in operation today.

Manufacturing safe and reliable compressors is a job we take very seriously. When compressing gas there are 3 main concerns: Containment, Control and Contamination.

Containment
No matter what gas is being compressed, from inert gases to hazardous gases, containment is paramount. Gas containment is usually an issue of keeping gas from escaping the compressor to atmosphere and possibly hazardous surroundings, but is can also be an issue of external gases (i.e., air) contaminating the gas being compressed.

Design
Every gas compressor Hycomp builds is designed, engineered and manufactured to provide containment you can trust. We utilize 3 levels of containment with our gas packing configurations. In all 3 containment options the suction gas is plumbed through the plenum chamber, equalizing pressure on, and providing cooling to the pistons and piston rings while rendering balanced piston rod loads.

• The B-Series compressor is designed to compress air or nonhazardous gases.
• The G-Series compressor is designed to compress standard industrial gases.
• The H-Series compressor is designed to compress difficult to contain industrial gases.

Control
Hycomp engineers know how to control of the factors involved in gas compression. These main factors are: Components (primarily: Rings & Gas Packings), Environment and packaging.

Within each of the three gas packing configurations we offer there are also gas specific containment features. Hycomp matches the gas to the piston ring and gas packing materials to ensure that the gas or gas mixture is fully contained and/or protected from external contamination.

Components
Hycomp quality means attention to detail. By holding our materials and production methods to a higher standard, we provide you with industrial duty compressors that outlast and outperform the competition. We match the controls and packaging to our compressor quality, and tailor the whole system for your application. Hycomp simply means quality & longevity. For example, our pressure lubricated crankcase allows for 24 a day operation for nearly 5 years before the main bearings will need to be changed out.

Piston Rings

The proper selection of a piston ring material and design will add years of reliable service to your gas compressor. We stock seven different polymer based piston ring materials to meet today’s varying gas demands. From PTFE to PEEK and PPS, we can provide the right ring material for your application.

Our angle cut design allows for flexing of the ring end to seal the gap better than butt cut designs, yet retains its strength vs. step cut designs. In situations where gap leakage becomes significant, such as low molecular weight gases and small cylinder bores, we use a 2-piece ‘L’ style design that removes the end gap by using an inner and outer ring for sealing.

Gas Packings
Piston rod gas packings perform the critical function of containing the gas in the compressor, while providing pressure on the underside of the pistons to balance the rod loads. Our tangentially cut segmented packings are free floating and self adjusting for long wear life. The design inherently continues to seal as the packing wears. Gas packings are pinned together in pairs at the proper rotational offset to ensure that the leakpath created by the cuts are sealed.Just like our piston rings, we stock seven different packing materials to meet your needs. And unlike chevron type packings, our segmented packings do not need constant adjustment to ensure a tight seal.

Environment
The surrounding environment is a very important factor when considering compressor packaging. For example, if nitrogen, or any nonflammable gas, is being compressed in an environment where an explosive media is always present, then the compressor and packaging must be packaged to the proper explosion proof ratings. Conversely, any time an explosive or flammable gas is being compressed, that compressor system must be “explosion proof.”

Packaging
Safety is, once again, of the highest importance or items such as control panels, motors and VFDs. Whether UL, IEC, ATEX / CE or other rating systems, Hycomp works with the distributor and end-user to understand what is needed.

Hycomp offers NEMA 7 control panel enclosures to ensure that the electric components inside the control panel are isolated from any dangerous gases. Manufacturing a safe compressor system goes further than just the control panel. All electric and mechanical equipment must also be packaged or enclosed correctly to protect against accidental explosions.

Hycomp has the experience and engineering expertise to handle the packaging and enclosures that your application requires. Our engineers get involved from the outset to provide the proper system packaging for the rating system of your region.

Contamination
Everything Hycomp manufactures is oil-free. Our design incorporates the strengths of the oil-less and oil flooded reciprocating compressors and none of their weaknesses. To accomplish this, our compressors are both oil lubricated and oil-free. However, the oil used to lubricate the crankcase never enters compression.

