What's New In Industry articles from April 2004

What's New In Industry archives from April 2004

It's all change for ATEX.
April 28, 2004... Engineers don't have to test EEx motors and drives together to comply with the latest ATEX Directive - contrary to the current perception of many users. So says Martin Swindell, the Technical Director of motor manufacturer Brook Crompton....

Sweeping up inside and out.
April 28, 2004... Available to suit use indoors or out, the Hako Jonas 900 vacuum sweeper uses a large main broom system for cleaning performance up to 7200m2/hr. The outdoor version uses a petrol engine and hydrostatic drive: for indoors, a battery-powered...

Fumes filtered.
April 28, 2004... The Fumex range of local filter kits (LFK) from Flextraction suit a range of extraction and filtration applications such as gluing, soldering, coating, brazing, cleaning with solvents, analysing, weighing etc. At the heart of each unit is...

Dryer lets air flow smoothly.
April 28, 2004... Drypoint R refrigeration dryer from Beko Technologies offers very low flow resistance due to the smooth surfaces of its stainless steel plate heat exchanger. This, says Beko, contributes to the unit's high energy efficiency: they also have...

More scope for testing.
April 28, 2004... Innovative new range of oscilloscopes developed by Tektronix are said to be the first to offer a user-interface that can be customised. The TDS5000B series of digial phosphor oscilloscopes also offer contect- sensitive right mouse click...

3-D scanning by laser.
April 28, 2004... From CMM specialist Faro Technologies comes a seven-axis contact/non- contact measurement device with a fully integrated laser scanner. The ScanArm's hard probe and laser scanner can digitise interchangeably without having to remove either...

Materials put to the nanotest.
April 28, 2004... Designed to measure material properties such as modulus and hardness at the nanometre scale, a new range of nanomechanical test systems from US- based Hysitron is being offered by Megatech. The TriboIndenter is an ultra low load test...

High-temp seal on its 'metal'.
April 28, 2004... Metal-to-metal seal concept which enables service temperatures of 1000C to be achieved with low seating loads has been developed by Garlock Sealing Technologies. Achieving high sealing tightness at ultra-high temperatures, Ultraseal sets out...

New-look compressors turn up the power.
April 28, 2004... New-look Series 7 two-wheel portable compressors from Atlas Copco have been designed to comply with all future legislation concerning OND 2006 standards for 98dB(A) noise levels and EPA11 and Stage 11 exhaust emission levels. These new...

Program puts control in every port.
April 28, 2004... Windows-based program that supports its ARC interface for controlling multiple instruments from a single RS232 port has been introduced by Thurlby Thandar Instruments (TTi). The low-cost (#49+VAT) applications package supports the ARC...

Rubber support.
April 28, 2004... Polymer research and test house Rapra Technology has launched a technology partnership with rubber preforming equipment maker Barwell aimed at supporting the rubber sector. Through LWB Steinl, Barwell has supplied and commissioned with Rapra a...

Drivers' skill and safety put to the test.
April 28, 2004... After two days of heats staged over the first two days of last month's IMHX 2004 show, James Owens beat 20 other finalists to win the BT UK Fork Lift Truck Driver Championship. James won a Rover car and a replica of the Storage Cup. ...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: Tapping for a heavier cut.
April 28, 2004... Tapping centres are normally considered as nimble, high-speed machines of moderate cutting capacity. Not the new Brother TC-S2B from Whitehouse Machine Tools, which can deploy a 125mm diameter mill to remove up to 1200cm3 of aluminium per...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: Stronger weld, stronger blades.
April 28, 2004... Starrett's new bi-metal hand hacksaw blades and bi-metal jigsaw blades are made using the company's welding diffusion process, said to generate 170 percent more weld contact area compared to existing bi- metal high-speed steels for greater...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: Absolute measurement.
April 28, 2004... From Newall Measurement Systems comes a digital version of its absolute Spherosyn linear encoder. It will be shown at MACH connected to the recently introduced approved interface to a Fanuc controller. Combining inductive technology and...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: CAM takes 5.
April 28, 2004... New release of Delcam's CAM software, PowerMILL 5.5, offers enhancements including use of the stock model for five-axis machining operations, dedicated methods for machining flat surfaces, use of user- defined tools and collision checking...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: Wear-resistant coatings.
April 28, 2004... New 'G6' generation of AICrN-based physical vapour deposition coatings from Balzers are claimed to provide significantly greater wear- resistance than existing titanium-based coatings. Typically, when roughing 36 HRc DIN 1.2344/AISI H13...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: What's it all about?
April 28, 2004... Alfie and Emmie are Alfa Laval's ranges of compact centrifugal separators. Alfie models purify and recycle coolants and cutting fluids while Emmie units keep hydraulic fluids free of water and other impurities that could cause corrosion and...

