What's New In Industry articles from March 2008

What's New In Industry archives from March 2008

WHAT'S NEW: Legionella warning.
March 28, 2008... Wireless and cellular telemetry specialist Radio-Tech has produced a remote legionella control and monitoring system that can deliver significant time and cost savings. The RTcom Legion is said to be the only system available to comply fully...

WHAT'S NEW: Impact goes Nissan.
March 28, 2008... In what all parties have described as 'a perfect fit', Nissan Forklift dealer for the East Midlands and East Anglia, Apollo Plant, has been acquired in a multi-million pound deal by Impact Handling. The purchase marks a further...

WHAT'S NEW: Fan controls are key to rail tunnel safety.
March 28, 2008... Ventilation and safety for the new Cross London Channel Tunnel Rail Link is controlled by a dual redundant system of programmable automations controllers (PACs) which link into the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) in the...

WHAT'S NEW: Extractor creates new options.
March 28, 2008... Purpose-designed dust extraction facilities from Mac'Ants are helping the Immingham plant of the Specialist Coatings Division of Nicol UK to enhances its opportunities to extend its services more broadly nationwide. The Mac'Ants unit...

WHAT'S NEW: Something in the air ar AirTech 08.
March 28, 2008... The latest workplace compressor and blower solutions, new VSD refrigerant dryer, remote monitoring solutions, finance options and more will feature on the Atlas Copco stand at next month's AirTech show at the NEC. Atlas Copco Compressors...

WHAT'S NEW: Expansion for graphics firm.
March 28, 2008... Chippenham-based Fascia Graphics is to expand office space at its Bath Road Industrial Estate factory to cater for an increasing customer base. The company was recently granted planning permission to add more production space, together with...

WHAT'S NEW: Manufacturing not for the masses.
March 28, 2008... Digital manufacturing is being used to manufacture 32 components for the new Stratasys FDM 900mc large format production machine, available from distributor Laser Lines. Direct digital manufacturing - also known as rapid manufacturing - can...

WHAT'S NEW: High power from small torch.
March 28, 2008... The small size and high power of the new LED UV torch from Focus NDT (> than 6000 >W/cmI at 400m) exceeds the North Sea, Drill Pipe and Aerospace specifications, suiting it to a wide range of industries and applications. The design has...

WHAT'S NEW: Upgrade offer for imaging cameras.
March 28, 2008... Infrared is certainly the quickest and easiest method of spotting electrical and mechanical faults. These are prime applications for the FLIR Systems range of ThermaCAM thermal imaging cameras. For a limited period only, any order for the...

WHAT'S NEW: Still top environmental truck.
March 28, 2008... Last month's The Fork Lift Truck Association Awards ceremony at the Birmingham Metropol, saw STILL Materials Handling take the 2008 Environment Award with its RX 70 25-35 range of IC engine counterbalance forklifts. This makes STILL the only...

WHAT'S NEW: Make the Vulcan connection.
March 28, 2008... The only airworthy Avro Vulcan bomber in the world has returned to the skies after a ten-year effort by the Vulcan To The Sky Trust. Aerco has helped to restore this historic aircraft by acting as a consulting company on connector...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Production efficiency: it's all down to Experience.
March 28, 2008... What does the late John Entwistle of The Who have in common with Dave Best of indie rock band The Pigeon Detectives, or Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols with Rupert Jarvis of The Maccabees? The answer is they are all bass guitarists with a...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Chain monitoring gets smarter.
March 28, 2008... New version of Renold's Smartlink chain monitoring technology can be installed and operated either by maintenance engineers or OEMs. Previous versions have had to be installed and monitored by Renold's own engineers, limiting its use to...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Timing belt gets a grip to keep coins in for count.
March 28, 2008... Used in banking and financial organisations, the Reis Eurosystems Nummus 6531-V coin handling machine is capable of pre-cleaning, identifying, sorting and counting over 3000 mixed coins per minute with almost total reliability. As a...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Switch onto increased functionality.
March 28, 2008... New from Schmersal is the R-Series of modular control devices and indicator lights, offering increased functionality, better use of space and ease of assembly. These modular components, designed for the 22.3mm industrial standard, include...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Three-phase motor stays in step.
March 28, 2008... Stepper motors are commonly seen in two or four-phase designs, but Astrosyn International Technology has launched an advanced three-phase motor with driver. The three-phase layout gives the unit a quiet, smooth operation as well as high...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Drive towards higher standards.
March 28, 2008... New modular DR motor system from SEW is aiming to set new standards in drive engineering: it already meets future demands for minimum efficiency ratings of asynchronous motors. The motor system integrates all current requirements regarding...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Stage gets into position with perfect precision.
March 28, 2008... With its open frame design, Aerotech's ABL3600 air bearing, linear motor driven X-Y positioning stage is aimed at semiconductor fabrication and test, scanning microscopy and other demanding scan and position applications requiring a large...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Geared motor for tight spaces.
March 28, 2008... Framo Morat Compacta slip-on geared motor from R A Rodriguez is ideal when space is at a premium. Units are designed for repeatable positioning and reversing tasks. Models in the range are said to be up to 10kg lighter than nearest competitors...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Chain needs no lubrication.
March 28, 2008... Renold has launched a poly-steel chain that requires no lubrication, has no metal-on-metal contact and so can operate even if submerged under water. Syno PC Chain is made up of a tough polymer inner link with pins and outer plates of...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: Servo intelligence.
March 28, 2008... Motion and mechatronics specialist Mclennan has launched a new range of intelligent servo drives from California-based Applied Motion Products Inc. The packaged BLuAC5 range includes a PWM drive stage with a rating of 5A continuous/15A peak...

