Lift trucks
Cat Lift Trucks added new electric counterbalanced and internal combustion pneumatic lift trucks to its current product line in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 2ET2500-2ET4000 3-Wheel, and the EPC3000-EP4000 4-Wheel are two of the new electric counterbalanced tire lift trucks. They offer an AC design, a cowl mounted display panel and a five-level pre-programmed performance mode selector. The other electric counterbalanced tire lift trucks are the EPC5000-EP6000 and the EP7000-EP10000. These trucks offer anti-rollback features for both loaded and unloaded conditions to help the operator retain speed control on ramps, the company says. The P8000-P12000 and PD8000-PD12000 are internal combustion pneumatic tire lift trucks. The trucks have standard two-speed forward and one-speed reverse transmission, as well as a purePower engine. In addition, Cat Lift Truck made product enhancements to its 2C3000-2C6500 IC Cushion Tire Lift Truck, 2P3000-2P7000 and 2PD4000-2PD7000 IC Pneumatic Tire Lift Truck. An LCD/LED display panel with operator passcode protection and a full-suspension swivel seat are some of the added features.

-Cat Lift Trucks, 2121 W. Sam Houston Pkwy. N., Houston, Texas 77043; 713/365-1000; cat-lift.com.

Industrial manipulator
S.I.T. Indeva Inc. introduced the next generation of Industrial Manipulators from the Indeva family. The Lifttronic Air technology constantly monitors and automatically adjusts to changing loads’ weights and positions, which enables operators to position products as an extension of the operator’s hand, the company says. Liftronic Air has pneumatic power for lifting, but is controlled electronically. The equipment can handle offset and/or very heavy loads, and is available from 80 to 250 kg. in either column, ceiling or overhead rail.

-S.I.T. Indeva Inc., 3630 Green Park Circle, Charlotte, N.C. 28217; 704/357-8811; sit-indeva.com.

Portable beer cart
Unique Vending Carts offers the Draft Beer Push Cart, a portable cart for serving cold beer. Users of the cart need ice and a CO2 cylinder, but the cart does not use electricity. It is made of fiberglass, stainless steel and aluminum, and is equipped with a thermal insulated compartment where a stainless-steel coil is immersed in ice, which brings the beer’s temperature to ice-cold, the company says. The inner space accommodates a 50-liter keg, a 4-kg. capacity carbonic cylinder, a set of manometers and a manual pump for the standard model. The Draft Beer Push Cart also features a beer tap that regulates desired amount of liquid or foam. An umbrella and a cup dispenser are included with the cart.

-Unique Vending Carts, P.O. Box 971162, Boca Raton, Fla. 33497; 866/483-2730; uniquevendingcarts.com.

Expanded computing capacity
Siemens Industry Inc. added the Intel Core 2 Duo processor to its Simatic IPC427C compact Microbox PIC and its Simatic HMI IPC477C Panel PC. The company says it doubled the computing capacity of previous models while delivering maintenance-free, around-the-clock operation in hostile environments. The product is designed to operate at ambient temperatures between 0 and 50 degrees Celsius. The Simatic IPC427C measures 262 mm. by 134 mm. by 47 mm., and can fit into small electrical enclosures or directly onto a machine. Installation options for the equipment include DIN rail mounting, wall mounting or book-mounting style. The Simatic HMI IPC477C Panel PC requires 20 percent less depth for mounting than its predecessor. It is equipped with three PCI104 expansion slots, and is available with 12-, 15- and 19-inch touchscreens. The 15-inch and 19-inch touchscreens also are available for support arm or stand mounting options.

-Siemens Industry Inc., 3333 Old Milton Pkwy., Alpharetta, Ga. 30005; 770/871-3845; siemens.com.

Self-lubricating material
Sidel Inc. introduced Kohlox, a self-lubricating composite material for studs and wear rings. Kohlox is a thermo-composite material with a low coefficient of friction, and helps parts move freely without any lubrication. The material is a compromise between mechanical resistance to impacts and compression, and also ensures free movement of parts, the company says. Two new grease-free parts have been developed for the molds: wear rings for mold bottoms and female studs. The self-lubricating material also helps improve mold cleanliness by eliminating the possibility of grease splashes or deposits, which are sources of persistent dirt. Kohlox is four times lighter than steel, and can help lighten the mold base to accommodate new blow molder speeds for 2,000 bottles per hour per mold.

-Sidel Inc., 5600 Sun Court, Norcross, Ga. 30092; 800/453-7439; sidel.com.  

Mass measurer
Spirax Sarco Inc. released the MassTracker Insertion Turbine Multi-Variable Flow Meter. The instrument combines measurement of mass or volumetric flow, density, temperature and pressure in one piece of equipment. Applications for the MassTracker include flow monitoring of steam and natural gas for fiscal or load control, combustion air, flue gas for environmental compliance, heat content calculations for chilled water and measurement of a variety of other liquids in line sizes from 3 inches to 80 inches. The MassTracker produces a negligible pressure drop, which reduces energy and operating costs, the company says. The product comes with six field-installable cartridges with different turbine pitches and meets the National Institute of Standards and Technology traceability. With the field configuration versatility, flow meters can match flow rates, the company says.

-Spirax Sarco Inc., 1150 Northpoint Blvd., Blythewood, S.C. 29016; 800/575-0394; spiraxsarco.com.

