Technology Review 135

Zero-Speed Switches
The Maxigard A5000 series zero-speed switches are used to prove rotation or indicate loss of rotation for conveyors, screw feeders, rotary airlocks, mixers, and other mechanical material-handling or -processing equipment. The switches provide a 5-amp SPDT relay output that can be used in motor control circuits or to interface with PLCs and other types of control systems. The sensors are designed for industrial applications; have up to a ¾-in. gap tolerance; are unaffected by material buildup, moisture, or misalignment; and have a five-year warranty.
Process Control Systems Inc., Minneapolis, MN 952-361-3026 www.maxigard.com

Palletizer Systems
Robots provide high-speed palletizing capabilities and precise product placement in compact layout areas using minimal power consumption. A touch screen interface allows the operator to quickly and easily input bag, stack, and pallet data, and the program automatically determines precise arm movement for optimal performance. Each system is set up, hard wired, and test run with product prior to shipment, ensuring complete system performance, smooth installation, and fast start-up in the facility.
Chantland-MHS, Humboldt, IA 515-332-4045 www.chantland.com

Wear Protection
The new Kalcret hard compound, cement-bonded wear protection for system components and pipes features a reduced mixing time of approximately five minutes, is easier to handle, and offers a faster installation time. The new compound can also be easily applied overhead. It is made up of a hard aggregate material, cement binder, and micro- and nanosilica. The hard aggregate provides high-quality wear protection, while the micro- and nanosilica fill the pores between the cement portions. It reaches high strength and wear resistance after eight hours. Suitable for temperatures up to 2192ºF, Kalcret handles a broad range of abrasive products, including coal, cement, ore, sand, and other hard, granular materials.
Abresist Corp., Urbana, IN 800-348-0717 www.abresist.com

Platform Systems
The Insta-Rack provides safe access to the tops of railroad tank cars, hopper cars, and tank trucks. The unit features a single pedestal platform with access stairway and access equipment, is available for quick delivery, and is easy to install. It can be easily customized to meet you needs, like adding another gangway for access to another railcar or adding slide track with carriage or pivot mount when poor spotting of railcars is an issue. A complete line of elevating fall-protection platforms, stationary platforms with and without canopies, portable platforms, safety systems, access equipment, and horizontal lifeline systems is available.
G-Raff Systems, Cleveland, OH 440-238-4360 www.g-raffsystems.com

Hydraulic Tank and Hopper Scales
Guardian tank- and hopper-mounted scale systems are designed to keep weighing accurately even in the harshest conditions. Constructed in 300-series stainless steel, the hydraulic load cells are built to last a lifetime and require no electricity within the scale itself. Self-checking three- and four-stand assemblies are available with system gross capacities ranging from 3000 to 300,000 lb. Each weighing system is supplied with a totalizer and 20 ft of copper tubing per load cell. Unique features include immunity to lightning damage, water and heavy washdown reliability, resistance to transient voltage and RFI, and protection against rodent damage.
Cardinal Scale Manufacturing Co., Webb City, MO 800-441-4237 www.CardinalScale.com

Rare-Earth Bullet Magnet
The rare-earth bullet magnet incorporates a powerful rare-earth magnet that captures fine ferrous particles. The aerodynamic nose cone is designed to maintain a balanced flow through the stainless-steel housing and allows the magnet to be used anywhere in a pneumatic line system. Cart-mounted models allow the magnet to be used for truck or rail-car bulk unloading. Placement ahead of processing equipment and bulk loadouts helps ensure product purity and equipment protection from tramp metal particles. The magnet is ideal for dilute-phase system applications such as the processing of flour, powders, chemicals, and resins. It is permanently mounted onto a hinged door, which removes it from the product flow when cleaning, and is sheathed by an easy-clean stripper sleeve.
Industrial Magnetics Inc., Boyne City, MI 888-582-0821 www.magnetics.com

