Quick-acting clamps
CARR LANE MFG. CO., ST. LOUIS, MO. Suitable for welding, assembly, repairs, woodworking, and general-purpose clamping, these patented heavy-duty shark clamps have a quick-acting pushbutton to allow the handle to slide freely in and out to a maximum opening of 5 or 6.5 in., depending on the model. The clamps are available in two sizes, with either a T handle (for greater tightening leverage) or a straight handle (with ergonomic screwdriver-type handle), and with optional no-mar rubber pads.
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Slimline lamp
OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. Omega’s new SL025 Series of slimline lamps is equipped with on/off switch and movement sensor. The user has the choice of a lamp with or without electrical sockets. A magnet fixing that allows the SL025 to be fitted quickly in any position in a steel enclosure is also an option for the user. This CE-compliant product is suitable for all types of panels and enclosures, especially where space is at a premium. The price starts at $58.
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Adapter for machinery
 ABB INC., NEW BERLIN, WIS. The FENA-01 Ethernet adapter, for the company’s ACS350 drive line, supports both EtherNet/IP and Modbus/TCP protocols. According to the company, this is a useful solution for OEMs and system integrators focused on the food and beverage, material handling, printing, rubber and plastics, and textile industries. The flexible plug-in adapter provides fast and simple connectivity to all major controllers used for conveyors, compressors, door openers, industrial fans and pumps, mixers, ovens, palletizing, stretch wrapping, tension control, and volumetric feeder control, just to name a few. The new FENA-01 EtherNet IP and Modbus TCP adapter expands ABB’s universal connectivity capability, improving quality, productivity, flexibility, and scalability.
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Performance lubricants
DUPONT PERFORMANCE LUBRICANTS, WILMINGTON, DEL. Krytox AUT is a new line of products designed to address the automotive industry’s need for lubricants that combine performance at low temperatures—during equipment start-up, for example—and efficiency at higher temperatures. Based on ISO 100-grade perfluoropolyether (PFPE) oil, the Krytox AUT series is a good candidate for use in automotive and heavy transportation parts, such as viscous fan clutch bearing, alternators, and idler bearing. According to the company, Krytox AUT can increase the service life of critical components, allowing automotive manufacturers to extend warranties and improve productivity by reducing component failure.
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Potentiometer
SPECTRUM SENSORS & CONTROLS INC., GRASS VALLEY, CALIF. The company’s new flange mount, motorized plastic rotary potentiometer has a diameter of 1.650 in. with 45-in. side located 24 AWG lead wires. The small size and high reliability of this potentiometer make it a good missile fin actuator sensor. Spectrum’s flange mount rotary potentiometer has an electrical angle of 50° ±2°, independent linearity of ±0.25 percent, bowtie tolerance, output smoothness of 0.1 percent maximum and special contact phasing. This potentiometer features an electro-less nickel-plated, Ultem 2200, thermoplastic housing with a special milled slot, passivated stainless steel shaft, and a rotational life of 50 million cycles minimum. Spectrum’s linear and rotary potentiometers use a co-molded conductive plastic element for a hard, smooth surface.
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3-D printing system
3D SYSTEMS CORP., ROCK HILL, S.C. The ProJet CPX 3000 3-D production system is a high-definition 3-D printer designed for high-volume, very high-resolution production of finely detailed RealWax patterns from digital data. These RealWax patterns can be used for direct investment casting applications using standard investment materials and casting procedures. The ProJet CPX 3000 uses 3D Systems’ patented and proprietary Multi-Jet Modeling technology combined with VisiJet CPX200 wax build material and VisiJet S200 dissolvable wax support material to produce 100 percent RealWax patterns that are designed to perform like injected wax patterns in lost-wax casting processes.
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Outdoors transducer
CELESCO TRANSDUCER PRODUCTS INC., CHATSWORTH, CALIF. The SR1V is a rugged, low-cost, high-performance cable-extension transducer for position feedback in wet environments and outdoor applications. It was originally designed for off-road construction equipment as a low-cost OEM solution. The SR1V uses a new, digital, programmable circuit board that allows individuals to get the best voltage range possible over their exact stroke. Output signal can be programmed to match the exact stroke range, regardless of where it starts and ends. With these programmable stroke range settings, the SR1V uses a simple, pushbutton user interface that lets the customer program the output signal to precisely match the required stroke range.
