Mixer upgrades

Admix introduced Rotosolver II, an energy-saving high-shear mixer. This next-generation equipment is designed to offer a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption and a 10 percent improvement on dispersion when compared with the original model, the company says. The new, patent-pending, easier-to-clean design is available for new and retrofit installations and includes two additional shear zones to provide higher overall shear rates, it adds. 

• Admix Inc., 234 Abby Road, Manchester, N.H. 03103; 603/627-2340; admix.com.

Measuring high temperatures

Paul N. Gardner Co. released the Fluke 572-2 High Temperature Infrared Thermometer for use in high-temperature industrial environments for accurate high-temperature and high distance-to-spot measurements. Specifically, the thermometer measures temperatures between -22 and 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit with a 60:1 distance-to-spot ratio via dual-laser sighting, the company says.  The Fluke 572-2 has an easy-to-use user interface with six different language modes and soft-key menus for easy operation, it says. Users can navigate and adjust emissivity, start data logging, or turn on and off alarms with just a few button pushes, it says.  The thermometer also comes with a tripod mount, 12- or 24-hour clock, a USB 2.0 computer interface cable, FlukeView forms documenting software, and a two-year warranty.

• Paul N. Gardner Co. Inc., 316 N.E. First St., Pompano Beach, Fla. 33060; 954/946-9454; gardco.com.

Heavy-duty caster

Hamilton Caster announced the availability of its new 5-ton caster series. The new Enhanced Precision Super Duty (EPSD) Series is designed to perform in the heavy manufacturing industry, the company says. The caster has a one-half-inch-thick forged steel mounting plate that is 6.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches long. Its legs are three-eighths of an inch thick and 4 inches wide and were formed and robotically welded to a forged steel ring that is 6.25 inches in diameter. The caster is finished with high-gloss, red enamel. On the inside, the caster is designed with Hamilton Precision Integrated (HPI) swivel technology, which improves the swivel bearing’s element of contact and more than doubles the number of contact points, the company says. The series accommodates wheel sizes ranging from 6 inches in diameter by 3 inches wide up to 12 inches in diameter by 4 inches wide in a clear coat drop forged steel version, a heavy-duty cast nylon version, and six different types of polyurethane tread wheels. They also can be ordered with easy-rolling, maintenance-free, double-sealed precision ball bearings or hard-wearing, precision-tapered roller bearings. All models are backed by Hamilton’s three-year product warranty.   

• Hamilton Caster & Manufacturing Co., 1637 Dixie Hwy., Hamilton, Ohio 45011; 800/733-7655; hamiltoncaster.com.

Double duty

GEA Heat Exchangers GmbH now offers its dry air coolers with adiabatic peak cooling. This new equipment partnership harmonizes the weight, dimensions, cooling duty and cost of these two units now sharing the load, the company says. For most of the year, these adiabatic coolers can operate as conventional dry air coolers, as adiabatic cooling is only necessary on hot days, the company says.  When adiabatic cooling is in use, the system utilizes evaporative cooling by directing nozzles in front of the cooling ramp to atomize water under high pressure, it explains. Evaporation of the tiny water particles thus reduces the temperature of the cooling air by a few degrees, it says. Small heat exchanger and fan surfaces contribute to quiet operation, and its closed system prevents atmospheric contamination and contamination of the process medium, GEA says. In addition, ultraviolet disinfection of the water prevents pathogens such as legionella from thriving in the mist, it adds.

• GEA Heat Exchangers GmbH, Dorstener St. 484, D-44809 Bochum, Germany; 011/49-234-980-0; gea-heatexchangers.com.

