What's New In Industry articles from March 2005

What's New In Industry archives from March 2005

Aircargo pallets on a roll.
March 22, 2005... At next month's CV Show (NEC, Birmingham, April 5 - 7th) loading, handling and logistics systems specialist Joloda Hydraroll is introducing its new Hydraroll Twin Rollerbed system for aircargo pallet transportation. The system is claimed...

In close-up.
March 22, 2005... Designed to produce detailed images in places where other apparatus might struggle, Allen-Vanguard's Compact Video Microscope (CVM) can be used in engineering and electronics applications for closer inspection of components, engines and...

Automation in the bag.
March 22, 2005... All-in-one package for the automation of horizontal tubular bag machines has been developed by Siemens Automation and Drives. The software library contained in the package makes it possible to save as much as 50 percent of the time normally...

Taking the cure and keeping COOLLED.
March 22, 2005... Capable of light-curing products within seconds, the COOLLED 2600 is a lightweight (57g), inherently safe LED UV curing pen from CIL that produces bursts of high-intensity UV visible light. It is the product of a patent pending technology...

Capture signals for r&d.
March 22, 2005... The GaGe Compuscope 14200 is a general purpose digitiser card from Thurlby Thandar Instruments aimed at meeting precision signal capture requirements in scientific and commercial r&d, as well as manufacturing test applications. A full...

Optimisation in the warehouse.
March 22, 2005... Easy and quick to set-up and install, Optimiser is a powerful, flexible warehouse management system from Spirit Data Capture. It can operate either as a standalone solution, or be integrated into a company's existing business system. ...

Hemets out to set new safety benchmark.
March 22, 2005... Aiming to set a new benchmark in welding safety, two new optoelectronic helmets from Optrel - part of the Bacou-Dalloz group - have been designed to combine high levels of protection for the wearer's eyesight with maximum comfort. The...

Epoxy adhesive stays single.
March 22, 2005... The EP13 single-component, high-performance epoxy adhesive from Master Bond requires no mixing time and is said to have an unlimited working life at room temperature. It has high bond strength to both similar and dissimilar substrates...

Easing chromate treatment.
March 22, 2005... Designed to aid cost-reduction in the control and monitoring of chromate waste treatment, the new 875PH electromechanical analyser from Invensys Foxboro can be configured to read out in units of pH or mV. Two analogue outputs are standard:...

Trucks are real breadwinners.
March 22, 2005... Robust Daewoo gas trucks are helping to keep market-leading baker Allied Bakeries at peak efficiency at one of its busiest sites in the UK. Eight Daewoo G18S clamp trucks are at the heart of the dispatch operation in Walthamstow, supplied by...

Steel given a bright finish.
March 22, 2005... Perancea has introduced Bright Acid Tin as a finish for its steel RFI/EMI shielding products, providing a solderable lead-free metal plating to comply with the ROHS Directive. The finish is also cosmetically superior to the hot tin dipping...

Poetry in nanomotion.
March 22, 2005... The employment of piezo technology in motion and positioning control is not new, but the technology employed in Nanomotion's ceramic servo motors, available from Micromech, is both innovative and original. Many earlier piezo-driven...

Lowering the cost of nitrogen supplies.
March 22, 2005... Maxigas is a range of nitrogen generators from domnick hunter that produce nitrogen from compressed air, effectively allowing manufacturers to make their own nitrogen at a fraction of the cost of more traditional methods of supply. It can be an...

Test to see if your face fits.
March 22, 2005... New service from RPFI meets a health and safety requirement relating to the use of respiratory protection. Under the Wearer Fit Imaging service, a photographic image is taken of the wearer at the time of testing and stored with their Fit...

Titration upgrade.
March 22, 2005... Mettler Toledo has launched the second generation of its LabX titration software. More than 40 improvements are listed in this new version, including an integrated application database with 400-plus methods; direct connection to titrators...

Quality Control: Thinnest fibres put to the test.
March 22, 2005... The tensile properties of fibres as thin as 5mu m - including hair, cotton, carbon fibre and Kevlar - are being put to the test by automated fibre-strength testing machines that use a Mitutoyo laser scan micrometer system. Dia-Stron's...

Quality Control: Torquing precision.
March 22, 2005... How often do workshops spend money having torque tools calibrated, only to find that they were perfectly OK in the first place? Or, even worse, a wrench is out of calibration and may have been used in this condition for weeks. Norbar...