Auxiliary Switch
This auxiliary switch is designed for use in electrical utilities and offers unidirectional 90º indexing. Designated the Series 102, it is available with up to 24 poles, making it ideal for a variety of power industry applications. By modifying a snap-action rotary switch design, it allows lever arm activation and a quick break action (approximately 10-millisecond transfer time) for dc as well as ac switching. Capable of being further modified into several different configurations, the switch has been successfully used for a variety of auxiliary applications.
Electroswitch, Weymouth, MA 781-335-5200 www.electroswitch.com

Conveyors
The pallet jack interface conveyor is available in configurations with or without squaring arms to align pallets to the centerline of the conveyor. It features 3000-lb maximum load capacity and standard speeds of 40 to 80 ft/min and it can handle a standard 40 × 48–in. GMA or Chep 9-block pallet. Users can drive a pallet jack onto the ramp or plates, set the pallet on the plates, and pull the pallet jack back out. Chains then raise the pallet off the plates and run it onto the next conveyor, eliminating the pos­sibility of conveyor damage. A ledge or pit with 26 to 30 inches clearance below ground level is required to accommodate the interface. The mechanical right angle transfer conveyor can handle USPS pallets without a slave pallet. The four-way pallet-transfer operation uses a combination of chains and close roller centers, allowing forward, left, right, or backward movement, as needed. Constructed of heavy-duty structural and formed steel, this conveyor has a 3500-lb maximum load capacity and a standard speed of 40 to 60 ft/min. It uses standard industrial-type components for easy replacement.
Westfalia Technologies Inc., York, PA 800-673-2522 www.westfaliausa.com

Laboratory Grinding Mill
The range of fine grinding KEK universal mills has been expanded to include the new Series-7H laboratory unit. It is designed specifically for the milling of laboratory samples and is equally at home in a glovebox or fume cupboard, or on a benchtop. The range is suitable for use at laboratory level to pilot plant and production units up to 200-kW drive.
Kemutec Inc., Bristol, PA 215-788-8013 www.kemutec.com

Bulk Bag Unloader for Pneumatic Conveyors
The BFF series (forklift load) bulk bag unloader has a non-flow-through pickup adapter for multiple pneumatic conveying lines. The Tele-Tube telescoping tube raises a Spout-Lock clamp ring that seals the clean side of the bag spout to the clean side of the telescoping tube, exerting continual downward tension as the bag empties and elongates, promoting flow while containing dust. The Power-Cincher flow control valve cinches the spout concentrically for easy, leakproof tie-offs, while a Bag-Vac dust collector creates negative pressure within the dust-tight system to collapse empty bags dust-free prior to retying and disconnection. Flow-Flexer bag activators raise the bottom of a bag into a steep V shape, promoting complete discharge.
Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, PA 888-353-9426 www.flexicon.com

Pneumatic Unloading
The Turbo-Inductor system is a fast, efficient way to unload bulk materials at high rates over long distances from pneumatic railcars and trailers. These self-contained systems come mounted on modular skids that include the Turbo-Inductor, a blower sized specifically for the application; hose connections; and a NEMA-4 panel that automatically controls airflow based on line pressure. The unit works by stepping up to larger-diameter lines and adding higher volumes of air to the conveyed bulk material—without any modifications to the delivery vehicles.
Cyclonaire Corp., York, NE 888-593-6241 www.cyclonaire.com

Pneumatic Conveying Hopper
Material is loaded into this hopper with a container discharger, then sent to eight different points of the customer’s process with vacuum conveying. This allows the operator to work in a safer environment and gain overall efficiency and product throughput. The vacuum line connection is 2½-in. diam with options ranging from 1½- to 4-in. diam. The hopper offers the convenience of small-volume temporary storage with the added benefit of rugged material transportation between work sites within the customer’s facility. The space-saving, square, and stackable design optimizes floor space.
NBE Inc., Holland, MI 616-399-2220 www.nbe-move.com

Stretch-Wrapping System
The Q-400XT stretch-wrapping system halves the cost and time for pallet wrapping with simple automation that eliminates the need for the fork-truck operator to touch the load or machine. Started with a remote lanyard, the Q-400XT automatically attaches the film to the load, wraps it, locks the load to the pallet with a Pallet-Grip film cable, and cuts the film. The unit improves efficiency and ergonomics for fork-truck operators, permitting them to simply drive up, position the pallet on the turn­table, start the machine with a lanyard switch, and drive away. Designed to wrap 35–45 pallet loads per hour up to 80 in. tall, the all-electric system eliminates pneumatics and runs on 115-V power.
Lantech.com, Louisville, KY 800-866-0322 www.lantech.com