A unified line

OCME introduced its DryBlock system at drinktec 2013. The compact and integrated solution focuses all phases of packaging into a single, end-of-the-line block. In this way, the system simplifies the dry processes of beverage manufacturing by uniting them under one interface, one language and one software, enabling one operator to monitor and control the whole line from a single point in the line, the company says. DryBlock is designed to be a modular system so that it can be adapted to various manufacturing needs, it says. The various modules can include a sleever or labeler, a packaging machine such as a shrink-wrapper or tray-former, and a palletizing module that typically consists of a layer-formation unit and traditional or robotic palletizers, all contained in a space of approximately 115 feet by 46 feet. In addition, the system is designed to handle format changes quickly and automatically, enabling it to handle a wide range of bottles and containers of different shapes and material weights. For additional ergonomics and safety benefits, the system also is designed to meet CE safety standards, operate at a reduced noise level, and include an easy-to-reach external and integrated reel holder.

• OCME s.r.l., Via del Popolo, 20/A, 43122 Parma, Italy; 011/39-0521-275-111; ocme.com.

Reinforcing pallets

Plásticos Téchnicos Mexicanos (PTM) has designed the Ultra Pallet, a plastic pallet created with Inside Injection Foaming (IIF) patented technology. The IIF production process involves the injection of each pallet in two pieces, bound together with a snap-fit system, and reinforced with structural foam that increases the columns’ thickness up to 20 mm. This allows the pallet to function as an integrated platform, multiplying its impact resistance and preventing disassembly, the company says. This technology also provides greater durability and longevity and, therefore, a better cost-benefit ratio than wooden or other plastic pallets, it says. According to strength and durability tests conducted at Virginia Tech’s Center for Unit Load Design, Ultra Pallet lasts approximately 100 trips, extending the pallet’s useful life to approximately 10 years.

• Plásticos Téchnicos Mexicanos (PTM) USA, 303 Perimeter Center North, Suite 300, Atlanta, Ga. 30346; 678/ 690-8454; ptm.com.mx.

Vertical blenders

Charles Ross & Son Co. offers its Ross Vertical Blenders for low-shear blending of powders, pellets, granules, fibers and other solids. These blenders feature an auger that turns on its own axis and a mechanical arm that rotates the auger around the conical vessel. The mixing action in a Vertical Blender is gentler than that of ribbon, paddle or other horizontal blenders, making it suitable for delicate and abrasive applications, the company says. Spray nozzles also can be installed for liquid addition purposes. Vertical Blenders also are commonly used in vacuum-drying operations and can accommodate a wide range of feed forms including slurries, wet cakes, pastes and flowable solids, it says. Requiring only low heat to drive off moisture or solvents, the Vertical Blender can vacuum-dry heat-sensitive materials without causing thermal degradation, it says. Ross Vertical Blenders are available in a variety of sizes from 1 to 500 cubic feet in capacity. In addition, Ross Vertical Blenders do not have a bottom support bearing, which allows for complete discharge and easy cleaning and reduces batch-to-batch contamination, it adds.

•  Charles Ross & Son Co., 710 Old Willets Path, Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788; 800/243-7677; mixers.com.

Wine shippers

ACH Foam Technologies, maker of WineLoc thermal summer wine shippers, has reconfigured its design to offer added packaging options and increased protection of bottles during transit. ACH developed the WineLoc package system to provide wineries and distributors with a constant stable temperature for approximately 72 hours, allowing wines to be shipped in hot climates. Tested to meet ISTA-7E temperature standards, the
two-, six-, and 12-pack expandable polystyrene foam units are contained within a corrugated cardboard outer carton and utilize specially designed pockets that hold frozen gel refrigerants and allow internal airflow. These refrigerants are designed specifically for the maximum amount of wine possible in the package, keeping the wine at or below 80 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 72 hours, the company says. 

• ACH Foam Technologies LLC, 5250 N. Sherman St., Denver, Colo. 80216; 800/525-8697; achfoam.com.

Robotic palletizer

American-Newlong offers its EC-201 Robotic Palletizer for palletizing bags, cases, pails and various other products. The robotic palletizer can handle a payload capacity of up to 440 pounds and palletize up to 1,600 cycles an hour, the company says. In addition, the equipment offers four axes for maximum flexibility, and the weight of its mechanically balanced arm can be supported by a single finger, it says. This design allows the EC-201 to use less energy and reduce stress on the arm joints, bearings, pivot points and floor supports, it says. For control, a standard touchscreen allows personnel to change palletizing programs in less than 5 seconds; utilize on-board warning systems; review error occurrences and take corrective measures; monitor input/output in real time; track inventory by specific programs; compare running and powered up hours; and monitor the machine in real time, it adds.  