Quality Control: Discovering extra quality.
March 22, 2005... Quality control of the new Land Rover Discovery3 - to be launched this autumn - is set to be more comprehensive than ever following the installation of eight car body co-ordinate measuring machines, built and installed by LK, at the company's...

Quality Control: Single wire simplifies sensor installation.
March 22, 2005... Single-wire technology can be specified on all Kistler sensors for monitoring cavity pressure in both multi-cavity moulds and large, single-component moulds. The main benefit of this technology is the simplified installation, as the...

Quality Control: A clear vision.
March 22, 2005... From PPT Vision come the Impact T25 and T21 intelligent camera units for high-speed automated inspection applications. Compared to standard resolution vision systems, the T25 is designed to offer greater accuracy and improved defect...

Quality Control: Integrated electronics improve weigh systems.
March 22, 2005... HBM has developed its Fast Intelligent Transducer series of single- point load cells by improving the mechanical design and integrated electronics to meet the needs of dynamic weighing, dosing and filling systems. FIT load cells are...

Quality Control: Take out the guesswork.
March 22, 2005... Fault-finding and regular monitoring of hydraulic systems is vital to help warn of imminent failures. And users of hydraulic test equipment can quickly see the benefits through reduced system downtime and keeping repair costs to the minimum....

Quality Control: Get in on the balancing act.
March 22, 2005... New range of mass comparators from Mettler Toledo have been introduced to complement the Excellence XP series of balances. They are said to be ideal for detecting small changes of weight, especially if your sample container/vessel is large...

Quality Control: Measuring up the tubes.
March 22, 2005... New measuring centre specifically for inspecting manipulated or bent tubing has been introduced by ITP. It follows the success for ITP customers using standard CMMs equipped with the company's software package for measuring manipulated tube....

Quality Control: QGS re-launch.
March 22, 2005... Offering and expanded range of standard and bespoke metrology and data collection products, Quality Gauging Systems has been relaunched following a recent buy-back by original owner and md Martyn Gill. New premises at Luton Hoo offer...

Quality Control: Door latches feel the force.
March 22, 2005... You might not give much thought to the latch mechanism that keeps your car door firmly shut, but is easy to open when you want to get in or out. Yet that latch must operate easily under normal conditions - and hold the doors closed during an...

Quality Control: Infrared scanner improves cement kiln performance.
March 22, 2005... Monitoring kiln shell temperature at a cement factory in Cameroon has been improved by the use of a linescanner from infrared temperature measurement specialist Land Instruments. Located 27m from the kiln in a robust, air purged and cooled...

Quality Control: Analysis by software.
March 22, 2005... Version 4.0 of Yokogawa's automotive engine combustion analysis software can analyse and display multiple data simultaneously, so that analysis results can be checked at the same time that online monitoring is being carried out. The software...

Quality Control: Take a check on coatings.
March 22, 2005... Elcometer's new 4562 coating thickness gauge takes the performance of the original 456 unit and combines it with improved functionality. It is offered with either an inegral (internal) or separate probe in three model versions (Basic,...

Quality Control: Quality up to the mark.
March 22, 2005... Quintest PZS range of automatic test markers from Peak Test Services can aid quality assurance in manufacturing by providing automatic marking of pass/fail test results as well as stamping the date, lot number and other parameters required...

Quality Control: Arm puts a new spin on quality.
March 22, 2005... The ability for an operator to have full dimensional confirmation of parts during manufacture, allowing parameters to be adjusted to an optimum while parts are still on the machine, is a great aid to ensuring that customers get dimensionally...

Quality Control: Software provides a wider vision.
March 22, 2005... National Instruments' NI Vision 7.1 Development Module offers hundreds of vision tools for engineers using NI LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, C/C++ or Visual Basic to create powerful vision applications that inspect, align, identify and measure...

Quality Control: Analysers put texture samples to the test.
March 22, 2005... To meet the requirements of both quality control departments and research environments, Brookfield Viscometers is producing two texture analysers to offer accurate determination of texture characteristics across a wide range of materials,...

Quality Control: Get to the top and bottom of it.
March 22, 2005... Versatile LFPlus universal single column materials testing machines from Lloyd Instruments can be configured for larger or non-standard shaped samples and for high elongation materials. An extended column version is offered which increases...

Handling & Storage: Pick'n'mix robotics.
March 22, 2005... Based around standard components, the range of gantries and robots offered by Parker Hannifin's Electromechanical Division allow engineers and designers either to opt for a complete gantry robot installed in a matter of weeks, or for a...