CLICK HERE. for more information on how Hycomp gas compressors provide all the strengths of oil-less and oil flooded compressors without any of their weaknesses.

Hycomp safety does not only protect against gas leakage, we also protect your system and end product. Every Hycomp compressor is oil free. Therefore, your system remains oil free and your product is kept safe from oil contamination.

Gas compression may appear dangerous and truth be told it truly can be, however, you can trust Hycomp to manufacture a safe compression system that is built to the specifications you application requires. We are compression experts and we have come to understand that gas compression is not something to be feared, it is to be respected. That is why we make sure to investigate the intended application and gas mixture during the quotation phase of the sales process. We want your personnel and property to be kept safe.

If you have never worked with Hycomp concerning gas compressors, call us when you are compressing any gas other than air and we will show you The Hycomp Difference. We will demonstrate that you can trust Hycomp and that you can trust our experience and engineering. Trust… it’s what we build.

Rob Hunt: NEW Hycomp Area Sales Manager

The beginning of this year has been very busy for Hycomp as we have experienced a myriad of jobs come roaring through our main offices. During these first fast paced few months, one bit of news we are pleased to announce is the addition of Robert J. Hunt to our Sales & Marketing team.

Rob comes to Hycomp with over 15 years of experience in manufacturing, production, R&D and sales. Rob explains, “I have been down on the production floor turning wrenches, I understand what it is like to be on the front lines. I also have a solid background in sales and marketing, with a focus in sales training. I want to help the distributors in my area, to not only understand who Hycomp is and what we do… I also want to assist our distributors to find and close more sales.”

Rob is very excited for the opportunity to use all of his past experience in his new position as Area Sales Manager of the Western United States. This means that Rob manages all sales west of the Mississippi, including Hawaii and Alaska. While acting as manager for these areas, Rob will work to improve customer relationships, provide training, and assist Hycomp distributors to increase their sales.

As a very self motivated business man, Rob concludes with this simple statement, “I’m here to assist you and your sales staff to increase your sales. I am here to help you create reliable and duplicatible results with Hycomp.”

Solid Factory Service With An Intuitive Edge

n the multi-billion dollar empire of medical product manufacturing, contaminations such as oil and debris cannot be allowed to enter the process.

If a compressed air or gas system were to experience contamination of any kind, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could possibly stop production until proper recertification, causing costly downtime.

A leading developer, manufacturer and global supplier of scientific laboratory products installed a Hycomp air booster for their PET plastic blow molding process. A Hycomp oil-free air booster was chosen because this process takes place in a cleanroom environment where contamination is absolutely unacceptable and reliability was very important.

In the spring of 2010, Hycomp was contacted by this company requesting onsite service support to handle their regularly scheduled preventative maintenance. A Hycomp Service Technician had been to their plant once before for repairs and the quality of the work, level of service and expertise, built a relationship of trust that caused them to invite us back.

When Hycomp Service Technician, Andy Hansen, concluded the required service, he decided to examine the pistons and cylinders as he reassembled the compressor. Andy discovered a moderate amount of scarring in the cylinders and on the piston rings, which he concluded was caused by debris from the intake air. Even though air compressors always use filters for suction from ambient air, once that air leaves the initial compressor and travels to the booster, it can pick up debris along the way.

Harmful debris, such as: welding slag, mill scale, rust, Teflon tape and pipe dope could become dislodged from inside the piping or tanks and damage whatever is downstream. In this case the air booster did not have any additional filtration at its intake and was therefore absorbing 100% of the debris collected between the air compressor and booster. A 1/8th inch piece of welding slag was found lodged in one of the valves and signs of additional debris were easily detected.
The debris was not causing any significant problems yet, but would have absolutely lead to substantial problems had it not been caught as early as it was. Andy made recommendations on correct booster arrangement and how to properly filter their plant air before running it though the Hycomp air booster. Future issues stemming from this problem were averted and the air booster continues to provide pure and reliable air for their pharmaceutical PET blow molding application.