What's New In Industry articles from December 2004

What's New In Industry archives from December 2004

National deal for Daewoo.
December 22, 2004... Wakefield-based building services suppliers Deborah Services has agreed a #1m five-year contract that will see 50 new Daewoo forklifts at DSL premises from Truro in the South West to Invergordon in Scotland. It is Daewoo's first direct...

The hard stuff.
December 22, 2004... New range of hardness testers from Indentec cover all Rockwell, Superficial Rockwell, Vickers and Brinell scales from 200gf to 3000kgf. A PC, CCD camera, frame grabber and automatic indentation measurement software package are provided for...

Leading the drive to optimise drug delivery.
December 22, 2004... Critical drug delivery errors are being driven out of medical practise by advancing intravenous (IV) medication delivery systems with smart memories and optimised drive mechanisms. A key element in this delivery are the innovative Torqsense...

Euro funding to back new tooling project.
December 22, 2004... Polymer research and test house Rapra Technology has secured some #700,000 of EU funding on behalf of a European consortium to lead the development of innovative, high-performance anodised aluminium moulding tools for thermo-plastic processing...

Keep it short.
December 22, 2004... From Rugged Technologies comes the low-cost 7586-G2A short rack industrial computer, a 4U format unit just 411mm deep. Available in bench or rackmount form, it has power supply options of 24V dc, ATX V ac or dual redundant ac. Processors...

Calibrator plays it safe.
December 22, 2004... Aimed specifically at measurement and calibration applications in hazardous environments such as petrochemical plants, oil platforms and refineries, Fluke's new range of intrinsically-safe pressure modules extend the use of its rugged 718Ex...

Never mind the weather.
December 22, 2004... From Harting comes a range of rugged weatherproof IP67 RJ45 Ethernet connectors which are ideally suited to the requirements of outdoor terminals in wireless or broadband applications. The new RJ45 industrial connectors utilise Harting's...

Universal lifts go modular.
December 22, 2004... Complementing its existing range of heavy-duty scissor lifts, Saxon's new Universal series offers capacities up to 20 tonnes. Units start at #1100 for a one-tonne unit with 900mm lift. Universal models are manufactured in standard modules...

Well-suited storage.
December 22, 2004... Mail order fashion specialist Boden called in Planned Storage Systems when it switched warehousing operations from three London sites to one in Leicester. PSS devised a versatile multi-tiered mezzanine and racking solution, tripling existing...

If the cap fits.
December 22, 2004... Simple ideas are often the most effective. And the successful development of an idea thought up by Hayley Shirley while working as a business development manager in overnight pallet distribution has led to an award-winning product - and...

Quality Control: Beauty in the balance.
December 22, 2004... Production processes at leading beauty products manufacturer L'Oreal's Pontyclun centre of excellence have been improved by installation of a new weighing system from Mettler Toledo. The site needed to increase capacity and required...

Quality Control: System keeps DAQ on the move.
December 22, 2004... Vision XP is a portable data acquisition system from LDS Test & Measurement said to combine the best elements of DAT/AIT recorders, oscillographs and oscilloscopes in one portable DAQ system. Like an oscillograph, Vision XP has real-time...

Quality Control: The X factor for hire.
December 22, 2004... Ashtead Technology now has for rent the innovative portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyser from Innov-X. This compact, handheld unit enables operators to identify a wide range of metallic elements in soil, solid and liquid samples....

Quality Control: Future vision targets zero defect products.
December 22, 2004... Sensor specialist Turck Banner has hosted a two-day vision workshop for engineers involved in the field of quality inspection. Held at the National Space Centre in Leicester, Vision for the Future was part of the company's programme of sensing...

Quality Control: A simpler view.
December 22, 2004... Versatile internal inspection equipment from Allen-Vanguard incorporates bore viewers fitted with magnifying lenses. Designed to simplify detailed viewing of hard-to-see crevises, corners and internal spaces, the tools are ideal for inspection,...

Quality Control: Multitone analyser puts performance to the test.
December 22, 2004... Developed to allow design engineers and technicians to choose performance capabilities to match specific needs and budgets, the Audio Precision ATS-2 PC-controlled audio test and measurement system is available from Thurlby Thandar Instruments....

Quality Control: Sensors size up the options.
December 22, 2004... Three new models have extended the application scope of Leuze Mayser's optical distance measuring sensors. The units offer mid-range measurement, supporting existing models that provide measurement over distances to 170m. Smallest is...

