New Products & Services

This firm has added a 12-channel junction box (photo) to its JRBS Series that previously consisted of 4-, 6- and 8-channel versions. The IP20 junction boxes that can be fitted vertically and horizontally on the top-hat rail are also available with removable screw terminals instead of the usual cage-clamp terminals. The boxes can be used in Zone 2 and Zone 1 for the connection of Foundation Fieldbus (FF) and Profibus-PA field devices. A coded rotary switch allows users to set the short-circuit current as required. — Hans Turck GmbH & Co. KG, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany

Tungsten carbide wear-protection technology is said to increase the lifetime and capacity several times for a number of industries. The technology has been used in extruders, mixers, micronizer mills and pumps for industries such as chemical, ceramic, cement and pigment production. Based on more than 25 years of experience, this firm is able to coat nearly all components, including augers (photo), mixer impellers, scrapers, shovels liners, and extending their lifetime several times. — Hall 8, Booth 202 — Gerhard Warning Wear Protection Technology, Bielefeld, Germany

www.gerhard-warning.de

Adiabatic reaction calorimeters, such as the APTAC (photo), are used in the CPI to help ensure processes run securely and efficiently. These minireactors measure the thermal and pressure rise of most exothermic reactions in accordance with ASTM E1981. The resulting data help identify potential risks affecting process safety and optimization as well as the storage and thermal stability of chemicals. Process interruptions can be minimized and the onset of thermal runaway reactions in the minireactor can be translated to the real production process (upscaling). Hall 6.3, Stand N23 – O23 — Netzsch Gerätebau GmbH, Selb, Germany

www.netzsch-thermal-analysis.com

This firm’s P/N 122055-00 (114587) and 122056-00 (114589) hazardous-duty vacuum motors have recently passed the final audit for TÜV/ATEX certification. The motors are 7.5-in.-dia., two-stage, peripheral bypass vacuum motors. The single-phase, two-pole universal motor series is totally enclosed, externally fan-cooled. That motor is combined with a centrifugal blower to produce vacuum airflow characteristics suited for vacuum-blower applications. The motors are available in both 120- and 230-V a.c. models and incorporate class B insulation in the armature and field windings. — Ametek Floorcare & Specialty Motors, Kent, Ohio

http://www.ametekfsm.com

The Monobloc Fill/Finish Packaging System accommodates different container sizes and shapes. These systems can perform a wide range of tasks, such as sorting, feeding, filling, plugging, stoppering, crimping, induction sealing, labeling and accumulating. All Monoblocs are digitally controlled with menu-driven programs that electronically adjust operating parameters. — Filamatic, a div. of National Instruments LLC, Baltimore, Md.

Raising the reaction temperature achievable with the FlowSyn Continuous Flow Reactor (photo) has considerably widened the scope of reactions that can be performed, according to the manufacturer. Reactions can now be carried out at temperatures up to 260ºC and pressures up to 1,000 psi. High-activation-energy chemistries that may previously have required a catalyst or the use of a microwave reactor are now potential candidates for continuous flow synthesis, with its attendant benefits — better reproducibility and scalability, and fewer problems with unstable intermediates or unexpected exotherms. Other improvements include easier pump priming and refinements to the automated reaction control so that the user can control the amount of pre- and post-plug dispersion phases that are collected with their steady-state reaction product. — Uniqsis, Ltd., Cambridge, U.K.