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Roll alignment kit
PINPOINT LASER SYSTEMS INC., PEABODY, MASS. Pinpoint’s roll alignment kit facilitates the alignment of rollers, idlers, take-up reels, shafts, and web-handling systems. This newest addition to the Pinpoint line is compact and said to be easy to use in all industrial environments. The Microgage roll alignment kit is useful for paper and textile mills, converting lines, printing presses, plastic bag lines, coating lines, and other roller and web-related applications. The kit aids in making quick, precise measurements of roll position and orientation on production lines of all sizes. Measurements can be made of both vertical and horizontal roll alignment and the Microgage laser’s accuracy of 0.001 in. is good for roll replacement, preventive maintenance checks, and all alignment activities.
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Integrated servo
ANIMATICS CORP., SANTA CLARA, CALIF. Animatics has added power and functionality to its top servos, while lowering the cost. The new products are called the SM2316D-PLS2 and the SM2316DT-PLS2. As before, these small servomotors are actually complete servo systems with built-in controller, amplifier, and encoder, and are so programmable they often control entire machines. The PLS2 versions have undergone many enhancements, including higher encoder resolution (4,000 cpr) for smoother velocity and tighter position control, enhanced trajectory overshoot braking functions to stop larger loads fast, and new high-speed position capture input to enable less than 5 microsecond registration. The servos have more sophisticated drive-stage protection schemes, resulting in higher torque available to the user.
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Liquid density meter
EMERSON PROCESS MANAGEMENT, AUSTIN, TEXAS. The explosion-proof and flame-proof certified version of Emerson’s Micro Motion 7835 custody transfer density meter includes the features and performance of the 7835 density meter, while eliminating the barriers and galvanic isolators required with intrinsically safe instruments. This simplifies installation and significantly reduces project costs. Emerson’s range of Micro Motion liquid density meters is favored by the oil and gas industries for custody transfer and fiscal applications, and is used for routine control applications in chemical and other processing industries. The 7835 Series density meters offer high accuracy measurement in a low maintenance and versatile unit. The vibrating element is manufactured from Ni-Span-C for long-term stability and low temperature coefficient.
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Machining center
HAAS AUTOMATION INC., OXNARD, CALIF. The company is expanding its line of 5-axis machines with the VF-2TR trunnion machining center, a compact VMC equipped with a factory-installed, dual-axis trunnion table that provides full 5-axis capabilities. This enables the machining of complex multisided parts in a single setup, thus reducing setup time and increasing part accuracy. Based on the shop-proven Haas VF-2, with 30 x 16 x 20-in. travels, 40-taper spindle, and 20-hp vector dual-drive system, the VF-2TR features a Haas TR160 dual-axis trunnion table mounted to the standard T-slot table to provide 5-axis simultaneous motion or to position a workpiece to nearly any angle for machining. The trunnion provides ±120 degrees of tilt on the A axis and 360 degrees of continuous rotation on the B axis.
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Energy-saving gearmotors
BISON GEAR & ENGINEERING CORP., ST. CHARLES, ILL. In response to customer desires to increase efficiency in equipment employing fractional horsepower electric motors, Bison has introduced its new 107 series Verdant Duty gearmotors in five standard, off-the-shelf models. Rated at 1/20 hp (37.3 watt) at 230 volt, 60 Hz, 3-phase, they feature an operating range from 6 to 90 Hz to provide a 15:1 range of adjustable output speeds in applications requiring no maintenance. The gearmotors feature totally enclosed, non-ventilated ac motors constructed with special insulation systems to ensure long life when driven by compact, economic frequency inverters that convert conventional ac single phase to three-phase power. They are effective for variable speed applications, such as packaging equipment, machine drives, and conveyors.
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Smoothing process
STRATASYS INC., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. The Smoothing Station improves the surface finish of ABS-based thermoplastic parts made via FDM. The improved smoothness is equal to an injection-molded part, according to the company. The system’s semi-automated process provides a surface finish of 32 to 63 microns. Without the process, design and manufacturing engineers requiring an FDM part with this level of smoothness must manually fill, sand, and paint the part. By using a Stratasys FDM additive fabrication system with the new Smoothing Station, injection molded-quality parts can be created in just a few minutes, saving hours of labor. The smoothed part creates a good surface for painting, electroplating, vacuum metallization, liquid sealing, and making mold masters, such as silicone molding, sand casting, or investment casting. The Smoothing Station consists of two interior chambers that together are approximately the size of a small chest freezer.