Quality Control: High accuracy at the weigh-in.
December 22, 2004... Avery Weigh-Tronix has almost completed a two-year project to transform the accuracy and performance of ingredient weighing at Houghton plc - without disruption production. Houghton offers fluid technology and service requirements for...

Quality Control: Mercury rising.
December 22, 2004... Anticipating legislation to extend the requirements for the measurement of mercury levels in the environment, Casella ETi has introduced a range of equipment embracing lab-based systems and on-line process instrumentation. Key to this...

Quality Control: Design and test make the connection.
December 22, 2004... You get express delivery with National Instruments' new interactive software environment for acquiring, comparing, automating, testing and storing measurement signals. Using Signal-Express, engineers can now use virtual instrumentation on...

Quality Control: Fast electrode gets tough.
December 22, 2004... Problems commonly associated with glass electrodes, such as fragility, poor response and frequent replacement, are said to be avoided with Honeywell's practically unbreakable glass-free Durafet 111 ph electrode. It can provide accurate,...

Quality Control: Lenses focus on chassis i/d checks.
December 22, 2004... In an intelligent solution to automotive assembly problems, Industrial Vision Systems uses Pentax lenses to perform regulation chassis i/d checks, while also saving time and improving efficiency. Using template matching and neural-network...

Quality Control: Mind the gap.
December 22, 2004... Seen as a single-system solution for 'gap and flush' requirements in automotive, aerospace and manufacturing situations, the Laser-Gauge portable inspection system from Brauer Measuretek claims enhanced error detection and reduced operator...

Quality Control: Double detection.
December 22, 2004... Latest in the balanced coil technology range of Eriez E-Z Tec metal detectors is a 'Divisible Head' device. Its design allows it to be separated into two parts, enabling a simpler installation without the need for cutting the conveyor belt....

Quality Control: Cutting out the rejects.
December 22, 2004... Injection moulding waste and rejects can be virtually eliminated, says Kistler, by the combination of its PiCo signal conditioner and Dataflow software run on a laptop computer. Users get real-time graphic display, analysis, monitoring and...

Quality Control: Get the measure of surface roughness.
December 22, 2004... Combining a large display with simple menu structures and the most up- to-date parameters, the latest surface roughness instrument from Taylor Hobson can calculate and display results from a choice of ten parameters which have been selected to...

Quality Control: Adding a dash of colour.
December 22, 2004... Machine vision systems specialist Cognex has added the In-Sight 5100C colour vision sensor and 5101 high-resolution model to its 5000 Series of industrial grade vision sensors. The 5100C performs a wide range of colour inspection tasks....

Quality Control: Infrared gauge shows paper/board moisture.
December 22, 2004... Developed specifically to measure the total integrated moisture content through the web of material - regardless of stratification - in paper, board and converting applications, the FS710 on-line infrared gauge from NDC Infrared Engineering...

Quality Control: Bag fillers pass the test.
December 22, 2004... Latest Qualipack bag filling machines have passed UK Weights & Measures certification tests, allowing the machines to be used for legal measurements. The machines feature HBM's PW12BC3 single-point load cell and WE2110 digital weighing...

Quality Control: Test probe in the groove.
December 22, 2004... Latest test probe from Peak Test Services incorporates a location pin fixed horizontally below the probe head to prevent rotation during assembly. The location pin on the P309/G probe fits into a groove in the probe barrel to ensure...

Handling & Storage: Turning up the gas for handling flexibility.
December 22, 2004... The first LPG-powered articulated truck ble to work in a 1750mm main aisle has been developed by Narrow Aisle. Over 50 percent of the Flexi GAS's major chassis parts and other components are identical to the existing Flexi G3 electric range....

Handling & Storage: Truck fleet gets the run of the mill.
December 22, 2004... Most of the materials handling fleet at Bridgewater paper Mill, Ellesmere Port, has been replaced with Linde equipment on contract hire through local network company Linde Sterling. All paper used at the millis from waste paper: around 12...

Handling & Storage: LPG keeps it clean.
December 22, 2004... Starting out searching for three-wheel electric trucks, vehicle component specialist Britax PMG instead chose two Mitsubishi N Series four-wheel LPG counterbalance trucks for its Bridlington works. Local distributor MH Industrial showed that...

Handling & Storage: Sounding the charge.
December 22, 2004... EnerSys Motive Power - supplier of Hawker systems and equipment - has installed a custom-designed battery charging facility for Linde Materials Handling's new 5000m2 complex in Camberley, Surrey. The system has reduced the space needed for...