Handling & Storage: Smart pallets.
March 22, 2005... Palletower offers four base sizes of its Smartbox collapsible plastic box pallets which come with vented or solid sides and optional hinged gate access. Made in high-density polyethylene with no metal inserts, they are 100 percent...

Handling & Storage: AGVs help Aston's DB9 avoid the knocks.
March 22, 2005... The painted body of a new Aston Martin DB9 is is worth more than most people pay for their entire car, so the last thing the prestige carmaker wants is damage to the body during handling. So Aston Martin has opted to install a driverless...

Handling & Storage: Opus expands to boost low-level order picking.
March 22, 2005... Advanced Opus range of low-level order pickers from BT has been expanded to cover a wide choice of variants. Machines include: lOSE250, with a lift capacity of 2500kg, can be equipped with long forks to handle four roll cages or two Euro...

Handling & Storage: Flexibility in place.
March 22, 2005... Modular and upgradeable Essemtec FLX2000 series of SMT pick and place systems from Contax offer flexibility through a wide range of feeders, high production speeds and zero downtime during changeoveer. A basic FLX2010 can be expanded to a...

Handling & Storage: Fill head pivots for floor level operation.
March 22, 2005... From Flexicon comes the Swing-Down bulk bag filler, which uses a pivot- down fill head that allows the operator to connect empty bags at floor level and resume filling operations rapidly, eliminating the need to climb steps, strain to reach...

Handling & Storage: Easy lube for conveyors.
March 22, 2005... Latest conveyor lubricators from Fenco-Aldridge can be use on moving chains from half-inch pitch simplex up to a ten-inch roller-less drag chain. These new DFL models feature a separate pump for each outlet to ensure consistent lubricant...

Handling & Storage: Vertical lifting.
March 22, 2005... Complying with the Machine Directive 98/37/EC, the TAKE X3 range of vertical lifting systems from Total Lifting Solutions offers capacities of 500, 1000 or 1500kg and can lift to a height of 11m. Hydraulically- operated, they lock automatically...

Handling & Storage: Quick change charger on the up.
March 22, 2005... Maximum productivity and uptime for the 94 Toyota electric forklifts and 150 tow tractors at Toyota Motor Manufacturing's Derbyshire plant is being driven by two innovative three-tier battery changing stations. The new stations are...

Handling & Storage: Going forward with a Bendi.
March 22, 2005... With four distribution centres in London, Essex and Kent, third-party logistics specialist Westex is backing Translift's Bendi articulated forklift as the way forward for VNA storage. "There is almost no logistics contract that Westex...

Handling & Storage: Set the wheels in motion.
March 22, 2005... Turnkey conveyor installation has been completed by Okura for the alloy wheel production line at the Montupet plant in Belfast, the object being to distribute effectively the output of three automatic wheel machining cells to manual...

Handling & Storage: Order picking at lower levels.
March 22, 2005... Designed for first and second-level order picking in warehouse racking, Atlet's new modular Tempo PP machines come in either driver position fixed, for first level picking, or rising for second level work. Base versions can be supplied with...

Handling & Storage: Uptime at Wetherspoon's.
March 22, 2005... EnerSys Motive Power has supplied its Hawker brand of batteries and chargers to the lift truck fleet at a new national distribution centre opened by pub chain Wetherspoon. The 20,000m2 NDC, operated by Excel, includes ambient, chilled and...

Handling & Storage: Reelin' in the productivity.
March 22, 2005... One of Hyster's latest Space Saver trucks, supplied by Barloworld, has provided the solution to a heavy handling problem at a major paper reel plant. During a reappraisal of its Garstang production plant, Walki Wisa realised the benefits...

Handling & Storage: Going direct.
March 22, 2005... Irish narrow aisle forklift manufacturer Aisle-Master is offering its range of electric and lpg-powered articulated trucks direct to the UK market. As part of this strategy, the company is looking to establish links with materials handling...

Handling & Storage: New ramps for old.
March 22, 2005... The first mobile yard ramp produced by Thorworld Industries has finally been 'retired' by Claymore Grass Machinery after 15 years' service, to be replaced by one of the latest Thorworld models, a 10,000kg capacity Type 6. Claymore uses a...

Health & Safety: An eye for safety.
March 22, 2005... As an alternative to traditional safety eyebolts used during window cleaning and building maintenance work, Dunn & Cowe's Keyanka system comprises two parts - a permanent wall-mounted socket and an eyebolt carried by an operator on the end of...