• American-Newlong Inc., 5310 S. Harding St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46217; 317/787-9421; american-newlong.com.

Holographic labels

Avery Dennison introduced its first Select Solutions portfolio of specialized pressure-sensitive materials. This new portfolio features low minimum order quantities, day-of price quotations, and four-day shipping and will allow converters to address specific, unique-application label needs, the company says. The first installment in the portfolio is a collection of holographic label materials suited for commemorative products and seasonal packages to showcase a product’s premium nature or to increase its shelf appeal, Avery Dennison notes. The portfolio of film and paper materials uses a multi-layered coating to refract light and create a variety of optical effects, including iridescent and prismatic visuals.  It includes semi-conformable and squeezable label materials for a wide variety of containers used in the beverage market. In addition to their performance on the shelf, materials in the holographic portfolio are engineered for superior converting and dispensing, it adds.

• Avery Dennison, 150 N. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, Calif. 91103; 626/304-2000; averydennison.com.

Sustainable cans

Novelis released its evercan aluminum beverage can body sheet for the beverage market. The can material has been certified for high recycled content by SCS Global Services, a company that handles third-party environmental, sustainability and food quality certification, auditing, testing and standards development. Novelis initially is offering the aluminum can body sheet with 90 percent recycled content.  When combined with the evercan can end, which is made of a different alloy, the complete Novelis evercan will enable beverage companies to market their products in standard 12-ounce aluminum cans as “made from a minimum of 70 percent recycled content.”

• Novelis Inc., 3560 Lenox Road, Suite 2000, Atlanta, Ga. 30326; 404/760-4000; novelis.com.

Mobile fleet management

Telogis released Fleet 10, the latest version of its fleet management software. The solution is part of Telogis’ cloud-based location intelligence platform for companies that require dynamic routing, real-time work order management, navigation, telematics and mobile integration services for their mobile workforces. Among the new safety features in Fleet 10 is the Telogis Driver Scorecard option. This scorecard provides easier-to-read reports and comprehensive metrics about activities and behaviors that are critical for driver safety, including hard braking, hard acceleration, excessive speeding, speeding versus posted speed limit, seatbelt use, and after-hours vehicle use, to help companies identify trends in driver behavior to positively impact safety. This feature also gives drivers improved in-cab alerts in real time to help encourage safe driving habits. Also new to Fleet 10 is Telogis Supervisor, a new mobile app for smartphones and tablets that allows field supervisors access to information about their teams in the field, helping them make quick decisions throughout the day based on location and vehicle information as plans evolve. Compatible with most mobile devices, Telogis Supervisor is location-aware, allowing it to show users where they are in relation to other vehicles and assets within their organizations as well as important data such as customer information, driver data, recent stops and histories, and what vehicle is nearest to a specific job. Telogis Supervisor also allows users to view Geographic Information Systems (GIS) layers on their mobile devices, giving them access to information such as weather and traffic details. To help with fuel monitoring, Fleet 10 also offers next-generation fuel monitoring technologies that combine telematics and fuel card reporting. Through this feature, Fleet 10 can help companies reduce fuel spend by providing actionable information that allows managers to identify potential fuel shrinkage by using match reports and mpg data. Other new features on the platform include advanced temperature monitoring and reporting; enterprise dashboards with simple drill-downs, graphs and trends; the ability to custom-design reports to help define areas of progress and those that require additional training or attention; and Telogis Live for storms and war rooms, which extends the visibility of the Telogis platform to partners and third-party vendors during emergency-response scenarios.

 • Telogis Inc., 20 Enterprise, Suite 100, Aliso Viejo, Calif. 92656; 949/389-5500; telogis.com.