Handling & Storage: Carier returns.
December 22, 2004... Carier bulk handling equipment and spares are to be offered by Guttridge Services following their acquisition of the rights to produce Carier equipment. "We are undertaking a complete assessment of the product range to establish which will...

Handling & Storage: No spills from half-width pallet.
December 22, 2004... Half-width version of the Allibert Helix Retenpal sump pallet is a 800 x 600mm one-piece polyethylene roto-moulded unit with individual retention cells in the pallet deck to decrease waves and so reduce the chance of splashes and spills. With...

Handling & Storage: Porridge on tow.
December 22, 2004... HM Prison Winchester has taken delivery of its second Nu-Star Power Tug for moving around its Corsair heated food trolley. The prison first contacted Nu-Star two years ago regarding problems when trying to manoeuvre the trolley from the...

Handling & Storage: Racking solution at the double.
December 22, 2004... Switching to double-deep racking and warehouse trucks from Atlet enabled specialist greeting card and tag manufacturer Belgrave Graphics to increase storage capacity in its warehouse by 65 percent in the same area. "Atlet wasn't just...

Handling & Storage: Cut out the crumble.
December 22, 2004... Even delicate items such as fruit, eggs and biscuits can be palletised without being squashed or crumbled with Okura's A1600 palletising/depalletising robot. Available from Webster Griffin, this flexible machine, with its Easy-Teach OXPA...

Handling & Storage: Truck gets the strapping done.
December 22, 2004... From The Plastic Strapping Company comes a pallet truck that enables manual strapping of pallets to be done easier and twice as fast as the established, but slow and tiring, way of stooping to ground level and shuffling around the pallet...

Handling & Storage: Logging shock damage.
December 22, 2004... Siemens Medical has become the first customer for Lamerholm Electronics' instant damage detection system. And now, the RD298 ShockLog vibration, shock and environmental recorder can warn of damage as it happens with its new RD401 remote...

Handling & Storage: Pallet's gap fits all trucks.
December 22, 2004... Developed on the success of the H3 and CR1 pallets, Craemer's new CR3 is a 1200 x 1000mm full perimeter pallet incorporating ISO characteristics covering load capacities, stability, anti-slip surface safety features and entry gaps said to take...

Handling & Storage: Switch to high-speed sorting.
December 22, 2004... From Conveyor Systems Ltd. comes a modular, high-speed pneumatically- operated switch sorter offering bi-directional (left/right) 45 deg. sortation. The units can convey a wide range of products with few functional or throughput rate...

Handling & Storage: Forks for long loads.
December 22, 2004... Specially-designed 7m spreader beam on a multi-directional Sidetracker truck is providing safe handling of exceptionally long loads at Newburgh Engineering, currently producing 18m structural components for rail carriages under a long-term...

Handling & Storage: All seeing eye cuts Heathrow inventory.
December 22, 2004... A 'sliced' version of a warehouse management system is said to be saving millions in inventory costs at Heathrow's Terminal 5 construction project. Marketed by systems integrator ITS, it can control waste, 'shrinkage' and inefficiencies,...

Handling & Storage: Pallets guided from on high.
December 22, 2004... Offered with capacities from 1.0 to 1.6 tonnes, Still's new EGV hand- guided, high-lift pallet truck is easier to operate and manoeuvre than its predecessor, even in tight spaces. It also claims higher residual capacity and improved pallet...

Handling & Storage: Handling extrusions in all directions.
December 22, 2004... The specific demands of handling long aluminium extrusions have been overcome by Hydro Aluminium Extrusions (HAE) part of Norsk Hydro) by using Combilift multi-directional forklifts. HAE has over 30 Combilifts operating worldwide, and...

Handling & Storage: Pick of the crop.
December 22, 2004... Sortation system to integrate with checkweighing, lidding and labelling equipment has been supplied to another OEM by Astec Conveyors. A loop was devised by Astec to provide smooth transfer of punnets containing soft fruits through a...

Handling & Storage: Drum motors pass energy test.
December 22, 2004... Drum motors have come out clear winners in energy efficiency tests conducted in connection with planning Europe's biggest meat processing plant. Danish Crown, BDL Drum Motors and Carnitech carried out the tests, pitting BDL's drum motor...

Handling & Storage: Cartons on the move.
December 22, 2004... Flexible, high-volume carton handling equipment has been installed by European Conveyor Systems at a new distribution centre in Dartford, Kent, operated by freight forwarder Davies Turner. The warehouse provides third-party logistics services...

Handling & Storage: Get integrated.
December 22, 2004... Integrated conveying system to handle cartons and plastic tote boxes of goods from a distribution depot unloading bay and storage areas has been installed by Peer Conveyors. Incoming goods at the Retails Variations warehouse are transported...