Health & Safety: Getting to grips.
March 22, 2005... Providing a skid-resistant surface for vehicle and heavily used pedestrian areas inside and out, Watco's Grip-Master is a solvent-free, one 'high-build' coat covering for use on concrete, tarmac, asphalt, wood or steel. A heavy-duty epoxy...

Health & Safety: Keep the noise down.
March 22, 2005... New Paulstra Strasonic acoustic isolation systems from Wyko Industrial Services are designed specifically to reduce airborne noise in industrial applications. Typical examples include any loud equipment that is located in the working...

Health & Safety: Feeling the force of safer interlocking.
March 22, 2005... All the key designer benefits of small size, high holding force and robust metal construction are provided by Guardmaster's new 440G-MT, solenoid locking switch from EJA. The 440G-MT is a safety device that enables designers to respond...

Health & Safety: Keeping tags on lone workers.
March 22, 2005... Using technology proven in personnel and asset tagging applications, Colter's R-IDENT LW system is now offered as a solution for lone worker monitoring. Monitoring starts when the system's TX-LW unit is taken from its parking holder,...

Health & Safety: Safety in harness.
March 22, 2005... Developed in collaboration with osteopath and naturopathic physician Dr Jon Leigh, lifting gear and services supplier Certex has introduced the Checkmate Professional range of personal protection equipment. Dr Leigh says many safety...

Health & Safety: Spills on film.
March 22, 2005... Spill Kits from Darcy Products have been selected for use in a training video produced by environmental communications specialist Shot In The Dark. Targeted at all industrial sectors, the video covers the complete rapid spill response...

Health & Safety: Comfort underfoot.
March 22, 2005... Electrical power generation and distribution equipment specialist Newage has installed Coba safety floor matting at its Stamford manufacturing facility. A selection of anti-fatigue mat products, supplied by ARCO East Midlands, has been...

Health & Safety: Pad keeps harness in position.
March 22, 2005... Two Sala height safety devices from Capital Safety Northern Group can increase the safety and comfort of workers operating above the ground. The Suspension Trauma Safety Strap comes into play after a fall, while extra comfort for wearers of...

Health & Safety: Safety through the hoop.
March 22, 2005... The Fallguard AL-D fall arrest carriage from Metreel is one way of increasing the safety and fall arrest effectiveness of many hooped ladder installations. A simple bolt-on asymmetrical track completes the requirement of this low-cost system....

Health & Safety: Ne'er a slip.
March 22, 2005... Slips, trips and falls can be reduced with Rocol's Safe Step Matrix panels and treads. Made from GRP, the panels have a durable, near- diamond hard, anti-slip aggregate bonded to the surface in 40mm squares, which are separated by...

Health & Safety: Integrating safety into process control.
March 22, 2005... Developed for use with process automation systems, ProSafe-RS from Yokogawa will constantly monitor the status of oil, natural gas, petrochemical and other process applications and ensure safety by shutting down the plant whenever an unexpected...

Health & Safety: Drums beat new safety spec.
March 22, 2005... The final stage of oil storage regulations that began to be phased in during March 2002 come into effect in September and covers all oil containers of 200 litres or more. If the drum or container is not bunded then it must be kept in a bund...

Health & Safety: A faster reaction.
March 22, 2005... From Murex Welding Products comes the 9-13 Multiweld helmet, offering a remarkable 1/20,000th sec. reaction time and providing both full ultraviolet and infrared protection. Individual welder comfort has been considered with a...

Electrics & Electronics: Get dusted down.
March 22, 2005... The DKS 40 incremental encoder from Sick\Stegmann features a dust-proof construction and protection to IP64. It is said to be ideal for simple speed and position control applications in the printing, packaging and materials handling...

Electrics & Electronics: Patched up cable.
March 22, 2005... A new range of angled patch panels, from Tyco Electronics, is designed to ease the administration, management and cost of installing and maintaining structured cabling systems. The AMP NETCONNECT patch panels are angled in a way that...

Electrics & Electronics: Tecan help to keep your lid on.
March 22, 2005... Tecan's single centre of excellence negates the need for semiconductor and optoelectronic hybrid package (tub) manufacturers to buy lids separately. From this facility, Tecan supplies exact-fit, accurate, burr and stress-free lids to meet...

Electrics & Electronics: In control with 4 digits.
March 22, 2005... The new OEM 4-LED is a compact four-digit LED data display module from Lascar Electronics. Communication with the display is via a serial interface, which is said to make this product ideally suited to micro- controller based applications. ...