Ceramic ball bearings
Boca Bearing Co. expanded its range of Full Ceramic and Ceramic Hybrid ball bearings. Ceramic bearings are made of a manufactured ceramic similar to the heat absorbing, resilient tiles on the Space Shuttle, the company says. Suitable applications for the bearings include cryo-pumps, medical devices, semiconductors, machine tools, turbine flow meters, food processing equipment, robotics and optics. The company manufactures more than 2,500 bearing sizes and more than 2 million bearings are in stock.

-Boca Bearing Co., 755 NW 17th Ave. #107, Delray Beach, Fla. 33445; 800/332-3256; bocabearings.com.

Automatic adjusting feature
Douglas Machine Inc. introduced a new auto-adjust capability on Douglas Contour shrinkwrap machines. The machine eliminates most hand adjustments and replaces them with electronic motion controls. Some hand adjustments are required on the infeed of the machine, the company says. Changeovers are completed with the touch of a button on the Human Machine Interface (HMI). When an error has occurred, a message appears on the HMI directing the operator to the specific area affected if something has not been removed. Auto-adjust can reduce changeover time to less than 15 minutes, the company says, and all Douglas Machine solutions are backed by a three-year limited warranty.

-Douglas Machine Inc., 3403 Iowa St., Alexandria, Minn. 56308; 320/763-6587; douglas-machine.com.

Software for order accuracy
OrderPad Software Inc. released OrderPad Enterprise: Beverage Distributor Edition, a software program that enables access to up-to-date information so distributors can improve order accuracy. The software is optimized for tablet PCs, and its features include easy-to-use digital ink and ink-to-text recognition, route management with mapping, customer catalog, customer sales history, tap surveys, price surveys, product information, point-of-sale ordering and case rotation reminders. OrderPad provides information to sales representatives when they need it, and it also allows representatives to update and change that information on the spot, the company says.

-OrderPad Software Inc., 174 Hudson St., 4th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10013; 212/625-6500; coleconnect.com.

Truck and tractor configurations
Kenworth Truck Co. produced the 2010 Kenworth T440/T470 Body Builder Manual to help support body builder installations on the T440 and T470 truck models. The Kenworth T440 in tractor and truck configurations is for regional haul, city pickup and delivery, municipal and vocational applications. The Kenworth T470 is for heavy front-axle vocational and municipal applications requiring front-frame extensions. The Body Builder Manual features detailed information on vehicle dimensions, ride heights, suspension layouts, ground and power take-off clearance and frame layouts available for both new models. It also contains sections on safety and compliance, dimensions, body mounting, exhaust and after treatment, frame modifications, electrical system and routings.

Kenworth also expanded its product line with the introduction of the Cummins Westport ISL G natural gas engine for the Kenworth T800 short hood and W900S models. The natural gas model is focused on vocational, municipal, and pickup and delivery applications. The ISL G engine operates on compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas.

-Kenworth Truck Co., Box 1000, Kirkland, Wash. 98083; 425/828-5000; kenworth.com.

Aerodynamic options
Peterbilt Motors Co. announced the availability of new aerodynamic options designed to improve the fuel economy and lower greenhouse gas emissions of the new Model 348. Proprietary roof fairings and aerodynamic mirrors were designed using Computational Fluid Dynamics testing and development. The aerodynamic options include new integral convex aerodynamic mirrors, which feature a tough, lightweight, chrome plated housing and are four-way adjustable for vertical and horizontal adjustments. The roof fairings are designed of composite materials and are lightweight, durable and color-matched. The solutions also are available for Peterbilt’s Model 337.

-Peterbilt Motors Co., 1700 Woodbrook St., Denton, Texas 76205; 940/591-4016; peterbilt.com.

Counterbalanced truck
The Raymond Corp. released the Model 4450 3-wheel sit-down counterbalanced truck. Model 4450 features a short head length that reduces turn radius, making it ideal for tight spaces, such as those found in manufacturing, warehousing and on loading docks, the company says. The truck can handle capacities up to 4,000 pounds. As a standard feature, selectable travel speeds enable the Model 4450 operator to adjust the truck to the environment for enhanced productivity and better control, the company says. Additional features include Raymond’s ACR System on both the drive and lift systems, a four-cylinder mast that eliminates the center free lift cylinder to allow operators to see the load for more efficient travel, handling and stacking, and speed reduction that decreases travel speed during turns.

-The Raymond Corp., P.O. Box 130, Greene, N.Y. 13778; 800/235-7200; raymondcorp.com.

Label applicators
Label-Aire Inc. launched its line of new primary applicators. The Label-Aire 3111-NV Air-Blow Labeler is designed for high-speed air-blow labeling applications at a standard dispense speed of up to 1,500 inches of web per minute or up to 2,000 inches with the optional powered rewind. Features include the Velocity Compensation for label placement accuracy, a microprocessor controller with digital display and ambidextrous parts. The 3111-NV also comes standard with a heavy duty double stack stepper motor. Label-Aire also introduced the Label-Aire Model 3114-NV, designed for high-speed tamp-blow labeling applications at a standard dispense speed of up to 1,500 inches of web per minute or up to 2,000 inches with the optional powered rewind. The 3114-NV comes standard with a heavy duty double stack stepper as well as a standard 1-inch to 10-inch adjustable stroke. The machine can be converted to left or right hand use and applies labels to top, side or bottom of products with a label accuracy of up to plus or minus 1/32 of an inch.

-Label-Aire Inc., 550 Burning Tree Road, Fullerton, Calif. 92833; 714/449-5155; label-aire.com.