Rotary Switches
Cam-action rotary switches are well suited for a wide variety of industrial uses. A reliable and versatile design, they offer continuous ratings ranging from 20 to 800 A at 120 to 600 V and various horsepower ratings. They provide up to 12 positions and up to 24 poles, making them a logical choice for motor loads, and they feature double-break silver-alloy contacts enclosed in rigid thermoset plastic housing for long life. The line is UL listed, CSA and CE certified, and available in a base-mount, door-mount, waterproof-mount, single-hole-mount, two-hole-mount, or four-hole-mount configuration. Other options include key interlock, key operation, spring return, gear-driven operation, and padlock compatibility.
Electroswitch, Weymouth, MA 781-335-5200 www.electroswitch.com

Acoustic Cleaning Systems
Powerwave acoustic cleaners are air-operated devices that emit low-frequency, high-energy sound waves. The sound waves create vibrations powerful enough to break apart and dislodge heavy concentrations of particulate on surfaces, but gentle enough not to harm the surface. Once the material has been dislodged, gravity and/or gas flow removes it. Acoustic cleaning technology can significantly improve the cleaning of baghouses, heat transfer surfaces, material handling and storage equipment, and areas of production where particulate buildup occurs.
GE Energy, Kansas City, MO 800-821-2222 www.ge-energy.com/airquality

Shaft/Coupling Alignment System
Optalign smart is a new generation of laser shaft/coupling alignment systems for quick, accurate, and reliable maintenance work on rotating equipment. Its modular concept allows users to design their own shaft alignment system, acquiring the exact features they need, and simply add more capabilities as job demands grow or when the budget allows. Its intuitive alphanumeric keyboard with navigation, menu keys, and help text produces an easily understood screen picture of measurement results, making it user-friendly. The patented automatic Continuous Sweep measurement mode evaluates hundreds of readings during shaft rotation. This reportedly compares to shooting a movie versus taking flash pictures at certain intervals. The end result is less shimming and horizontal adjustments because of much more accurately measured misalignment.
Ludeca Inc., Doral, FL 305-591-8935 www.ludeca.com

Large Continuous Attritor
This C-40 continuous attritor features a 125-hp, T.E.F.C., inverter-duty motor with a variable frequency controller. The LED was programmed to display motor rpm, percent load, amperage, and output voltage. With a gross tank volume of 49 gal and a media volume of 44 gal, the unit has an approximate throughput of 3000 to 3500 kg/hr. The mill is constructed with a stainless-steel agitator shaft with arms, as well as stationary arms built into the side of the tank to interrupt mass or build up and improve wear. The stainless-steel tank is jacketed for cooling and is equipped with a gear-tilting assembly. The tilting assembly facilitates removal of the agitator shaft to allow for easy maintenance and cleaning.
Union Process Inc., Akron, OH 330-929-3333 www.unionprocess.com

Explosion Panel
The Lift-Gard rupture panel guards against injuries and property damage caused by explosions in bucket elevators that transport bulk solids. Solely designed for use in protecting bucket elevators, the easy-to-install panel provides maintenance-free explosion venting and rupture notification. In bucket elevators transporting substances such as flour, sugar, grain, and sand, dusts of these combustible solids can give rise to explosions. The Lift-Gard provides instant pressure relief with rapid full venting of the enclosure to contain damage. It is a flat venting system that combines an integral frame and a detection device, the Flo-Tel, in one unit. If the Flo-Tel detects an initial explosion inside the elevator shaft, it will automatically switch off the elevator motors, reducing both the risk of a further explosion and the risk of the elevator operating with open explosion vents. Available in a range of sizes, burst pressures, and temperature ranges, the rupture panel comes in stainless steel as standard and is available with lead times of only one week.
Elfab Ltd, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, UK +44 191 2931295 www.elfab.com