DRIVES & CONTROLS: G-Wiz bang.
March 28, 2008... When Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team decided to race a G-Wiz against the might of a 300bhp Ford Shelby Mustang GT, some serious modifications were needed - and Brammer stepped in to help. The G-Wiz Automatic Electric Vehicle's top speed...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Don't go out without a coat.
March 28, 2008... While Schaeffler's standard INA and FAG branded bearings offer optimum performance and a long service life, in some harsh operating environments, or for special applications, a standard bearing material or coating may need to be upgraded in...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Split bearings to keep it sweet.
March 28, 2008... The ability of mechanical failures to shut down sugar refineries during the busiest time of the year was demonstrated recently at one Norfolk facility, causing 30,000 tonnes of beet to be transferred to other factories in the adjacent area...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Plastic bearings roll away printer problems.
March 28, 2008... Reliability, easy set-up and modular components were key issues for the Codeology team when designing its P100 printer/applicator. Mainly steel and aluminium, the machine has to cope with life in demanding factory environments and...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Let accuracy be your guide.
March 28, 2008... Schaeffler's new RUE100 E-L profiled rail linear guide is aiming to offer machine builders optimum running characteristics, high load ratings and a robust, compact, low-friction design. This linear guidance system is suited to large...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Rolling precisely.
March 28, 2008... Resolving problems of complex structure, high frictional resistance and inner clearances, new spherical rolling joints from Heason Technology provide high precision and rigidity for 'zero clearance three-degree of freedom' rolling guideways....

BEARINGS & SEALS: Go by air for precise travel.
March 28, 2008... Porous air bearings said to combine virtually frictionless motion with high load carrying capabilities and locational accuracy have been introduced by positioning and measurement solutions specialist IBS Precision Engineering. Available...

BEARINGS & SEALS: Self-aligning bearing passes the mower test.
March 28, 2008... A leading manufacturer of lawnmowers for use out in the field, on the golf course or in the garden is recognised as the industry standard for commercial mowers. But on its latest model, the rigours of critical bearings and mis-alignment...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Hygiene and safety underfoot.
March 28, 2008... Slips and trips cause more accidents in the workplace than anything else; the figure is about 20 per cent of all recorded accidents. Increasing litigation, encouraged by the 'no-win no-fee' guys, has become a two-edged sword. On the one hand...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Get Smart about guarding.
March 28, 2008... Versatile, modular machine safety fencing system, incorporating a number of innovative design features making it exceptionally fast and simple to install by just one operative, has been launched by Troax. The Smart Fix system is said to ensure...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Paint gives an early warning.
March 28, 2008... Immediate, visual detection of dangerous spray-outs in critical areas in process systems such as pipe flanges, valves, weld sites and sample ports is the main benefit of On-Guard, an acid alert paint from Allison Engineering. On-Guard...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Sound the alarm.
March 28, 2008... Nexus Voice Sounder fire alarm from Klaxon Signals combines normal sounder signals with a synchronised voice message to provide instruction that eliminates confusion after an alarm sounds. Units are offered with four pre-programmed messages...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Alarm complies with DDA.
March 28, 2008... KAC's addressable combined sounder and strobe units have been designed to reduce original installation costs, enabling a cost-effective compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in both new build and retrofit applications. ...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Hazardous products kept safely behind the mesh.
March 28, 2008... Industrial safety and partitioning specialist Troax has upgraded fire safety at the Livingston distribution centre of M&S Toiletries, the distributor of health, beauty and household products, by installing a large custom-designed wire mesh...