MACH 2004 Show Preview: Safe storage.
April 28, 2004... With a multitude of taper types, tool lengths and weights, taper tooling can present storage difficulties. Bott's solution uses ABS inserts to hold the tapers correctly. They are offered in ISO, VDI and HSK formats. These inserts are...

PEP up your plant profile.
April 28, 2004... A flexible, automatic monitoring and full energy management system designed to provide businesses with 15 to 20 percent annual savings simply by reducing the costs of lighting, HVAC and the operation of plant and machinery, has been introduced...

Dust control.
April 28, 2004... Unimaster Classic range of compact dust collectors from Donaldson reduce airborne contaminants in the workplace. Using Donaldson's high-performance filters, which have a self-cleaning cycle to enhance operational life, contaminated air is...

Combat the risk of explosions.
April 28, 2004... Two explosion-proof vacuum units from Nederman, the pneumatically- powered P221EX and P252EX (-21kPa and -52kPA vacuum respectively) are for use if there is a risk of atmospheric flammable gas or a requirement to handle explosive dust. ...

Water testing right at hand.
April 28, 2004... Water analysis specialist Palintest has introduced an easy-to-use, hand- held meter to measure accurately the bromine and chlorine levels in water. The splashproof Bromometer Duo uses the Palintest DPD chlorine and bromine test methods to...

Cool efficiency for 'free'.
April 28, 2004... Aermec's NRA 'free-cooling' range of 407C chillers claim to deliver energy efficiency ratios up to a factor of ten times greater than traditional compressor-only chillers. Nine models cover the range 50 to 160kW in two versions - one with...

Monitoring duct air flows.
April 28, 2004... From Airflow Developments comes an improved range of Wilson Flow Grids to provide engineers and installers with a simple, cost-effective method of accurately monitoring air flow within ducted ventilation, process air and air conditioning...

Out of breath for clean zones.
April 28, 2004... Latest body-ported valves from Asco Joucomatic are designed to be 'non- breathing' to provide better environmental protection in clean areas and places where hygiene is paramount. The 552 (G3/8) and 553 (G1/2) valves offer flows up to 3800...

Filter is a magnet for contaminants.
April 28, 2004... Magnetic field filters can reduce, even eliminate, the need for consumable filter elements and associated disposal costs. And this can be achieved without incurring the problem of pressure-drop, even when the filter element is full, says Fluid...

An environment for high tech.
April 28, 2004... Aimed at environmental control and protection of high-tech facilities and other installations with stringent standards, Himod S aircon systems from Emerson Network Power offer cooling capacities from 4 to 30kW. Made by Liebert HIROSS, they...

Kits for spills.
April 28, 2004... For use in areas where spills and leaks may be occur regularly, Darcy's Absorbent Dispensing Unit centralises absorbent distribution in a single unit that can be supplied floor-mounted or as a mobile unit. All of Darcy's oil and chemical...

New band on the circuit.
April 28, 2004... Sprung contact band from interconnect specialist Icore International is playing a key role in the development of a new range of heavy-duty vacuum circuit breakers destined for demanding applications in the energy supply industry. The...

High current transformers can be put to the test.
April 28, 2004... Power management specialist REO has introduced a new range of high- current transformers based on the current transformer principle with single or multiple secondary turns. These units produce an output voltage of either 1.67 or 0.8V with...

UPS units going for gold.
April 28, 2004... AEC is supplying 400 UPS units to the Athens site of this year's Olympic Games. They vary in capacity from 600VA to 80kVA on-line units and were chosen by telecomms specialist ANCO SA. These units can be monitored and managed remotely by...

Clean power protection.
April 28, 2004... Delphys Elite from Socomec is one of the first UPS systems with an IGBT rectifier, giving the user the benefits of very low harmonic rejection - less than 3 percent, 0.99 lag input power factor and a smaller footprint. It provides a reliable...