Handling & Storage: Training for handling skills.
December 22, 2004... Specialist training for forklift, crane, stowing and driving is being offered by Skills South Training & Resources (STR), set up by holding company Southampton Cargo Handling. Training can take place at a customer's premises using the...

Handling & Storage: Storage system stays cool.
December 22, 2004... Compact live storage equipment from BITO Live Storage is maximising storage capacity of both the stock and finished goods areas at a new Paragon Foods facility. Early planning of the facility included maximising the use of space, particularly...

Handling & Storage: On a roll.
December 22, 2004... Innovative development by MasterMover Int. sets out to ease roll cage movement. The MasterCagePuller couples to the base of the roll cage and allows one operator to pull or push the cage while walking forwards, eliminating risks from unseen...

Handling & Storage: Better handling on the bends.
December 22, 2004... Aiming to bring about a transformation in Irish warehousing economics is the Dublin-based Forklift Centre, which has just been appointed exclusive Irish dealer for Bendi fork lifts from Translift. The concept of articulated fork lifts is...

Handling & Storage: Reach for new heights.
December 22, 2004... Barloword Handling has supplied six Hyster matrix 1600kg capacity reach trucks to Portsmouth-based toiletries, home fragrance and home care products supplier Mellor Home & Beauty after a review of the company's materials handling fleet. ...

Handling & Storage: Logistics make a strong connexion.
December 22, 2004... Birmingham-based fork lift distributor M&W Toyota Handling has provided two Toyota 7-Series i/c fork lift trucks, four 7FBRE reach trucks and three powered pallet trucks to logistics services provider Connextions. M&W Midlands sales...

Buildings & Maintenance: Keeping the dust down.
December 22, 2004... Many power-floated concrete floors are left bare in factories, although they can be a major source of dust. Millipore needed a high-performance coating to dustproof the floors of its Gloucester facility for at least ten years and chose ACM...

Buildings & Maintenance: Ne'er a slip.
December 22, 2004... Slip-resistant version of the established floor paint range from Anglo Building Products is easy to apply as anti-slip aggregate is pre- blended and there is no need to sprinkle grit between coats. Coverage is 40m2 per five-litre pack and...

Buildings & Maintenance: Clad to match.
December 22, 2004... Watco's Cladding Paint, available in corporate colours by arrangement, will modernise or refresh the outside powder-coated or painted cladding of a building without the need for primer. Applied by brush or roller, it dries to a tough,...

Buildings & Maintenance: Roadmaking hits the headlines.
December 22, 2004... Recycled newspaper is the surprise vital ingredient in a bitumen modifier that has made a major breakthrough in helping to fuel China's current roadbuilding boom.An innovative bitumen modifier that uses recycled newspaper as its raw material...

Buildings & Maintenance: Floor gets seamless finish.
December 22, 2004... To provide a seamless finish to the floor of new premises for stationery and office products supplier Alpha Office, Ryebrook Resins was contracted to lay its Ryetech solvent-free epoxy resin floor coating to the entire warehouse, including...

Buildings & Maintenance: Seal out the dust.
December 22, 2004... Low-cost, easy to use Acryseal acrylic sealer from Industrial Flooring Services provides effective dustproofing to concrete floors. It provides a matt, slip-resistant but smooth finish where traction and safety underfoot are essential....

Buildings & Maintenance: Cladding comes clean.
December 22, 2004... From Kaizen Contract Services, the Kai-Wash cladding/facade cleaning service claims to clean 'every millimetre' of a building's external panels or structure, no matter how tall the building. Central to Kai-Wash is a cradle-like device...

Buildings & Maintenance: Service systems held safely in suspension.
December 22, 2004... Versatile and flexible system for suspending HVAC, electrical and mechanical services from ceilings has been launched by Thomas & Betts. Fast-Lock suspends ducts, pipes, cable trays and fans using steel wire rope and special self-fastening...

Buildings & Maintenance: Division in the classroom.
December 22, 2004... New office, workshop and classroom areas for the engineering facility at Warwickshire College's #11m Technology & Business Centre in Leamington Spa have been designed and constructed by Troax, in conjunction with main contractor Northern...

Buildings & Maintenance: Distribution package for Comet.
December 22, 2004... A comprehensive package of external doors, dock levellers and loading bay equipment - including 66 sectional overhead doors, 29 telescopic and swing lip dock levellers and 45 dock shelters - has been supplied by Crawford Amber for Comet's...

