 Personal gas detectors
DRAEGER SAFETY INC., PITTSBURGH. The company has expanded its family of single gas detectors with the introduction of the Draeger Pac 3500 and Draeger Pac 5500. Designed for the personal protection of employees, these gas detectors can be worn on clothes and will measure the concentration of oxygen, carbon monoxide, or hydrogen sulfide in the surrounding air. The Draeger Pac 3500 has a lifespan of approximately two years, and the Draeger Pac 5500 has an indefinite lifespan with proper maintenance and servicing. Both instruments use minimal battery power and need low maintenance, Draeger said.
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Spooling sensor
AMACOIL INC., ASTON, PA. The company offers an optional PLC-controlled sensing system for its Amacoil/Uhing traverse drive systems for spooling and winding machines. The system uses sensors mounted on the traverse unit to detect the spool flange and send a signal to a switch that actuates the reversal lever on the winding drive. According to Amacoil, the system saves time because it eliminates the need to set or adjust end stops to assure that the traverse stroke length matches spool width.
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High-pressure needle valves
INNOVATIVE PRESSURE TECHNOLOGIES, ERIE, PA. High-pressure needle valves feature a non-rotating stem to prevent galling and scoring, and are engineered to deliver reliable operation at working pressures up to 60,000 psi in temperatures between -73 °C to 232 °C. They feature a vee or regulating tip stem and six body styles to accommodate a variety of applications. Typical applications include general plant service, instrument isolation, hydraulics, pneumatics, pressure measurement devices and venting, among others. The valves feature a gland locking device that prevents loosening of the packing gland to minimize leakage potential.
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Fast-reacting pump
FLOW INTERNATIONAL CORP., KENT, WASH. The JetPlex pump uses the company’s patented automatic control valve, or Pac-V, to ensure quick reaction when changing operating pressure or opening and closing the flow of water through the cutting nozzle. Flow claims that the Pac-V system is easier to use and more reliable than designs that use a bypass valve or dual orifice design to control water flow. Flow also says that the Pac-V technology allows the use of a wide range of orifice sizes. The pump is designed to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. According to the company, since it has no hydraulic system, the JetPlex pump is simpler to maintain than intensifier pumps.
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Flexible adhesive
MULTI-SEALS INC., MANCHESTER, CONN. Poly-form F05 adhesives are flexible pre-shaped copolymers with negligible vertical flow, which the company describes as an alternative to liquid adhesive for component assembly. The pre-shaped adhesives are designed for bonding diverse materials, including metals, plastics, ceramics, and glass. The company says that the pre-shaped copolymer prevents drips and dispensing inconsistencies typical of liquid adhesives, and that adhesive placement is highly consistent from bond to bond. The minimum processing temperature is 225 °F (107 °C). A typical processing schedule is 275 °F (135 °C) for 10 minutes under 5 psi. Adding pressure and increasing oven temperature and time improve adhesion.
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Adaptable fan
CONTINENTAL FAN MANUFACTURING INC., BUFFALO, N.Y. The newly redesigned AFK flange fan is available in diameters from 12 to 42 inches with capacities ranging to 34,000 cfm. The fan has an adjustable pitch impeller for performance matching. A fully reversible double flange design provides strength and allows for duct mounting if needed. The unit can be built for supply or exhaust configurations. The company offers a computerized fan selection program to simplify the selection of the correct fan. Custom designs are available.
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Humidity sensors
SERVOFLO CORP., LEXINGTON, MASS. The company is offering the KFS series of humidity sensors from Hygrosens of Germany. The KFS series models use a capacitive polymer to measure relative humidity. Measuring 2 x 4 x 0.38 mm, the KFS-MSMD is a surface mount version and one of the smallest discrete humidity sensors in the world. It is priced under $7 each for 1,000 pieces. Another model, the KFS-140D, is a two-pin package suitable for climate monitoring. It costs approximately $9 each for 1,000 pieces. The KFS sensors are dew-resistant and stable against chemical effects. Typical applications include major appliances, HVAC, automotive, and other applications where long-term stability is crucial.\
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 Programmable valve control
HAWE HYDRAULICS, CHARLOTTE, N.C. The PLVC 8x2 programmable logic valve control links analog, digital, and other components with CAN-BUS interface. It includes 16 proportional outputs, enabling the control of eight functions of the proportional directional spool valve. The device is designed for control of complex hydraulic systems. Its cycle times make it suitable for complex regulating and control tasks, the company says. The basic design also contains six digital frequency inputs, as well as eleven analog inputs, which can be software-switched between 0-5 V, 0-10 V and 4-20 mA. The basic unit features an RS232- and a CAN-BUS interface. The programming system supports the CAN protocol CANOpen as well as J1939. The hardware’s core is a processor of the ST10 family that is optimized for mobile applications.
