Business class trucks
Highlighting its Freightliner Trucks Business Class M2, Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s Freightliner trucks offer the M2 106 and M2 112, which both feature best-in-class visibility with a 2,500-square-inch windshield and have numerous manual, automated and automatic transmission choices, the company says. With a wheel cut of up to 55 degrees, the trucks can navigate narrow city streets or tight loading zones, it adds. The M2 106 and M2 112 also have been designed for easier maintenance and service, keeping downtime to a minimum. Adding to the value of ownership, Freightliner’s customer support offers a network of more than 300 dealers across North America and a 24-hour assistance hotline that will keep customers operating at peak efficiency every day, it says. These features help drivers deliver more products to more customers, the company says.
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, 4435 N. Channel Ave., Portland, Ore. 97217; 503/745-8000; freightlinertrucks.com.
Ultrasonic baths
Branson Ultrasonics’ new CPXH digital series of Bransonic ultrasonic baths with self-adaptive technology help operators achieve industry-leading cleaning quality, according to the company. With digital controls and power tracking capabilities, the CPXH Series makes consistent and precise 40-kilohertz cleaning programmable and easy-to-use for any technician, it says. Suitable for deep cleans to remove dirt, grease, waves and oils from industrial parts and components of all kinds, including steel, light and nonferrous metals, plastic and glass, Branson ultrasonic cleaners also can be used for sample preparation, degassing liquids, mixing and homogenization, dissolving solids, lysing and dispersing particles, it adds.
Branson Ultrasonics, 41 Eagle Road, Danbury, Conn. 06810; 800/732-9262; bransonic.com.
Saturated steam stats
Spirax Sarco released its Gilflo ILVA flowmeter with a compact stem accessory for saturated steam, liquid and gas applications in 10- and 12-inch line sizes. The compact Gilflo ILVA flowmeter system comprises four individual pieces: An ILVA, a compact stem, a manifold, and a Scanner 2000 steam mass flow transmitter, which can output and display mass flow rates and totals, the company says. The compact stem reduces both the time and cost of installation of the ILVA as it requires only 10 bolts for installation, it says. The Gilflo ILVA flowmeter range is engineered with a specially profiled cone that helps to reshape and flatten the flow stream profile just before the measurement point, eliminating the need for long, straight runs, it notes. The ultra-compact wafer design allows the system to be installed close to pipe bends, valves or other components that would prevent other types of larger flowmeters from being fitted, it says. The unit can even be installed into pipelines that were not designed to accept a flowmeter, it adds. Due to its profiled cone and spring, the Gilflo ILVA is able to measure from full flow down to very low flow rates, allowing for accurate and repeatable measurement over a wide flow range turndown of 100:1, Spirax Sarco says.
Spirax Sarco USA, 1150 Northpoint Blvd., Blythewood, S.C. 29016; 800/575-0394; spiraxsarco.com.
Water quality measurements
Paul N. Gardner Co. Inc.’s LaquaTwin compact water quality meters allow users to obtain accurate pH, conductivity, ion and salinity measurements with a single drop, the company says. Operators can calibrate the tool with the touch of a button and then gather samples by dropping a sample as small as 0.1 ml onto the meter with a pipette, immersing it in a beaker, scooping the meter through a water flow, or wiping a trace sample from a sample sheet, it says. The meters also can be used to test food samples containing moisture, dry powders, paper, textiles and films, it adds. LaquaTwin is fully waterproof and dustproof and comes with a carrying case.
Paul N. Gardner Co. Inc., 316 N.E. First St., Pompano Beach, Fla. 33060; 954/946-9454; gardco.com.
Bacteria begone
Lubriplate introduced Lubri-Armour, a new antimicrobial additive that can help reduce lubricant problems caused by microbial growth. Created to prevent decomposition and odors in the lubricant caused by microorganisms, Lubri-Armour has been registered with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in NSF/H-1 registered food-grade lubricants (EPA Registration No. 86389-1). In addition to these benefits, 100 percent use of NSF/H-1 registered food-grade lubricants eliminates lubrication as a potential chemical hazard in a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan, according to the company. Lubri-Armour currently is available in the following Lubriplate food-grade products: the SFL series, the FGL series, Pure Tac, Pure Tac Light, the Clearplex series and FGL-CC.
Lubriplate Lubricants Co., 129 Lockwood St., Newark, N.J. 07105; 800/733-4755; lubriplate.com.
Low-acid blow-filling
GEA Procomac offers its Aseptic Blow Fill (ABF) machine, which has successfully passed the Low Acid (LA) microbiological validation, making it suitable to fill milk and milk-based products. The ABF consists of a traditional oven, preform sterilizer, sterile blower and aseptic filler. The preforms are warmed up in the oven so they arrive hot in the sterilizer where they are then sterilized internally and externally by a flow of hydrogen peroxide, the company explains. Once sterile, they enter the sterile area of the blower, are stretch-blown into bottles, and then are filled in an aseptic filler, it says. The blower also is sterilized using hydrogen peroxide, and the sterile environment inside the microbiological isolator is maintained with an overpressure of sterile air, it explains. The high- and low-pressure pipelines that supply blowing air to each mold also are sterilized to maintain sterility throughout the system, it adds. These safety steps help to reduce contamination and cross-contamination to create a hygienic product, the company says.
GEA Procomac SpA, Via Fedolfi 29 - 43038 Sala Baganza, Parma, Italy; 011/39-0521-839411; procomac.it.