By the book.
April 28, 2004... Sixteenth edition of Calex Electronics' Power Supply and Conversion Handbook contains data on ac/dc power supplies and dc/dc converters. Section guides help choose the correct ac/dc supply for an application, and there are full spec. sheets...

Power for if the going gets critical.
April 28, 2004... Developed to operate in harsh environmental conditions found in many industrial processes, the Apodys range of uninterruptible power supplies from Chloride Power Protection ensures the reliability and safety of mission critical applications in...

Protection for critical supplies.
April 28, 2004... From Chloride Power Protection comes a new 70-NET three-phase uninterruptible power supply unit designed to provide practical power protection for business environments where the quality of mains electricity may be low. This UPS can secure...

I/C modules.
April 28, 2004... At next month's PCIM show in Germany, Allegro Microsystems is launching its new family of power supply IC modules. The STR-T2200/4200 units use a patented current resonant topology well suited to low output voltage/high power applications...

Power on the benchtop.
April 28, 2004... Latest power supply from Lascar Electronics, the PSU 130, is a bench- top unit with an output adjustable within 0.1V from 1.5 to 30V at 1A. The selected voltage and current are both clearly displayed on the unit's backlit LCD. The PSU 130...

Gemini - offering a galaxy of options.
April 28, 2004... Designed for versatility, the Gemini family of mass interconnect products fromVirginia Panel Corporation allows rapid connectivity of PXI test instrumentation to Devices Under Test. Available exclusively from The Peak Group these adaptable,...

Warm and dry.
April 28, 2004... System 2000D, the new thermal insulation and pipe protection system from nmc (uk) is designed to withstand the most demanding applications, both on and offshore. It comprises a closed cell thermoplastic material with either Class O Insultube...

Fast track for development.
April 28, 2004... National Instruments has developed a platform for accelerating RF product design, validation and manufacturing test with their new 2.7 GHz NI PXI-5670 RF vector signal generator. The company's RF product line also includes the NI PXI-5660 RF...

Plant has film wrapped up.
April 28, 2004... A three-layer co-extrusion line, manufacturing blown film for sheet and bag applications, has been developed at polythene specialist, Palagan's Dunstable plant. Housed in a specially built tower, the new MAM extruder produces high...

New monitors to go to sea.
April 28, 2004... KME (Kent Modular Electronics) has introduced two new colour LCD TFT monitors for worldwide marine applications where low EMI and long-term vibration resilience are essential criteria. Both have been certified by an independent Test House...

Takes the pressure to order.
April 28, 2004... Delta Controls, a member of the Concentric Group, offers analogue and digital high-pressure transmitters rated to 1000 bar for industrial applications including hazardous environments and aggressive media such as sour gas, crude oil, pure...

Cutting edge gaskets.
April 28, 2004... Bulte Plastics is offering to cut parts in a wide variety of materials, including elastomers and synthetic materials, using high pressure water jet cutting. Water at a pressure of 3000 to 4000 bar is pumped through a 0.2mm diameter...

Bearings get into the groove.
April 28, 2004... Deep groove ball bearings (DGBB) are the latest addition to SKF's Explorer class - a new performance standard for rolling element bearings, said to provide a substantial improvement in the lifetime and performance of bearings. The SKF...

New seal for on or offshore.
April 28, 2004... Ceetak has launched a new VR Rotary Seal, developed to meet the specific requirements of the demanding manufacturing and process environments found in the on and offshore industries. The seal uses a unique design that requires considerably...

Three wheels better than four?
April 28, 2004... ESAB's new A2 Tripletrac is a three-wheel tractor developed for superior tracking during internal circumferential welding of large diameter cylindrical objects, using the submerged arc welding (SAW) process. Minimum internal diameter for...

Quick change.
April 28, 2004... Proscan Magnum is a three-axis, non-contact surface profilometer with a new CAD/CAM approach to deliver quick product changeover, large measurement envelopes and fast scanning. Initially developed by Scantron to meet the requirements of a...

En-Raptor-ed.
April 28, 2004... ITW BINKS has announced the introduction of a new enhanced range of Air Assisted Airless and Airless Spray outfits. The Raptor 2 has been designed to provide sprayers with a competitively priced, robust industrial spray outfit, able to apply a...

