Simple changes

Douglas Machine Inc. integrated its Vectra cartoner with dual Fanuc M-3iA Delta robots to reduce the time and number of parts required for changeover. More specifically, the robotic pick-and-place infeed eliminates more than 30 star wheel change parts and manual adjustment points, reducing changeover by 20 minutes for single-serve-cup applications, the company says. The robotic design also allows for greater machine access, improved sanitation and increased machine efficiency, it notes. This update also boosts production time without changing the amount of capital investment required, it adds.

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

Wrap and roll

Liberty Technologies is extending its Infinity family of stretch-wrap engineered films with the addition of the Infinity Ultra-high Performance (UHP) 28-gauge hand-wrap. The Infinity UHP hand-wrap offers multiple benefits compared with traditional stretch films, including greater strength, superior cling in sub-zero cold storage applications, greater puncture resistance that holds corners better on all load profiles, lighter-weight rolls that reduce operator fatigue and improve ergonomics, reduced edge damage, optimal clarity for product identification and barcode scanning, and more, the company says.

Liberty Technologies, a Millwood Inc. company, 3708 International Blvd., Vienna, Ohio 44473; 877/278-4875; millwoodinc.com/liberty.

Ready to re-seal

As an expansion to its high-efficiency self-heating packaging technology, HeatGenie developed a Recloseable Easy-Open End technology for food and beverage packaging. Market research has shown that, in many cases, consumers would like the option to reclose pull-tab beverage cans, the company says. The patent-pending HeatGenie closure technology is designed to be reclosed and also offers easy opening, the elimination of sharp edges, and a cost that is comparable to existing easy-open ends currently in commercial use, it says. The technology, which now is available for license, also can be customized to a variety of opening sizes from a conventional pour spout to quarter-, half-, and even full-aperture cans.

HeatGenie, 3913 Todd Lane, Suite 509, Austin, Texas 78744; 512/501-3800; heatgenie.com.

Information at your fingertips

CO2 Meter Inc. now offers its tSense CO2+RH/T carbon dioxide (CO2), relative humidity (RH) and temperature (T) transmitter with an LCD color touchscreen display. The display shows users CO2, RH and T levels in real time, and users can touch the screen to program the tSense display model to change color when any of the readings get too high. Users also can access graphs of the CO2, RH and T levels for the previous day or week. All of these settings are controlled using a pin number chosen during setup.

n CO2 Meter Inc., 131 Business Center Drive, Building A, Unit 3; Ormond Beach, Fla. 32174; 386/310-4933; co2meter.com.

Dressed with a bow tie

Charles Ross and Son’s Bow Tie Disperser, also called High Viscosity Disperser, is designed for mixing heavy pastes and viscous liquids as well as re-suspending dense materials that have packed into layers during storage or transit. Compared with other single-shaft agitators, the economical Bow Tie Disperser is more robust and heavy duty,  capable of handling viscosities up to several hundred thousand centipoise, the company says. Driven by an explosion-proof inverter-duty motor, the bow tie agitator quickly wets out solids and incorporates them into a liquid vehicle, creating a very uniform consistency without running at high speeds, it explains. An air/oil hydraulic lift raises and lowers the agitator into and out of the vessel, and safety switches prevent mixer operation if the agitator is raised or if a vessel is not present, it says. The Bow Tie Disperser features stainless steel 304 wetted parts and can come with an optional vacuum-rated mix vessel complete with a heating/cooling jacket, thermocouple, sight/charge ports on the vessel cover, and caster wheels for easy movement, it notes.

Charles Ross & Son Co., 710 Old Willets Path, Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788; 800/243-7677; mixers.com.

Roll over

Butler Automatic designed its SP1 Series Automatic Film Splicer for food and beverage packaging applications. With a simple mechanical design and high-quality parts, the SP1 was made to offer long-term, trouble-free performance, the company says. It also increases efficiency by running at speeds as fast as 600 feet a minute and then, as the roll of film runs out, sensing the diameter of the expiring roll and automatically splicing the end of the expiring roll onto the new roll, it explains. This eliminates the packaging downtime caused by manually changing film rolls, it adds.

Butler Automatic Inc., 41 Leona Drive, Middleborough, Mass. 02346; 508/923-0544; butlerautomatic.com.

Start your engines

Yale Materials Handling Corp. announced a new line of industrial engines from Power Solutions International Inc. (PSI) for its 3,000- to 7,000-pound Class IV and V lift trucks. Featuring Yale Flex Performance Technology, the new engines offer exceptional fuel efficiency and power coupled with reduced maintenance requirements, enabling operators to move more loads with less downtime, the company says. Yale Flex Performance Technology is an advanced feature that comes standard with the new PSI industrial engines and provides selectable performance modes that allow the truck’s performance to be tailored to operational demands. This allows operators to maximize fuel economy or enhance performance based on fluctuating demand, it says. Designed with productivity in mind, the new PSI engines also offer extended service intervals and reduced periodic maintenance requirements, helping decrease maintenance and downtime, it notes. They also feature hydraulic valve lifters instead of mechanical lifters, eliminating the need for valve adjustments, while an innovative coil-over plug ignition design eliminates spark plug wires and associated replacement requirements, it adds.