Besides quality control in the packaging process, protection against counterfeiting and traceability of pharmaceutical products becomes more and more important. This firm faces this challenge with the introduction of its "track & trace" (T&T) solution, which combines database management, coding systems, code-reading technology and material handling systems to provide a customized solution for existing packaging lines as well as for new equipment. These T&T solutions are said to entirely meet the legal regulations in, for example, Turkey, California and France. — Hall 1, Booth 239 — Seidenader Maschinenbau GmbH, Markt Schwaben, Germany

www.seidenader.de

The netTAP 100 (photo) is a flexible and cost-effective gateway designed to bridge the gaps between traditional fieldbus, realtime Ethernet-based systems and serial protocols. Based on this firm’s netX chip, up to 1,000 protocol combinations are made possible in a modular compact DIN-rail mounted housing. The netTAP 100 is capable of linking any of the major fieldbus, realtime Industrial Ethernet’s and serial protocols used in the market today. master and slave protocols for CANopen, DeviceNet, Profibus, CCLink, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, Modbus TCP, Powerlink, Profinet, Sercos III, MB/RTU, MB ASCII RS232-, RS422, and RS485 are included for realtime I/O data exchange. A standard USB port is used for configuration along with loading network firmware and diagnostics. — Hilscher North America, Inc. Lisle, Ill.

www.hilscher.com

Syrris

The Atlas Sodium Pressure System (photo) is a modular laboratory reactor capable of operating up to 250°C and 200 bar. The reactor is available with volumes of 160, 300 and 450 mL, and offers heating/cooling, overhead or magnetic stirring, pressure sensing, and monitoring and control of pressure and mass flow. Designed for high temperature and pressure applications, such as performing hydrogenation and carbonylation reactions, the system also features maximum temperature and burst-disc cutouts to ensure that the system is completely safe and compliant with PED/ASME design codes. — Syrris Ltd., Royston, U.K.

This firm has teamed up with Pactiv Corp. to supply Hefty Slide-Rite slider customers with an improved filling and opening feature for heavier (15–65 lb) bagged products. The challenge for slider bags that are bottom-filled is to minimize the fill force against the slider assembly, while making it easy for users to open and access contents. Until now, packagers had been lining the entire bag with peel-seal film. The co-developed alternative uses a 1/2-in. wide strip that replaces several feet of expensive film. — Rollprint Packaging Products, Addison, Ill.

A drum lifter with onboard

An improved series of Operator Interfaces, the PowerView 8000 Series (photo) provides a greatly enhanced, easy to use, and intuitive development package, the ViewBuilder 8000. The Series provides four LCD sizes to fit different applications: 5.6-in. QVGA, 8.0-in. VGA, 10.4-in. VGA, and now 12.1-in.SVGA. All units have vibrant 65K color TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD displays with analog-resistive touchscreens. The PowerView 8000 Series addresses the growing demand for Ethernet and USB connectivity with three USB 2.0 ports, three configurable RS-232/485 ports, CompactFlash port, Audio, and 10/100 Ethernet port. The ViewBuilder 8000 software provides increased functionality, including: advanced object libraries, historical and realtime trending, alarm and recipe management, and more. — Nematron, Corp., Ann Arbor, Mich.

New components have been added to the Simatic PCS 7 Lab process control system. This system is based on the compact Box PC. It has a space-saving design making it especially suitable for experiments in the laboratory. The ET200pro distributed I/O device has now been integrated into the overall system. The ET200pro I/O module can be installed directly in laboratory equipment thanks to its high degree of protection IP67. Laboratory equipment, such as scales or mixers, can be simply connected the ET200pro via a host of serial interfaces and analog and binary channels. There are also special drivers for connecting such equipment as well as an SER module for supporting eight additional serial RS 232C devices. — Siemens Industry Automation Division, Nuremberg, Germany

www.siemens.com

The 1-in. dia. ProGrade Tube Magnets are available in lengths of 4 – 24-in. and are primarily used to remove ferrous contaminants from liquids in tanks, as a quality control check of dry bulk materials, or in various other application settings where a powerful, portable magnet is needed. ProGrade Tube Magnets are offered in three strengths, enabling customers to select the right degree of magnetic strength for their application. Ceramic powered tube magnets remove medium-to-large tramp metal such as bolts, nuts and hand tools. Rare-earth powered tube magnets remove small ferrous contaminants such as pins, staples and clips. Xtreme Rare Earth powered tube magnets are best at separating out weakly magnetic fine ferrous contaminants. — Eriez, Erie, Pa.