Electrics & Electronics: Fitting in with the T-slots.
March 22, 2005... The new MK51 series solid-state cylinder sensors have been introduced by ifm electronic to address the problems associated with fitting sensors to T-slots in pneumatic cylinders. A snap-fit mechanism allows the user to fit the switch with...

Electrics & Electronics: Catch the A8450 for automation.
March 22, 2005... The A8450 is a multi-output voltage regulator integrated circuit designed for automotive applications. It operates from a wide input supply range of 6-45v, and has an operating temperature range from -40 degrees C to +135 degrees C. The...

Electrics & Electronics: Powerful Micro.
March 22, 2005... The S8VS Micro is the latest switch-mode power supply from Omron. Available in 15w and 30w models, with a choice of 5, 12 or 24V dc outputs, the Micro works without derating, right up to its maximum operating temperature. It is thought to be an...

Electrics & Electronics: Get rising clamp.
March 22, 2005... A new range of vertical plug-in PCB connectors, from Camden Electronics, feature rising clamp terminals for secure connections in electrical and lighting applications. The CTB92VE series female connectors are available in sizes from 2 to...

Electrics & Electronics: Interface on the smallest level.
March 22, 2005... Omron is integrating its 100Base-TX Ethernet interface on its smallest modular PLC. Three new CPU models in the CJ1M PLC range add a high speed Ethernet interface to the existing two serial ports, providing an economical method of connecting...

Electrics & Electronics: Terminals on the rails.
March 22, 2005... The Morsettitalia DIN-rail system from Elkay Electrical has a full range of fuse terminal blocks, which are said to be lighter and more cost-effective. There are 14 models in the EURO fuse DIN-Rail range from standard fused, diode, LED and...

Electrics & Electronics: Control cables get tough.
March 22, 2005... The OLFLEX ROBUST range of flexible control cables is now available from Lapp. This addition to the OLFLEX family features an insulation material developed by Lapp that permits safe exposure to extreme heat, cold or wind. The new cable is also...

Electrics & Electronics: Makes sense to stay on the path.
March 22, 2005... The latest current sensor family from Allegro MicroSystems, the ACS704 series, is the first range of Hall-effect current sensors in the small- outline SOIC8 surface-mount package to have the current path integrated into the package for...

Industrial Computing: Take your PIC.
March 22, 2005... RF Solutions now offers around 20 different daughter boards, to cover the most popular and commonly used PIC microcontrollers, for use with its ICEPIC Emulation System. The system itself is designed to give quick and easy testing and...

Industrial Computing: PC weathers the worst.
March 22, 2005... For aggressive environments IT systems company Barron McCann has developed the Factory Production Terminal (FPT) series of waterproof and dustproof integrated, touch screen, industrial PCs. Rather than relying on a bulky enclosure housing a...

Industrial Computing: Monitor - please touch!
March 22, 2005... Elo TouchSystems has announced two new 17 inch Liquid Crystal Display rear-mount touchmonitors, the 1749L featuring a wide viewing angle panel and the 1746L with a lower spec panel. Both touchmonitors feature Elo's clear glass IntelliTouch...

Industrial Computing: Board packed with features.
March 22, 2005... Crellon Microsystems announce the latest 3U CompactPCI CPU board from Adlink Technology. Designated the cPCI-3840, the board is said to offer maximum versatility by supporting the Intel Pentium(R)M, Pentium(R)M 745/755 and Celeron M...

Factory Equipment: Do step back!
March 22, 2005... Hyprosteps has specially designed a safety step with extending platform length to accommodate a manufacturer of picture frames, coving and dado rail profile sections. Operators could not remove the two and three metre long packages from the...

Factory Equipment: Rocket parts.
March 22, 2005... A multi-station engine build line and component transfer system has been developed by Excel Automation, for production of Triumph Motorcycles' new road cruiser, Rocket III The start point of the engine build programme calls for one half of...

Factory Equipment: High volume epoxy dispenser.
March 22, 2005... A new Loctite dispensing unit designed for two part epoxies have been introduced by Henkel Technologies. The Dual Piston High Volume Dispenser is a volumetric system for self- levelling two part adhesives. It has been especially designed...

Factory Equipment: Lifting? Sorted!
March 22, 2005... Britannia Lift has designed, built and installed a bespoke mast-type goods lift for the sorting machinery manufacturer, Sortex. The new lift is used to move high-tech rice and grain sorting equipment between ground level and a newly built...