Yale Materials Handling Corp., 1400 Sullivan Drive, Greenville, N.C. 27834; 252/931-5100; yale.com.

A female perspective

Ryder System Inc. is offering customers a female-friendly vehicle package for lease. With the help of various original equipment manufacturers and Women in Trucking Association, Ryder created a custom vehicle design, including 15 unique specifications, to better meet the needs of female drivers. The ergonomic vehicles include features such as adjusted height and placement of cab grab handles, adjustable seatbelt shoulder straps, improved placement of dash cluster gauges, and better access to oil and coolant checks and fill ports. These same ergonomic specifications also will provide a benefit for many male drivers in the industry, it adds. Upon customer request, Ryder also can include the following options: ergonomically designed seats and adjustable armrest, a hood lift/closure assistance mechanism, automated transmissions, 5th Wheel configurations with lower pull pressures to open the locking mechanism, automated 5th wheel locking mechanisms, automatic landing gear operators for trailers, and a cab security system that offers personal protection while a driver is in the sleeper berth. Ryder is committed to identifying truck design gaps and influencing improvements in future vehicle designs that make driving a more attractive career option for women. 

Ryder System Inc., 11690 N.W. 105th St., Miami, Fla. 33178; 305/500-3726; ryder.com.

Point-of-sale companion

KoamTac Inc. expanded its KDC product line with its new KDC 500 Mobile POS Companion. The point-of-sale (POS) device combines chip-and-PIN and magnetic stripe reader payment transaction technology with 1- and 2-D barcode scanning and near-field communication capabilities that support Android, iOS, Mac and Windows mobile/PC technology. This enables the operator to scan barcodes on products delivered and accept payments from credit and debit cards with a magnetic strip as well as newer card technology with chips that are designed to be tapped against a reader. The device measures less than 2 inches wide, 4.6 inches tall, and less than 1 inch thick in order to fit easily into the user’s hand, the company says. It also features a back-lit LED keypad and ergonomic multi-case form factor.

KoamTac Inc., 116 Village Blvd., Suite 305, Princeton, N.J. 08540; 609/256-4700; koamtac.com.

Need for speed

Hyster Co. launched a new line of industrial engines designed to increase productivity and fuel economy for its 3,000- to 7,000-pound Class IV and V product lines. The new engines from Power Solutions International (PSI) feature Hyster Variable Power Technology and offer a more powerful and efficient solution for demanding applications, the company says. Hyster Variable Power Technology provides adjustable performance modes that allow customers to maximize productivity or fuel economy to fit their specific application requirements. For enhanced fuel economy, the PSI engines also utilize the latest e-controls fuel system with an electronically controlled regulator. Hyster trucks powered by the new PSI engines see increased maximum travel and hoist speeds, with or without a load, and increased horsepower by as much as 10 percent compared with the previous engine, the company says. The new PSI 2-liter LP engine is featured on Hyster S30-40FTS cushion tire trucks and H30-40FTS pneumatic tire trucks, and the 2.4-liter LP or dual-fuel engine is featured on Hyster’s higher-capacity models, including the Hyster S40-70FT and S50CT cushion tire trucks and H40-70FT and H50CT pneumatic tire trucks. The optional dual-fuel engine enables the engine to run on LP or gas.

Hyster Co., 1400 Sullivan Drive, Greenville, N.C. 27834; 800/497-8371; hyster.com.

Cashing in on credit

Crane Merchandising Systems released a firmware update for its Navigator telemetry platform. The updated system allows plug-and-play installation, no longer requiring USB sticks, handhelds or phone calls to the company to set up the system. Upon powering up, the Navigator will configure itself and immediately be ready to accept credit cards. A store can increase its sales by 20 percent by accepting credit cards, the company says. Also included in this update are diagnostic tests that ensure the solution is properly working by checking for successful communications and digital exchange (DEX) reads and displaying cellular signal strength. Test swipes also can be performed with any magnetic stripe card without incurring charges. This update also adds support for Crane’s new 3G global system for mobile communications (GSM) radio, adding to the existing choices of Verizon, Sprint and 2G GSM (AT&T, T-Mobile) radios. 

Crane Merchandising Systems, 2043 Woodland Parkway, Suite 102, St. Louis, Mo. 63146; 314/298- 3500; cranems.com.