HEALTH & SAFETY: The key to safety.
March 28, 2008... Copella Fruit Juices, part of PepsiCo, is the latest food industry member to invest in Salvo, Castell's drive-away prevention system. The device has been fitted to both loading bays at Copella's factory in Suffolk, safeguarding 50...

HEALTH & SAFETY: For the washroom.
March 28, 2008... An extensive range of towel and toilet paper dispensers for use in away- from-home washrooms has been introduced by Metsa Tissue. Designed principally for high-volume applications, Katrin System Dispensers are constructed from durable,...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Steps give safer lorry access.
March 28, 2008... A problem within the road haulage sector is how access is gained onto the back of a lorry or trailer: some drivers have become worryingly adept at climbing onto lorry wheels or balancing on the tips of forklift forks. Risk assessment of how...

HEALTH & SAFETY: Switching on to access safety.
March 28, 2008... Fortress Interlocks has extended its range of mGard trapped key safety interlocks with a range of Voltage Switching units to prevent the removal of a gate access key whilst a machine is in motion. Voltages on a machine are generated even...

HEALTH & SAFETY: An early warning.
March 28, 2008... By actively and continuously monitoring the air within the protected enclosure for smoke aerosols, Rittal's new rack extinguisher system Detection-Active (DET-AC) offers early detection of fire sources. DET- AC's multi-stage smoke analysis...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Flatness to spec.
March 28, 2008... Concrete Grinding has upgraded 750 linear metres of flooring to DIN 15185 spec. in a new distribution warehouse built by Farsons Brewery on the island of Malta. The project - CG's first on Malta - enables man-up lift trucks to run at maximum...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Welfare Unit meets HSE site requirements.
March 28, 2008... Compliance with the HSE's 'Welfare At Work' requirements have been made easier by the introduction of SGB Rovacabin's specially designed and equipped Welfare Unit. It is completely self-sufficient and suitable for use on even the most...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Screed laid fast.
March 28, 2008... Use of Somero's SXP Laser Screed helped sub-contractor Romex complete a major flooring project at a massive industrial park near Moscow ahead of other similar contracts. While four other sub-contractors each completed 700m2 of concrete floor...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Bracket a fix for mullion systems.
March 28, 2008... Levolux Universal Curtain Walling Bracket provides designers and engineers with a fixing method for the new short-nosed mullion systems. In keeping with the solar shading specialists' commitment to innovation, the bracket incorporates an...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Secure storage for works of art.
March 28, 2008... A high-security private storage facility has been installed by partitioning specialist Troax at the West London depository of fine art and furtniture storage and shipping company Cadogan Tate. Troax used its solid steel Broadsword...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Get the floor right.
March 28, 2008... Installation of a 60,400m2 concrete floor at a new Bucks distribution centre for John Lewis stores has been completed on time and within budget to the design and under the supervision of Face Consultants. FACE was appointed to ensure...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Sprayers for faster coating.
March 28, 2008... New range of sprayers from Hi-Tec Spray will deliver a radical solution for interior plasterers and decorators when applying plaster coatings as well as many other materials. Among the systems available are the Graco T-Max 405, suitable for...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Improving conditions underfoot.
March 28, 2008... Greater awareness of the benefits of anti-fatigue floorcoverings is partly the result of Health & Safety Executive and trades union efforts to improve the welfare of employees, says matting manufacturer Plastic Extruders. On-site research of...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Safer access for refurbishment project.
March 28, 2008... SGB has been appointed access contractor for the external renovation of Lynch Wood Park in Peterborough, home to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and its subsidiary, Diligenta. The 15-year old building is undergoing complete exterior...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Faster fixing for ductwork.
March 28, 2008... New from Doby Verrolec is a Circular Flange System, purpose-designed for the fast, efficient connection of sections of circular and spiral ductwork. With on-site time increasingly at a premium, contractors have sought a quicker, easier...

BUILDINGS & MAINTENANCE: Don't slip up.
March 28, 2008... Available from Fibreglass Grating, Dura Tread Fibreglass Floor Grating is designed to reduce accidents in all types of industries. Its gritted anti-slip top is said to have one of the highest degrees of slip- resistance ever measured for a...

