Exal Corp., Youngstown, Ohio, announced the successful implementation of its coil-to-can (C2C) process. The new generation C2C D&I high-speed line is operational in Ohio and produces aluminum bottles at half the weight of traditional aluminum offerings. The lighter bottles, which initially launched in Canada with alcohol energy drink brand Octane 7, offer the marketer an advantage of lower lead time and lower costs, Exal says. The corporation also recently completed a 170,000-square-foot addition to its Youngstown facility to accommodate the addition of four extrusion lines that are capable of producing more than 200 million units a year. The addition is Exal’s third in four years.
— Exal USA, One Performance Place, Youngstown, Ohio 44502; 330/744-2267; www.exal.com

Hitachi America Ltd.’s Industrial Systems Division introduced the high capacity SJ700 Series of inverters. The SJ700 extends Hitachi’s model range up to 500 horsepower. The model uses an improved Sensorless Vector control algorithm to develop more than 150 percent starting torque at 0.3 Hz. Using Hitachi’s “0 Hz Domain” open-loop control mode, the SJ700 can develop 130 percent torque at 0 Hz for vertical lift applications. Another enhancement of the SJ700 is the Easy Sequence built-in programming function, which develops a program on PC and is easily downloaded to the inverter by the Easy Sequence software. The model is designed for the global marketplace with CE, UL and c-Tick marks, and is RoHS compliant.
— Hitachi America Ltd., 50 Prospect Ave., Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591; 914/332-5800; www.hitachi.us

Sato unveiled the new LM4e Series barcode printers. The company says the series was designed with superior performance, solid construction and outstanding features built into every Sato printer, but at entry-level prices. The LM4e Series printers are well-suited for manufacturing, freight forwarding and retail applications. Constructed on an all-metal chassis, the model has 4.1-inches print width, linear and two-dimensional symbologies, 8.6-inch OD label roll capacity and 6-inches-per-second print speed. It is available in 203-dpi or 305-dpi models.
— Sato America Inc., 10350A Nations Ford Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28273; 704/644-1650; www.satoamerica.com

Kernco Instruments introduced the R2-i300 digital lab refractometer to meet the testing requirements of many diverse applications, including beverages. The model is compact in size and measures a refractive index, percent brix and customer-defined scales. It measures a refractive index of 1.3330 to 1.5600 and 0 to 95 percent brix and other soluble solids with 0.0001 refractive index. The measurement temperature is 10 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius operating range with Automatic Temperature Compensation. In addition, the R2-i300 has data storage of 1,000 measurements that can be synchronized to a PC or printer.
— Kernco Instruments Co. Inc., 420 S. Kenazo Ave., El Paso, Texas 79928; 915/852-3375; www.kerncoinstr.com

KleinCepts Inc. introduces the Connect Bottle, which is a plastic bottle designed to be re-used as an educational toy. The Connect Bottle enables its users to connect bottles by threading them together or inserting the cap into the connector piece at the bottom of the bottle. The basic connector piece is molded into the bottom of the bottles to be connected with their caps on or off. By adding a series of lightweight plastic connectors and/or wheels, children can turn the empty bottles into a variety of creative concepts. Additionally, the company says the Connect Bottle can be used to create insulation for homes. The empty containers can be threaded together using Connect’s system to form strips of insulation.
— KleinCepts Inc., 6618 Peach Tree Creek Road, Bradenton, Fla. 34203; 866/553-4623.

Koch Membrane Systems Inc. released the new Super-Cor XL, Super-Cor XL Plus and Super-G Plus line of high-performance filtration modules for juice clarification systems. The models enable customers to recover up to 99 percent of their juice with high clarity. The new XL series Super-Cor line features 12-foot tubes, which is an increase from the standard Super-Cor and Super-G membrane series. The Super-Cor XL Plus and Super-G Plus contain more tubes per housing — 37 for the Super-Cor XL Plus and nine on the Super G-Plus module. The enhanced lines offer more than 100 percent increases in membrane area from standard models, the company says.
— Koch Membrane Systems Inc., 850 Main St., Wilmington, Mass. 01887; 888/677-5624; www.kochmembrane.com