Factory Equipment: Air spares.
December 22, 2004... By implementing the new Block Exemption regulations, and with a test case involving Land Rover, the UK has created an opportunity in the air compressor spare parts sector. The new EU Block Exemption rules allow for more competition,...

Factory Equipment: Enter the Dragon?
December 22, 2004... The UK's largest and most complex hydraulic ring main has been designed for the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency's new "Red Dragon" 20,000m2 super-hangar in South Wales. Metool has been selected by hydraulics specialist T.A. Savery &...

Factory Equipment: Hot-air solution on track.
December 22, 2004... A UK engineering firm producing copper wire coils for electric model railway systems has been able to stay ahead of overseas competition by optimising product quality and increasing output by some 40 percent - thanks to a hot-air solution...

Factory Equipment: Shape up with dualis.
December 22, 2004... Quality assembly requires correct components presented in the right orientation. Checking this is easier now with the new dualis contour sensor from ifm electronic. Housed in a rugged 42x42x43mm die-cast industrial housing, the dualis contour...

Factory Equipment: Extra production in the bag.
December 22, 2004... An ABB production monitoring system has helped the plastic pouch department at Baxter Healthcare Corporation's factory to increase its Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) from 71.5 percent to 81.6 percent. Baxter's improvement programme...

Factory Equipment: On the side?
December 22, 2004... Busch (UK) has launched a new range of side channel blowers, called the Samos SB. Described by Busch as being suitable for applications with pulsation free vacuum or blast air demand, they are versatile and can be installed horizontally or...

Finishing & Materials: Castrol cleans up.
December 22, 2004... Castrol Industrial, in partnership with Pall Filters, has installed filtration technology to recycle waste coolant at the South Wales site of customer ArvinMeritor, an American manufacturer of brake assemblies. For the past eight years, Arvin...

Finishing & Materials: Formula 1 performs in the wet.
December 22, 2004... At the Cosworth Racing operation in Northampton, Formula 1 engine components from three teams pass through a MecWash Systems' Millennium, aqueous-based component cleaning station. The requirement to re-engineer each unit to a perfect 'as...

Finishing & Materials: DARTS crack the crystal haze.
December 22, 2004... The cause of haziness affecting a polymer food packaging material was discovered by DARTS by combining two complementary techniques available on the synchrotron. The haze effect was known to be caused by the scattering of light from...

Finishing & Materials: Rimex provides an educated finish.
December 22, 2004... Rimex Metals has supplied 2500m2 of its 'Silver Pearl' finish, which is a patterned stainless steel product, for the main feature of the roof and front facade at the University of North London's Post Graduate Centre. The building is...

Finishing & Materials: Blade deburring for Brotherhood.
December 22, 2004... Steam turbine and gas compressor manufacturer Peter Brotherhood has specified a standard VN200 vibratory deburring machine from ISPC Walther Trowal. This came in response to an increased number of orders placed for turbines using larger...

Finishing & Materials: Renshape fires up new wheelchair.
December 22, 2004... A powered wheelchair, which elevates the user to enable eye level contact with an able bodied person, features key components made using RenCast and RenPIM materials from Renshape Solutions. The wheelchair can operate inside or out, and is...

Finishing & Materials: A starring role in polyester films.
December 22, 2004... Autotex polyester films from Autotype are being used by membrane keyboard and touchscreen manufacturer Danielson to produce high- definition, photographic quality keyboard overlays. Danielson offer a choice of finishes at up to 60 lpi,...

Finishing & Materials: Electroplater raises the standards.
December 22, 2004... Frost Electroplating, electroplating specialist to the electrical, electronic, automotive and general engineering industries, are thought to be the first electroplating company in Europe to be awarded the ISO/TS 16949:2002 Quality Management...

Finishing & Materials: Not so hard now.
December 22, 2004... When Jaguar Racing chose Castrol's Alusol XTH to replace a fluid in its hard water area, the company also agreed a fluid management programme with Optimum Metalworking, a specialist metalworking and fluids support company working with...

Finishing & Materials: Gunning with both barrels.
December 22, 2004... Gunning two component sealants and adhesives is said to be quicker, easier and safer with PC Cox range of two component or bi-mixer applicators. The range now includes manual and pneumatic guns for sachet-packed sealants and adhesives. PC...

Process Plant & Control: Bursting out.
December 22, 2004... Elfab has extended its Flo-Tel burst-detection range into the bursting panel market, with the introduction of Panel Flo-Tel. Panel FloTel is an ATEX- approved burst-detection device supplied as standard with Elfab's existing range of...