Upgrading for efficiency
GEA updated its Küba market SP air cooler range for simple cooling applications and Küba SG commercial air cooler range for complex refrigeration applications to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent and increase efficiency by more than 90 percent, the company says. These new developments have been shown to significantly increase air throw and simultaneously lower pressure drop, it says. The systems’ fans also now feature a newly developed terminal box, which simplifies installation, it says. Plus the fans are hinged and heated, and feature new, controlled drain of condensation water. All relevant components are easy to clean and are part of the new GEA hygienic design concept, it adds. For the GEA Küba SG commercial system, curved, fixed guide vanes pick up the swirl from the blade movement and direct the dynamic air flow horizontally. This creates strong, concentrated air flow with up to 15 percent greater air throw, less air resistance, and greater volume compared with previous flow straighteners, GEA says. As a result, the air flow reaches into the farthest corners of the cold room to guarantee short cooling times, homogeneous temperature levels for all products, and minimum temperature fluctuations, it explains. For added hygiene and easy cleaning, the full bellmouth contains condensate drain grooves that control the flow of condensed water into the drain pan during the defrost cycle, it says. The motor also is equipped with a splashguard to protect the motor assembly and enable intensive cleaning with high-pressure water cleaners, it adds. The GEA Küba market SP air cooler is available now, and the GEA Küba SG commercial is scheduled for delivery beginning in the third quarter of 2013.
GEA Heat Exchangers GmbH, Dorstener St. 484, D-44809 Bochum, Germany; 011/49-234-980-0; gea-heatexchangers.com.
Multi-shaft mixers
Charles Ross & Son Co. offers customizable Multi-Shaft Mixers for processing solid-liquid dispersions, solutions and emulsions over a wide range of viscosities, the company says. These devices can be designed to impart high levels of shear for powder wet-out and particle size reduction using a high-speed sawtooth disperser blade and/or a rotor/stator assembly, it says. For viscous, low shear/high flow applications, a combination of bow-tie blades and an anchor agitator delivers rapid turnover as well as superior heat transfer, it says. As part of the mixer’s operations, an air/oil hydraulic lift raises the mix can to the agitators and vacuum cover, the company explains. Explosion-proof limit switches prevent operation of the drives when the vessel is removed or not in the mixing position, it says. The two-wing anchor agitator includes Teflon scrapers that are driven by a 0.5-horsepower inverter-duty motor and contact the jacketed vessel’s sidewall and bottom surfaces. The bow-tie mixer shafts are each driven by a 1-horsepower motor and feature removable blades. All three agitators can be engaged in any combination at any level of rotations per minute within their respective speed ranges, allowing for a versatile mixing system, according to the company. Single mechanical seals are located at the entry points of the agitator shafts into the mix zone; secondary Teflon lip seals also are provided, it adds. Ross Multi-Shaft Mixers are available in standard or sanitary configurations with 1 to 4,000 gallon capacities. An extensive range of agitator combinations, horsepower selections and optional features are available to tailor suit any mixer for a particular processing requirement, it says.
Charles Ross & Son Co., 710 Old Willets Path, Hauppauge, N.Y., 11788; 800/243-7677; mixers.com.
Low-output filling solution
Sidel launched a new low-output integrated aseptic blow-fill-cap solution, Combi Predis/Capdis FMa, based on dry-preform and cap decontamination technology. With a standard output of 12,000 1-liter bottles an hour, the new low-output solution can accommodate high- and low-acid products packaged in all bottle shapes and volumes between 200 ml and 2 liters required by the market, the company says. It also provides 100 percent decontamination of bottles and caps without the need for water and with very little chemicals by employing a hydrogen peroxide mist. In addition, it reduces electrical consumption by as much as 45 percent and annual costs by as much as 30 percent compared with Sidel’s previous generation of blowing solutions, it says. The Combi Predis/Capdis FMa is ideal for handling products for room temperature distribution, and it has the ability to extend a product’s shelf life when distributed in the cold chain, it adds.
Sidel Group, 5600 Sun Court, Norcross, Ga., 30092; 678/221-3087; sidel.com.
No-bull’s-eye wrapping
Project Automation & Engineering GmbH developed Bull’s-Eye-Sealing-Technology (BESTechnology) to close-shrink a package without bull’s-eyes. The technology mounts a customized tape over the bull’s-eyes and affixes a side-mounted carry handle over one of the bull’s-eyes for improved handling, the company says.
Project Automation & Engineering GmbH, Im Hammereisen 42, D-47559 Kranenburg; 011/49-0-2826-9145-0; project-ae.com.
Keeping everything in line
To reduce container skewing during bulk depalletizing, A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp. designed a single-filing module for its Model 108 depalletizer that maintains container and handle orientation as bottles or jugs are transferred from the bulk transfer table to the bottle conveyor. The depalletizer utilizes a motorized sweep bar that moves with each layer in a contained unit as it moves from the pallet to the transfer table in order to ensure container stability and load integrity, the company says. At the single-filing module, the containers travel from the table to the conveyor row by row, again maintaining orientation. The module handles square and rectangular containers. A-B-C’s Model 108 bulk depalletizer is available for low- or high-level operation and can run loads as much as 110 inches high. The machine operates with A-B-C’s Intelligent Control to ensure simple operation and control from the touchscreen operator panel that also provides complete performance data and troubleshooting capabilities as well as changeover settings.
A-B-C Packaging Machine Corp., 811 Live Oak St., Tarpon Springs, Fla. 34689; 800/237-5975; abcpackaging.com.
