Compact convenience

Nord Gear Corp. now offers the SK180E pump and conveyor system. The SK180E is energy efficient, cost effective and offers savings and outstanding performance, the company says. The SK180E series offers a range of features to simplify the drive selection process for a wide variety of applications, it says. The new series concentrates on the essential functions for pumps and conveyor technology and results in significant savings in both purchase and performance, it says. In addition, the SK180E includes: three digital inputs, two digital outputs, two analog inputs and an integrated 24-volt power supply; an input power range of 115 volts single-phase to 480 volts three-phase; 0.33-3 horsepower; an on-board actuator sensor interface; an energy-saving function; and operating software for controlling, programming  and diagnosis.

NordGearCorp., 800 Nord Drive, Waunakee, Wis. 53591; 608/849-7300; nord.com.

Mixing it up

Charles Ross & Son Co. offers a multi-shaft mixer equipped with a helical ribbon agitator for top-to-bottom mixing of viscous pastes, gels and dense suspensions; a saw-tooth blade and a three-wing anchor delivers high-speed dispersion and thorough product turnover, the company says. The 150-gallon mixer adapts to multiple applications and is designed for full-vacuum operation up to 29.5 inches of mercury, it says. Hinged Teflon scrapers mounted to the anchor agitator are contoured to match the vessel sidewall and dish-shaped bottom. A custom mixer cover includes: sight and charge ports, tri-clamp connections for liquid and powder raw materials, a hinged manway, a tank light, a thermoprobe, rotary spray balls and a rupture disc. The agitators, product and clean-in-place pumps, automated valves, load cells, a thermoprobe, tank light and vacuum pump are controlled and viewed from a control panel with 15-inch color touchscreen.

Charles Ross & Son Co., 710 Old Willets Path, P.O. Box 12308, Hauppauge, N.Y., 11788; 631/234-0500; mixers.com.

Pack it up

Douglas Machine Inc.’s TriVex RLi is a top-load case packer that utilizes robotic staging and loading. This method eliminates the traditional cross-push section, which saves production floor space, the company says. The integrated platform efficiently erects cases, loads cartons in multi-tiers, then seals and discharges them, it adds.

Douglas Machine Inc., 3404 Iowa St., Alexandria, Minn. 56308; 320/763-6587; douglas-machine.com.

Power up

Lift’n Buddy’s Keg Lifter is designed to improve productivity and reduce the risk of injury in a wide range of keg handling applications. The Keg Lifter provides the benefit of powered lifting to an easy-to-use hand truck, the company says. The bracket design ensures that the keg is securely in place while lifting, lowering and transporting, it says. For long distances, the powered hand truck tilts back like a conventional two-wheel hand truck, or, for confined or congested spaces, it can be maneuvered on all four wheels. The Keg Lifter is free-standing even when loaded and lifted, and lift controls are mounted on the handle for easy reach. The lift motor provides ample power for a full shift’s use. The Keg Lifter works with a variety of keg sizes and styles, making it appropriate for use in bars and restaurants, microbreweries and more, it notes.

Lift’n Buddy, 1845 NDSU Research Circle North, Fargo, N.D. 58102; 701/499-5289; liftnbuddy.com.

Safe and secure

UCP, one of Global Closure Systems’ plants in the United Kingdom, launched Tiva 2 closure in the Spirits market. The new high-quality security standard closure does not compromise performance for cost, the company says. It’s designed with a non-refillable closure that has a tamper-evidence ring built into the top of the body that breaks off if forced removal is attempted, which leaves permanent evidence that is immediately visible by end-use consumers, it explains. Tiva 2 uses the same controlled bore specification as is used for the current Tiva products and can be applied to a wide range of bottle types at speeds of up to
600 bottles per minute. Tiva 2 also provides a smooth pour to meet the demands of the bartenders, who prefer to be able to empty a  700-ml bottle in less than 75 seconds, it notes. In addition, its non-drip feature means that the alcohol is poured into the consumer’s glass and not onto the counter top, it says.

Global Closure Systems, 220 Bureaux de la Colline, Saint Cloud, France 92210; 011/44-1784-415-203; gcs.com.

Two birds, one stone

The latest addition to the Mettler Toledo Continuous Integration-Vision portfolio is the Label Check Station (LCS), which prints and verifies labels automatically in the same step. The LCS prints high-quality product-specific labels at a rate of up to 500 labels a minute. The labels contain batch or other product-specific information and comply with all applicable standards, without sacrificing high throughput rates or system availability, the company says. The LCS integrates into existing production lines and also is available as a compact table-top solution, it adds.

Mettler-Toledo CI-Vision, 6005 Benjamin Road, Tampa, Fla. 33634; 813/889-9500; mt.com/pi.

Jump for success

HighJump Software Inc. announced the HighJump Pulse, which is available for its HighJump Supply Chain Advantage products. HighJump Pulse is a supply chain intelligence solution aimed at increasing the availability and visibility of a business’ key performance indicators, the company says. HighJump Pulse integrates data from across an enterprise to provide customers with self-service reporting and analysis, it says. The flexibility of the solution allows users to start analyzing data immediately with the freedom to adapt the solution as a company grows and changes, it says. Customers also can leverage modern graphical dashboard technology with industry-developed standards to produce actionable, visual data, it notes. HighJump Pulse utilizes the latest tools in Microsoft’s Business Intelligence toolkit to deliver meaningful information, including: real-time views of key operational metrics, information necessary to validate short-term success and historical information to plan and predict future success.

HighJump Software Inc., 5600 West 83rd St., 8200 Tower, Suite 600, Minneapolis, Minn. 55437; 800/328-3271; highjump.com.