Dust buster.
April 28, 2004... 'DAM,' AEG Lafert Electric Motors' new dust-ignition proof three and single-phase motors are ATEX compliant for use within Zones 21 & 22. IP55 and 65 enclosures are offered to avoid dust accumulation within the motor, and the range is...

Scrubber-dub-dub.
April 28, 2004... Perma Pure has introduced a line of ammonia scrubbers, including heated- jacket versions, which feature an improved, longer lasting proprietary scrubbing media. The AS-Series ammonia scrubbers selectively remove ammonia from stack...

Euro air flow.
April 28, 2004... New from Airflow Developments is the UA30 Anemosonic anemometer, a compact ultrasonic sensor that instantly and accurately measures clean air velocity up to 30m/sec, volume flow and air temperature. It also helps compliance with the latest...

Bend it.
April 28, 2004... Ergotron has announced an addition to its comprehensive range. The Neo- Flex is a low cost monitor arm designed specifically for desking applications and manufactured with operator comfort in mind. Sleek design and a metallic finish make...

Checking out for efficiency.
April 28, 2004... Checkpoint high-precision dynamic checkweighers range from Avery Weigh- Tronix is designed to increase throughput, reduce product giveaway while ensuring legislative compliance. The range provides fast pack weight verification for all...

Accurate torque.
April 28, 2004... The accuracy of HBM's T10FS torque flange has been enhanced by reducing the effect of temperature variations. Sensitivity has been improved to less than 0.05%/10 K and influence on the zero signal is now below 0.03%/10 K. Other aspects,...

Just how low can you get?
April 28, 2004... Mettler Toledo's new systems are designed to measure very low turbidity levels. Using forward and side scattering techniques, the InPro8400 and 8500 sensors broaden measuring capabilities for a range of process applications in the...

Apply force.
April 28, 2004... HBM produces miniature force transducers covering ten ranges from 50N to 50kN for a wide range of industrial applications, such as the monitoring of fitting processes or for use in testing switches, pushbuttons or relays during manufacture....

Testing, testing.
April 28, 2004... Thermometer test caps have been developed by Electronic Temperature Instruments to verify the continuing accuracy of type K thermocouple thermometers with a 0.1 or 1C resolution. Each test cap electronically simulates a fixed temperature with...

Profile a hot process.
April 28, 2004... Land Instruments Internationals' Landscan Pro LSP6 series infrared lines scanning systems have been designed for a wide range of industries. Central to the system are the LSP60, LSP61 and LSP62 scanner heads, which will generate high-speed...

Seeing double 240x.
April 28, 2004... The new XES-81 stereo microscope from Pyser-SGI offers superb optical performance with a massive zoom range from 3.3x to 240x. The Greenough design optics provide superior performance when compared to cheaper designs. Versions are...

Autos on the up and up.
April 28, 2004... Specialised vehicle and parts storage equipment has been developed by Pro-Dek Storage Systems for the vehicle salvage sector. Vehicles are stored individually on a cantilever racking system, designed to be easily handled by a fork lift...

Robots that stand alone.
April 28, 2004... Gudel UK's latest range of standalone Gantry Robot units - equipped with ABB S4C Plus or KUKA KR C2 controls - are said to combine the company's multi-axis gantry handling modules with the operational flexibility and versatility of...

Floor-to-floor.
April 28, 2004... L.A.C. Conveyors has introduced a range of Mezzanine Floor Conveyors with a choice of belt widths from 300 to 2000mm. Belt conveyors are the most effective way to transport products between levels in both production and warehousing...

Two-way switch.
April 28, 2004... Conveyor Units has introduced a high speed bi-directional switch sorter which uses individually driven polyurethane wheels to quickly and efficiently remove products from the conveyor line. The drive for this unit is taken from the...

Crocodile makes it snappy.
April 28, 2004... With UK exporters facing price increases and long lead times for ISPM 15 - compliant timber pallets, Crocodile Packaging has introduced a range of readily-available, viable and cost-effective alternatives to wood. The pallets, marketed as...

High-speed switch sorter.
April 28, 2004... A modular high-speed pneumatically-operated switch sorter from Conveyor Systems (CSL) is said to provide a new dimension in integrated system design, offering maximum versatility with bi-directional (left/right) 45-degree sortation. Compact...