www.eriez.com

Fuel’In is a new family of polyamide 6 and 6,6 polymers designed specifically for fuel contact, including fuel storage and transport. The polymer family provides high barrier performance and up to 30% weight reduction without compromising safety. The polymer line has proven durability and high impact resistance, even at low temperatures, says the company, and offers users reduced processing costs through minimal tooling and machine investment. — Rhodia S.A., Lyon, France

http://www.rhodia.com

At K 2010 — the 18th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber (Düsseldorf, Germany; October 27–November 3) — some 3,100 exhibitors from 57 countries will present the latest developments from all sectors of the plastics and rubber industry. The exhibition occupies 17 halls and covers an exhibit area of about 1.7-million ft².

Manufacturers of machinery and equipment are traditionally the largest group of exhibitors at the K-Show, and will occupy Halls 1 to 4 and 9 to 17, which account for about two-thirds of the total exhibition area. Suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished products and technical parts will be exhibiting in Halls 5 to 8a. Hall 8b, at the interface between the thematic exhibition zones, will house, among other things, the joint presentation by the Chinese industry.

The exhibition will be supplemented by future-oriented elements, which will be dealt with in the special review “Visions in Polymers,” organized by the German plastics industry under the auspices of PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V. and Messe Düsseldorf. In daily panel discussions, top academics and experienced users will address questions such as what our daily lives will look like 20 years from now, and how plastics can contribute to solving major problems. On the basis of examples from different areas of life, speakers will explain which development trends can be discerned, and which innovations the industry has in its pipelines. Special emphasis will be placed on the themes of energy efficiency and resource conservation.

What follows is a small sample of some of the new products being exhibited at K 2010.

The Model FS-B2510 Dual-Serial port gateway (photo) includes two serial ports and one Ethernet port for integration from serial-to-serial or serial-to-Ethernet applications. This newest addition to the firm’s gateway product line meets the needs of integrators seeking to interface a serial (RS-232 or RS-485) device to a serial or Ethernet network. Utilizing the firm’s extensive protocol library and the proven configuration capabilities, the FS-B2510 is a cost-effective solution to integrating more devices into the automation or process control network. With more data available to the network, the result is greater savings of energy and other resources. — FieldServer Technologies, Milpitas, Calif.

The Allen-Bradley SLC 500 is a small, chassis-based, modular family of programmable controllers and I/O. The SLCs smaller size means you can use an SLC in applications where you can’t afford the size and overhead of a traditional, full-sized PLC. With its multiple processor choices, numerous power supply options and extensive I/O capacity, the SLC 500 controller allows the creation of a system designed for a given application. — Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, Wisc.

www.rockwellautomation.com

The anionic, short perfluoroalkyl chain PolyFox fluorosurfactants are formulated to meet the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) program. The new products are formulated using dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (DPM) solvent instead of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butyl carbitol), the solvent used previously. Some consider DPM to be an environmentally preferred formulating agent. The PolyFox technology platform is based on an oligomeric poly (oxetane) backbone with short perfluoroalkyl groups. PolyFox materials are neither prepared from PFOA, PFOS or telomer-based fluorochemicals of concern, nor can they degrade into such materials. Consequently, PolyFox fluorosurfactants and fluorochemicals by regulatory agencies globally, including the EPA and the EU’s REACH program. — Omnova Solutions, Inc., Fairlawn, Ohio

www.omnova.com

The Sendix 5006 2-in. incremental encoder features a completely stainless-steel housing and Viton seals to resist corrosion and physical abuse in harsh plant environments. The encoder can handle fluctuations in temperature, from –40 to 85°C, and is IP67-rated when sealed. The Sendix 5006 incorporates a proprietary Safety-Lock bearing assembly that has been tested to provide additional protection against vibration and installation errors. It is ideal for use in corrosive environments or for applications requiring long-term durability. — Turck Inc., Plymouth, Minn.

