Ramping up delivery

National Fleet Products offers new interior-mount, spring-assist and swivel-action WM system loading ramps. Designed for rear- and side-door applications, the loading ramps are lightweight, skid-resistant and can handle load capacities between 880 and 4,000 pounds, the company says. With the ability to be installed in as few as two hours, WM system ramps are easy to deploy and retract and offer a maintenance-free alternative to hydraulic lifts on a variety of vehicles, including vans, box trucks and Class 8 trailers. The intelligently engineered ramps vertically stow just inside the rear- and side-access doors and comprise 8.5 inches of depth when folded and locked. Due to the built-in spring-assist feature and sturdy side handles, the ramps require about 20 pounds of force and five seconds to unfold or fold back into their low-profile storage position. Additionally, the swivel-action mechanism on the ramps enables them to swing 90 degrees in and out like a door, allowing users to have unfettered vehicle access when the ramp is not in use. The ramps are available in two-panel configurations with lengths between 98 and 128 inches, and three-panel configurations with lengths as long as 16 feet. When required, the ramps also can function as a bridge or gangplank for use with loading docks, vehicle-to-vehicle cargo transfers and access to other elevated surfaces like steps.
National Fleet Products
208 Capital Drive N.E., Buffalo, Minn. 55313
763/762-3451
nationalfleetproducts.com

Filling sensitive beverages

At the Gulfood Manufacturing tradeshow in Dubai, Claranor and I.C.E. Water Management showcased a hygienic upgrade for sensitive beverage filling lines and their sustainable solution designed to ensure and protect water quality throughout the production process to the final, packaged product. I.C.E. provides turnkey projects including well to filling inlet, clean-in-place, services and audits for bacteriological safety, quality control and management, while Claranor provides chemical-free cap and preform neck sterilization solutions using pulsed light technology. The Claranor and I.C.E. partnership offers manufacturers an ability to fill more sensitive products without investing in a new line, the companies say. Claranor devices also are water and chemical free and offer beverage producers efficient decontamination for high-speed filling lines running as many as 90,000 bottles an hour, it says. To date, Claranor has installed more than 180 cap units worldwide, and I.C.E. Water Management has launched 200 projects.
Claranor
Chemin de la Rollande, Agroparc - BP 21531, 84916 Avignon Cedex 9, France
+011/33-4-8640-8465
claranor.com

Improving fuel economy

Allison Transmission announced that new fuel economy technology is available for its 1000 and 2000 Series transmissions. The xFE model designates extra fuel economy for fully automatic bus and truck transmissions with demonstrated improvements of as much as 7 percent when compared with baseline models, the company says. Previously only available with select 3000 Series models, the expanded xFE portfolio now enables smaller, medium-duty vehicles to use less fuel, it says. The 1000 and 2000 Series xFE transmissions also have the same space claim and ratings as current models, but incorporate a redesigned torque converter damper coupled with the standard FuelSense 2.0 Max package, which was introduced in March. All xFW fuel economy technology, which is compatible with alternative fuel engines, works to achieve enhanced fuel economy in start-stop dense, low to average speed duty cycles.
Allison Transmission
1 Allison Way, Indianapolis, Ind. 46222
317/242-5000
allisontransmission.com

High-volume robotic welding

Showcased at Fabtech in Chicago, Güdel Inc. introduced ArcTrack, a preconfigured robot track motion module for arc welding applications, which delivers high flexibility while reducing lead time by 40 percent. ArcTrack includes a pre-engineered TrackMotion Floor configuration with an auxiliary shelf to carry welding equipment, large wire spools, and torch cleaning and reaming devices with the robot. The shelf is pre-engineered to support more than 750 kilograms with no compromise in performance, the company says. The ArcTrack is available for all leading arc welding robots, including FANUC, ABB, Motoman and KUKA, and includes robot-specific gear boxes, motors and cables. The units also are designed and engineered for harsh environments. Güdel’s cam follower and cartridge bearing design handle the worst environments and enable 15-minute mean time to repair for bearing replacement. The ArcTrack is configured with guideway scrapers and a fully enclosed e-chain for the final layer of protection, ArcTrack is available in lengths from 3 to 100 meters and can be equipped with robot risers from 50 to 600 mm.
Güdel Inc.
4881 Runway Blvd., Ann Arbor, Mich. 48108
734/531-6528
Gudel.com/us