Out of reach?
April 28, 2004... The increase in overseas' goods arriving loose loaded in high-cubed 12.0m sea containers can prove a problem for many import companies with regard to the manual unloading operation. Goods are often stacked and packed up to the ceiling of the...

Low-level picker order pickers pick.
April 28, 2004... New low-level order pickers from Toyota Industrial Equipment provide a flexible and productive solution to the picking of goods at first and second warehouse levels. Four models, with capacities up to two tonnes, ensure optimal order...

New head puts print in motion.
April 28, 2004... A new labelling head is said to revolutionise print and apply labelling techniques by allowing packaging companies to double the throughput of their labelling systems. Developed jointly by PALS Labelling and On- line Coding, the new...

Boxing clever.
April 28, 2004... For forming, loading and sealing of a wide range of carton boxes, the Formapack and Combipack range of machines from Kosme Packaging offer a versatile solution. The machines have the ability to seal the lower and upper carton flaps,...

Legend-ary marking.
April 28, 2004... Legend L6 labels are a durable and flexible two-part cable and core labelling solution, whereby a clear plastic sleeve with two recesses is passed over the cable prior to printing with a dot matrix printer. This has now been updated to a...

Keep it moving.
April 28, 2004... Weber Marking Systems has made improvements to its 5200 Series print and apply labeller, to simplify operation and maximise throughput. Label position on a product can now be adjusted whilst the machine is running, thus reducing line...

Labeller soon turns to drink.
April 28, 2004... Range of modular design labelling machines manufactured by Kosme is said to offer future proofing solutions to labelling requirements. Designed specifically for the glass, PET and plastic bottles used in the brewing, wine, spirits and soft...

Printing - all over this LAN.
April 28, 2004... Toshiba TEC introduce the latest communication variant to their two- inch portable thermal printer, the B-SP2D. It utilises 802.11b WIFI and IRDA interfaces, making it a true wireless printer. The portable, ultra- compact and high performance...

Marking strikes a chord.
April 28, 2004... Laser Lines (Industrial & Medical) has introduced the Laservall 'Violino' range of YAG laser mar-king systems. The Violino range comprises a number of different laser configurations, in various power levels and wavelengths, to provide...

Keep up with the seasons.
April 28, 2004... Real-time clock facilities that adjust automatically for daylight saving time, a choice of ladder diagram or function block programming, and the availability of easily expanded models are said to make the new generation of Zelio Logic...

Mixing in-line.
April 28, 2004... Single and multi-stage in-line mixer/emulsifiers from Advanced Engineering claim advantages over standard immersion mixers for batch work: they are not dependent on the volume of the processing medium, require less space, are easy to clean and...

Thoroughly modern.
April 28, 2004... Burkert Fluid Control Systems is offering its versatile new Type 8034 paddle-wheel flow-rate indicator as the modern alternative to the conventional rotameter. Commenting, Burkert's industry applications manager, Neil Saunders says: "The...

Equivalent pumps, competitive prices.
April 28, 2004... UK hydraulic equipment supplier, Hydra-Perm-Co has added an 'A10V' equivalent piston pump to an extensive range within its Industrial Division. The company is able to supply the pumps as complete units, as well as provide a repair and spare...

Pumps are ATEX safe.
April 28, 2004... Spirax Sarco's Mechanical Fluid Pumps (MFP) and Automatic Pump Traps (APT) have been certified as complying with ATEX Directive 94/9/EC, the safety requirement necessary for equipment installed in hazardous areas. The ATEX Directive became...

PC recovery pack.
April 28, 2004... Beckhoff TwinCAT Backup software, available exclusively through Hayes Control Systems, has been specifically designed for users of PC-based automation systems. It enables them to return their plant to service after a hardware failure in the...

Kneeling kneedn't be a pain.
April 28, 2004... Knee-Saver from Coba Plastics can take the pain out of kneeling. Knee-Saver is a small, lightweight, portable pad with the convenience of a built-in carrier handle. Its 25mm thickness provides cushion comfort to users carrying out tasks...

Powered-air protection.
April 28, 2004... Proflow SC from Scott Health & Safety is a powered air respirator, incorporating advanced intelligent features and high-performance functions. The microprocessor-based airflow management system provides a consistent, balanced supply of...