WELDING & METAL: Twin system keeps welding shipshape.
March 28, 2008... In addition to maximum deposition rate at high welding speeds, users of high-performance welding systems expect top quality welding results and flexible application options. Shipbuilding yard Peenewerft has almost doubled its productivity...

WELDING & METAL: Punch press knocks down cost.
March 28, 2008... The cost of manufacturing sheet metal components for office furniture has been reduced at the Blackburn factory of Plan-It Welding after installation of a Finn-Power E5 turret punch press from Press & Shear Machinery. The savings result from...

WELDING & METAL: Welding developments reap sales success.
March 28, 2008... Contracts worth #5m for seven friction welding machines from many of the top international makers of construction machine components, including Caterpillar, have been secured by Halesowen-based Thompson Friction Welding. The machines are...

WELDING & METAL: More options on the move.
March 28, 2008... Minar series of MIG/MAG, TIG and MMA lightweight inverter welders from Kemppi has been extended with three models for MMA and TIG welding being added to the range. The Minarc 220 is a three-phase 400V 50/60Hz lightweight MMA/TIG inverter...

WELDING & METAL: Packs cut weld wire wastage.
March 28, 2008... Unipart has switched to using ESAB stainless steel welding wire supplied in Mini Marathon Pacs on 20 welding robots that fabricate automotive exhaust systems, including stainless steel systems for Land Rover. The result has been less wastage,...

WELDING & METAL: Plasma machine for light/medium cutting.
March 28, 2008... From welding and cutting specialist Butters AMT comes the AMT Rasor 63, an inverter-based, three-phase plasma cutting machine ideally suited to light and medium cutting applications where a three-phase 400V supply is available. The machine...

WELDING & METAL: At the core of weldability.
March 28, 2008... Latest Shield-Bright stainless cored wires from ESAB are rutile types for excellent weldability on conventional non-pulsing power sources under Ar/CO2 mixed gas and CO2 shielding gas. Always operating in the smooth spray arc mode, they...

WELDING & METAL: Robots offer arc welding options.
March 28, 2008... A pair of small payload, lightweight robots designed to perform a variety of arc welding applications are being launched at MACH 2008 by Kuka Automation + Robotics. The compact KR5 Arc robot features high continuous path accuracy, but...

WELDING & METAL: Robots speed up arc welding.
March 28, 2008... Two new six-axis industrial robots for arc welding from Motoman Robotics are said to be the fastest on the market. The all-electric Super Speed SSA2000 and SSF2000 are 40 per cent faster than previous robots due to advanced motion control...

WELDING & METAL: Welding power.
March 28, 2008... New Swagelok M200 welding system power supply offers ease of use, portability, and 200A capability, all with a weight of less than 50lbs (23kg). A high-resolution 12.1in (307 mm) color industrial touch screen gives users a simple,...

WELDING & METAL: Keeping quiet about plasma cutting.
March 28, 2008... Plasma cutting has major advantages in terms of speed, precision, energy savings and low capital investment costs. But until now, however, the process could not really be described as quiet. This has been addressed by ESAB Cutting Systems...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Automation takes a shot at high-value castings.
March 28, 2008... Regardless of how a component is cast, tasks such as desanding, deburring and surface cleaning are often still carried out manually. Not only are they time consuming and highly labour-intensive, but the quality of manual blasting strongly...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Coolant slows bacterial growth.
March 28, 2008... The ECOCOOL ULTRALIFE range of coolants from Fuchs is designed to offer optimum machining performance and surface finish, especially when used in modern CNC machines, as well as provide the ultimate machine cleanliness for an improved working...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Blast unit keeps tools clean.
March 28, 2008... A manufacturer of high-technology cutting tools for the woodworking and furniture industry has equipped its Northern service centre with a Formula 1400 blast system from specialist finishing equipment manufacturer Guyson Int. Tony Harvey,...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Top of the form.
March 28, 2008... ROCOL's V-press range of pressing, forming and drawing lubricants has been developed as an entry level lubricant to complement its high- performance ULTRAFORM products. The two V-press lubricants suit light/medium-duty pressing, forming,...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Food-grade lube.
March 28, 2008... Food processing machinery facing the constant challenge of excess moisture will benefit from a new high-performance demulsification oil from ROCOL. Rapid Demulse 220 is a food-grade demulsification oil ideally suited to applications like...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Adhesive tape gets to grips with show display.
March 28, 2008... A high-performance double-sided PET adhesive tape developed by tesa proved itself in a demanding situation securing rigid PVC plastic film profiles with strong elastic memory to a foam centred display board for a 7.5m2 exhibition display. This...