http://www.turck.us

Coperion

The ZS-EG twin-screw degassing unit (photo) is just one of a comprehensive group of degassing solutions for compounding and extrusion processes. The company has made a number of improvements to its ZS-EG side degassing units: The screw set has been optimized; the standard models are designed for an absolute vacuum of up to 50 mbar (lower degassing pressure upon request); and the units come with a variable speed drive as standard. Compared to an open-vent dome, the twin-screw side-degassing unit offers many advantages, including: the ability to be fitted at low-cost to a combi-barrel segment of the ZSK twin-screw extruder; deliver effective degassing, even with high air or moisture content of the bulk material, at acceptable residence times, so plant throughput can be raised by 10–15%; and improve compound quality and consistency since no material can fall back into the processing unit through the vent. Hall 14, Stand B33 — Coperion GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany

The Class 125 Cast Bronze Y-strainers (photo) are used in commercial applications to trap foreign matter in steam, water, oil or gas pipelines. The bronze strainer line includes Class 125 solder ½ – 2-in. and threaded ¼ – 3-in. rated 125 SWP and 200 CWP. They are available with the options of threaded or solder-end connections, solid cap or tapped cap with plug, and stainless steel 20 mesh or perforated stainless-steel screen. Other important features include a dezincification-resistant cast bronze body and cap, as well as machined seats in body and cap to ensure proper screen alignment. — Nibco, Inc., Elkhart, Ind.

Manufactured from special aluminum-bronze or copper-beryllium alloys, these non-sparking, non-magnetic hand tools (photo) meet ATEX regulations for safe use in areas where hazardous, flammable or combustible vapors, liquids, dusts or residues may be present. This line of safety tools consists of hammers, flange wedges, striking wrenches, impact sockets, screwdrivers, shovels and other hand tools. They comply with the ATEX Directive stating that no tools that can cause sparks are permissible in Ex Zones 0, 1 and 2 (flammable gas, mists or vapors); Zones 20, 21 and 22 (combustible dusts) and M1 and M2 for mining. Each tool is laser engraved for the proper Ex Zone classifications indicating the zones for which it can be used. — CS Unitec, Norwalk, Conn.

www.csunitec.com

This manufacturer provides different kinds of bearing solutions for the chemical process industries (CPI). Full ceramic bearings consist of rings and balls made of ceramic, whereas the rings of a hybrid bearing system are made of high-value bearing steel (photo). Both bearing types have a variety of advantages over standard bearings. In particular, seizing — one of the main failure modes in standard steel bearings due to poor lubrication — is virtually impossible in full ceramic and hybrid bearings, says the manufacturer. This makes it possible to use these bearings without lubricants, and dry-running bearings drastically reduce friction and particle emissions. — Cerobear GmbH, Herzogenrath, Germany

www.cerobear.de

The AL400 system is a new plasma-enhanced, chemical-vapor-deposition (PECVD) instrument designed for the deposition of a smooth coating on rubber and elastomeric surfaces. The low-coefficient-of-friction coating reduces tackiness and drag of rubber and elastomeric surfaces, and can repel lint and other contaminants on silicone components. Coating thickness is typically less than one micron, and has no effect on the bulk properties of the coated material. The PECVD system is clean-room compatible and available in a table-top version or with a free-standing enclosure. — Plasmatech Inc., Erlanger, Ky.

http://www.plasmatechnology.com

This firm is exhibiting its efficient, standard plasma system V6-G, which is designed as a compact device for industrial, small-series production as well as for low-pressure plasma treatment in R&D laboratories. Plasma can be used to generate ultraclean surfaces, improving higher adhesive strength of steel glued to polypropylene or for improved durability of varnish on plastics. The company is also involved in the BMBF-funded Nanodyn project, which aims to discover ideal surface conditions to reduce friction, increase reliability and improve longterm stability for ball bearings. The new concept is investigated for different kinds of bearings and lubricants. Hall 11, Stand E05 — Pink GmbH Thermosysteme, Wertheim, Germany