Sealing the gaps

Rite-Hite offers a new Performer dock seal designed to effectively seal gaps in loading dock doors and reduce trailer-related wear and tear. The sealer, which represents the top end of the company’s Good, Better, Best dock seal line-up, also features the Classic seal, which is available with traditional or high-performance header systems. Designed using advanced, durable materials, the Performer’s high-performance head curtain not only features rugged, friction-resistant Durathon fabric that covers the vinyl base layer of the pleat-free pad face, but also provides full-height inside the side pad reinforcement to protect against damage from forklifts and loads. The seal also offers maximum environmental protection and durability to keep outdoor contaminants outside while serving a wide array of truck heights and trailer configurations. The Performer dock seal is available in two designs: the high-performance head pad, which is ideal for standard over-the-road trailers, uses a distinctive pivoting, backer-less header design to reduce damage from extreme pressure and trailer movement; and the Performer high-performance head curtain, designed for docks that receive trailers of varying heights, features a self-locking head curtain to improve sealing at the trailer top, eliminating the need for wind straps, the company says. It also incorporates an impact-able header frame to minimize damage from trailers that come in and impact too high.
Rite-Hite
8900 N. Arbon Drive, Milwaukee, Wis. 53223;
414/355-2600
ritehite.com/en/am

Easy labeling

Primera Technology offers the AP362 label applicator, which has the capacity to apply one or two different labels to a single container. A built-in, spring-loaded pressure arm ensures labels are firmly applied without wrinkles, it says. The applicator also can apply roll-fed, pressure-sensitive labels at speeds as fast as 1,200 labels an hour. The AP362 is quick and easy to set up and ideal for cylindrical containers as well as many tapered containers, including bottles, cans, jars and tubes.
Primera Technology
2 Carlson Parkway, North Plymouth, Minn. 55447
800/797-2772
primera.com

Precise temperature measuring

Rhosonics Analytical B.V. announced the launch of a new measuring instrument for breweries, the Plato Meter F43. Designed for in-line applications, the next-generation instrument easily is installed through a Varivent pipe connection and provides real-time information about the brewing process in Plato or Original Gravity degrees, the company says. Installation of the all-in-one sanitary probe requires no bypass and unlike the predecessor model 9110, directly communicates with 4-20mA/HART or Modbus RTU, making it easier to toggle through different beer types. Due to the sensitivity of the device, a base calibration can be performed in the control room even while water is running. The Plato Meter F43 offers measurements within 0.01 Plato with a range from 0 to 40 Plato. The instrument also can display the Original Gravity as an additional parameter. Although the measurement method is a sound velocity technology, the materials of the sensor have been changed from stainless steel to ceramic, providing clearer signals before processing, the company says. Ceramic also is more temperature conductive than stainless steel and reaches the process temperature faster, the company says. The improved design of the sound velocity measurement offers a signal that is 10-times stronger than the previous version, it adds.
Rhosonics Analytical B.V.
Hoge Eng West 30, 3882 TR Putten, The Netherlands
+011/31-341–3700-73
rhosonics.nl

Working in the warehouse

JLT Mobile Computers recently added the MT2010 tablet to its product portfolio. Designed for warehousing, logistics, transportation and port markets, the rugged tablet complements the company’s family of rugged vehicle-mount terminals for trucks or forklifts and customers wanting supplemental tablets and handheld terminals to better manage their businesses, it says. The MT2010 tablet comes with a 10-inch, sunlight-readable, projected capacitive touchscreen display; is IP65 dustproof and water resistant; can operate in extreme temperatures from -10 to 50 degrees Celsius; and is able to withstand a drop as far as 4 feet onto concrete, it adds. The MT2010 also can be tailored to individual customer requirements, including additional storage or operating system modifications for improved security. Due to a reduced number of suppliers, customers also benefit from simplified maintenance of JLT’s mobile IT and a high level of support and services.
JLT Mobile Computers Inc.
7402 W. Detroit St., Suite 150, Chandler, Ariz. 85226
844/705-4200
jltmobile.com

Keeping pace with HPP

At Process Expo, JBT/Avure Technologies launched a new high-pressure processing (HPP) machine, the AV-M. Like its predecessor, the AV-X, the new AV-M is expandable with a scalable capacity of as much as 180 percent with a slightly smaller footprint, the company says. The AV-M easily upgrades from 20M to 30M to 40M with the highest possible throughput. The scalable machine enables companies to expand HPP production as production needs increase, without the expense or added floor space of a second machine. HPP demand is being driven by consumers’ desires for clean-label, natural foods and beverages and manufacturers who want the food safety benefits, better taste, texture and nutrition of HPP products, it adds.
JBT/Avure Technologies
1830 Airport Exchange Blvd., Suite 160, Erlanger, Ky. 41018
614/255-6633
avure-hpp-foods.com