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Thermocouple connectors
OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The PCC connector attaches directly to circuit board and is designed for bringing thermocouple probes to printed circuit boards. Two sizes are available to mate with either standard or miniature connectors. A mounting clip comes with each connector, and the miniature can be mounted horizontally or vertically. The PCC is fully compatible with all Omega connectors, and is designed for good connections every time. Custom units are designed for CE compliance. The price starts at $195 for a package of 100.
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Ambient gas analyzer
ECOTECH, KNOXFIELD, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. A designer and manufacturer of environmental monitoring equipment, Echotech has launched a new product line, the Serinus gas analyzer series. The devices use a modular layout and standardized, low-wattage, cost-effective components throughout, according to the company, while being designed to be user friendly for operators and service technicians alike. The Serinus series includes products designed to monitor ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and various oxides of nitrogen. The devices incorporate a number of innovations to reduce workload, including routine maintenance. The new rack-mount design and instrument layout allows for easier maintenance and reduced instrument weight, while the optional dual filter can reduce scheduled maintenance visits by up to 50 percent. A removable USB flash memory stores data along with all event logs and parameters.
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Fire-rated expansion joint
EMSEAL, WESTBOROUGH, MASS.Hospitals, schools, and parking decks all need to be designed to contain fire at structural expansion joints, but this has meant the use of separate products to seal, bridge, and fire-rate joints. Emseal, the manufacturer of sealant and gasket products has introduced a new expansion joint that the company says is UL-certified fire-rated. The hybrid system is suitable for both new construction and retrofits, and is also trafficable, watertight, and accommodates high movement. The product, called Emshield DFR2, is composed of foam impregnated with a fire-retardant material. The foam is pre-coated on the underside with an intumescent fire-proofing material and pre-coated on the traffic surface with highway-grade, fuel resistant silicone. The resulting seal can not only withstand traffic, wind, water, and seismic movements, but is also provides a two-hour fire rating.
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Plug-in current sensor
ONSET COMPUTER CORP., BOURNE, MASS. A suite of sensors designed to plug directly into the external input jacks of HOBO U12-006 data loggers was recently released by Onset Computer Corp., a leading supplier of data loggers. Capable of logging current and amperage measurements unattended for days, weeks or months at a time, the HOBO U12-006 data loggers can use the new suite of split-core AC current transducers to get basic power trending information. The sensor suite, which is manufactured by Veris Industries and sold directly through Onset, includes five compact, self-powered transducers designed to be attached to pumps, motors, and other equipment from which AC load trending data is required. Onset also provides Mac- or Windows-based software for plotting and analyzing current data using a graphical interface that also allows data export to Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet programs. The current sensor prices range between $90 and $115.
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 Laser scanning system
HEXAGON METROLOGY, NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. Combining several existing brands, Hexagon has made available a laser scanning metrology package. The shared scanner package contains a Brown & Sharpe Global Performance bridge CMM in one of nine standard sizes, a Romer Infinite 2.0 7-axis arm in one of six standard sizes, and a ScanShark V4ix laser scanner that is plug-and-play swappable between both systems. In addition, the package comes with complete cabling, software and control boxes for each system, application software, and a computer for each system. Hexagon says the components are compatible thanks to the TESA kinematic joint that is shared among all Romer scanning arms and Tesastar-m equipped bridge machines. The system is designed to perform inspections or conduct reverse engineering and 3-D point cloud gathering tasks.
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