Safety Vision released the SV-622 Series side-view collision avoidance camera. The camera helps increase driver safety and prevent accidents by providing a better view along the right or left side of a vehicle. The extra visibility helps to make maneuvering larger vehicles easier and results in more efficiency, the company says. The SV-622 series is aerodynamic, compact and unobtrusive. In addition, the camera can be mounted multiple ways and adjustable pan/tilt installation allows the camera to be manually positioned at the proper angle. The SV-622 also includes infrared technology, a built-in microphone, automatic sensors and an integrated auto iris.
— Safety Vision, 6100 West Sam Houston Parkway North, Houston, Texas 77041; 800/880-8855; www.safetyvision.com

Eaton Corp. added a selection of factory nickel-plated models to its Char-Lynn line of spool valve motors for food and beverage industry applications. The motors are available in Char-Lynn H Series, S Series and T Series and protect against corrosion in wash-down applications. The spool valve motors distribute fluid into and out of the Gerotor (H Series) or Geroler (S and T Series) orbit gearset through valve slots machined into the output shaft. This design combines valving and hydrodynamic journal bearings into a common shaft design. In addition, they provide high torque at low speeds and offer instant shaft reversal by changing direction of input/output flow through the motor.
— Eaton Hydraulics Operations, 14615 Lone Oak Road, Eden Prairie, Minn. 55344; 888/858-5658; www.hydraulics.eaton.com

Nordson Corp. introduced the new ProBlue Fulfill integrated melter and adhesive feed system. The updated system automatically maintains desired adhesive levels in the melter tank to increase uptime, reduce clogged adhesive nozzles and deliver consistent bonding. The ProBlue Fulfill combines the adhesive melter and the automated filling apparatus as a single integrated system resulting in fast, easy set-up and operation. Low adhesive levels are detected by a sensor and small quantities of adhesive are added at regular intervals to prevent the sealed tank from running dry and reduce adhesive char, contaminants and incorrect adhesive temperatures. The system is capable of conveying adhesive in the shape of pellets, pastilles and mini-slats. The ProBlue Fulfill system is available in 4-, 7- and 10-liter melter capacities.
— Nordson Corp., 11475 Lakefield Drive, Duluth, Ga. 30097; 800/683-2314; www.nordson.com

A-B-C offers the Model 70 partition inserter that automatically opens and inserts lightweight chipboard or corrugated partitions in RSC, HSC and Tablock cases at speeds up to 35 cases per minute. The model uses servo technology for reliability, the company says. The Model 70 features compact design and a two-step sequence of indexing and opening the partition in one stroke, then inserting it through the guide funnels into the case in the second stroke. The partition inserter offers several exclusive features, including a case indexer that feeds cases independently to prevent misalignment, mechanical case positioning device to ensure precise case location below the partition guide funnels, and active funnels guide the partition into the case. It runs full height and shoulder height partitions with six, 12, 24, or 48 cells.
— A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp., 811 Live Oak St., Tarpon Springs, Fla. 34689; 800/237-5975; www.abcpackaging.com

Extech Data Systems announced its new portable S4000T 4-inch receipt printer. The S4000T is suited for direct store delivery applications with its contemporary design and three wireless options. It also comes equipped with an optional rechargeable lithium ion battery that mobilizes the printer for route accounting workforce. The model weighs as little as 24 ounces and features built-in Flash and SRAM memory. The printer is in-field programmable for firmware, font and logo set-up.
— Extech Data Systems, 285 Bear Hill Road, Waltham, Mass. 02451; 781/890-7440; www.extech.com

Electromatic Equipment Co. Inc. offers the CheckLine PK2X portable, digital stroboscope that has been enhanced with new features while remaining among the world’s smallest, most affordably priced industrial stroboscopes. The new PK2X’s long-lasting flash tube now delivers a flash brightness of 1,200 Lux at a flash rate of up to 12,000 flashes per minute. Its new rechargeable lithium ion battery provides two hours of continuous use. The model also can be connected to an AC power source for constant operation.
— Electromatic Equipment Co. Inc., 600 Oakland Ave., Cedarhurst, N.Y. 11516; 800/645-4330; www.checkline.com