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Long-stroke gripper
SCHUNK INC., MORRISVILLE, N.C. Schunk has tailored its LEG long-stroke electric gripper to meet the automation requirements of the packaging industry regarding lightweight gripping systems with flexible strokes. The LEG was developed as a lightweight gripper weighing only 8.8 kg. When operated with a single servomotor, it delivers a gripping force of 1,140 N and a variable stroke from zero to 568 mm. The side cheeks of the modular system are available in various sizes, as are the connecting elements, guide rails, and slides. This variability makes it possible to design the gripper for the various tasks and payloads of diverse branches of industry. The LEG is available with pneumatic or electric drives, and servo-electric drives make it possible to measure and regulate the gripping forces.
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Sound level meter
 SCANTEK INC., COLUMBIA, MD. Rion’s newest product is an ultracompact, lightweight, and almost invisible integrating sound level meter, the NL-27. Its 4-in. (11 mm) size hides a functional, compact meter, useful for community noise enforcement and police noise measurements. It can measure Fast or Slow Maximum, equivalent (average), and peak sound levels, and has manual storage for 199 measurements. It allows automatically timed averages, and dc and ac output. Stored data is retrievable by computer.
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Small semiconductor heater
OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. RC016 small heaters are energy savers. They are compact in size and are designed to prevent condensation and to ensure a minimum operating temperature in small enclosures. This CE compliant product has a wide voltage range and is NEMA 1 rated. The product is suitable for factory automation; recommended applications include industrial electrical panels and process control panels. The price starts at $15.
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Electric actuators
METSO AUTOMATION, NORTHBOROUGH, MASS. Valvcon ADC Series battery-backup powered actuators, from Metso, now offer a new hi/low analog alarm capability that monitors a variety of operational conditions for each valve automation package. This enables faster maintenance response and improved process uptime. The analog alarm automatically overrides the actuator’s position feedback signal with a constant, hi/low current—beyond the normal 4-20mA range—to indicate battery charge status, stalled valve condition, or safe operational temperature. ADC Series electric actuators are suitable for a variety of quarter-turn valve and damper applications, and are good for use with PLCs and control systems requiring continuous duty cycling.
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Brush dc servo motors
AMETEK TECHNICAL & INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS, KENT, OHIO. Pittman brand Series 6000 brush-commutated dc servo motors have been engineered to deliver more power than most other dc motors of similar size, the company says. These 22 mm-diameter motors, available in three standard lengths, feature a skewed 5-slot armature design and bonded neodymium-iron-boron magnets to contribute optimized performance in a cost-effective package. The longest model (1.901 in. long) can provide up to 40 percent more continuous torque (2 oz.-in.) compared with shorter 22 mm-diameter electric motor products. Other motors in this series are offered in shorter lengths of 1.256 and 1.556 in. with the capability to achieve continuous torque up to 0.80 oz.-in. and 1.3 oz.-in., respectively.
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Hex mesh generator
XYZ SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS INC., LIVERMORE, CALIF. TrueGrid Version 2.3 is the latest release of the company’s hex mesh generator for finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics analysis. V2.3 boasts a 64-bit version for models greater than 25 million nodes and accuracy up to 13 digits, delivering a very robust mesh generator. New features were added to support LS-Dyna, Abaqus, and Ansys as well as up-to-date output options for CFX5 and StarCD. V2.3 provides more flexibility to users with new programming features such as arrays with indices and looping to customize algorithms within TrueGrid. Mesh density can now be changed globally with a single parameter.
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Optimal optics
 SABIC INNOVATIVE PLASTICS, PITTSFIELD, MASS. The Lexan ULG1003 112OQ sheet is a solid polycarbonate sheet that offers superior optical quality for a range of automotive and transportation applications, including laminated and formed glazing for aircraft canopies, motorcycle windscreens, and vehicle windows. Building upon an established portfolio of Lexan ULG and Margard products, this new Lexan sheet offers the best optical properties of the Lexan PC product line. Optical quality has been designed into the manufacturing process to help meet the needs of the most demanding applications, and improvements in manufacturing technology have resulted in a significant reduction in discrete defects, according to the company. SABIC Innovative Plastics’ manufacturing facilities meet the requirements of ISO 9002.
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