FINISHING & MATERIALS: Get on the right wavelength.
March 28, 2008... Certain laser applications may experience improved efficiency at wavelengths other than the standard 10.6um wavelength: for instance, says Laser Lines, many organic and semi-organic materials have higher absorption in the 9um band. For these...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: I/R camera 'sees' key greenhouse gas.
March 28, 2008... FLIR Systems' ThermaCAM GasFind IR gas leak detector has allowed users to incorporate infrared into their leak detection and repair programmes, providing a quicker and more efficient method than traditional toxic vapour analysis. This has led...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Interface software controls HPLC.
March 28, 2008... Software has been released by Shimadzu to interface Waters Empower Chromatography data processing software with its own Prominence high- performanmce liquide chromatography (HPLC) series. This new software has been developed using Waters...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Keep a check on temp. changes.
March 28, 2008... Elfab's new Flo-Tel+ combines all the benefits of the original burst detection system but now has the added advantage of an in-built thermistor, allowing users to monitor process temperature. Undetected temperature changes can affect both...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Control upgrade for lake sluices.
March 28, 2008... Widnes-based control systems specialist Denca Controls has completed a SCADA and PLC control upgrade to the sluice gate control system on the outlet of Bala Lake in North Wales - a solution Denca originally designed and implemented in 2000....

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Reliable control.
March 28, 2008... Certain process applications place tough demands on control valves where, despite a combination of factors, operational requirements demand consistent, reliable performance. As the UK distributor for Badger Valves, Pump Eengineering can supply...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Pumping corrosives.
March 28, 2008... New plastic magnet-drive centrifugal pumps from Michael Smith Engineers are for use in corrosive and challenging environments. The Finnish Thompson DB leak-free pump ranges consists of eight models in either polypropylene or PVDF, with flows...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Easy Hipot tests on the bench.
March 28, 2008... Rapid, easy HiPot testing of cables, connectors and harnesses is provided by the new all-in-one bench top high voltage wiring analyser from Clare Instruments. Horizon II is an easy-to-use, fully integrated and flexible data management tool...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Switch for safety.
March 28, 2008... New CFS hinge from Elesa has a built-in security switch to suit Category 1 hazardous areas. It switches off equipment when a door or panel is opened to ensure operator safety. Alternatively, it may be used remotely to indicate status, say for...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Seal adapts to suit fluids.
March 28, 2008... One problem with process fluids is that each has its own characteristics and each presents pump manufacturers with a sealing or pumping challenge. So pump manufacturer Salvatore Robuschi is offering a modular seal system on its RD/RG range of...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Recorders carry out instrumentation checks.
March 28, 2008... A new range of low cost portable, battery-operated and panel-mounted data recorders from Impress Sensors & Systems is designed for carrying out instrumentation checks and data logging functions across a range of process manufacturing...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Upgrade to gas plant automation.
March 28, 2008... The automation system for one of the UK's largest gas terminals is being upgraded and migrated to ABB's 800xA control system. The St Fergus Gas Terminal, 60km north of Aberdeen, receives and processes gas from over 20 North Sea fields,...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Valves aid glass production.
March 28, 2008... Process valve manufacturer ARI Armaturen recently supplied manual isolation, flow control and safety valves to a float line glass-making project in Russia, in partnership with industrial gases and equipment specialist Air Products. AP was...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Ferrules a boost for GC-MS.
March 28, 2008... Shimadzu's new range of consumables for its GC and GCMS (gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer) instruments includes a high-quality line of SilTite ferrules for capillary columns. Ideal for GC-MS, these ferrules are said to achieve the best...

PROCESS PLANT & CONTROL: Pump power by magnetic force.
March 28, 2008... New range of magnetic drive pumps with a motor range up to 22kW has been introduced by Grundfos. Ideal for pumping dangerous or aggressive liquid, the CRN MAGdrive eliminates the need for shaft seals, with the power from the motor being...

HANDLING & STORAGE: Hydrostatic trucks on top of the job.
March 28, 2008... Operating in an arduous environment not only requires equipment that is tough, but also reliable and comfortable to operate. A fleet of ten Linde lift trucks is helping turn round 30 lorries a day at an Ipswich warehousing and storage...