New Products & Services
July 2016
Rockwell Automation
The new Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5380 controller (photo) provides up to 20% more application capacity than previous CompactLogix versions. This controller is particularly helpful for high-speed packaging applications where fast response times are critical, says the manufacturer. Features such as scheduled outputs and event triggers allow engineers to design compact machines that achieve higher accuracy and precision. Diagnostic indicator lights display the status of communications, module health and I/O module activity. This allows operators and technicians to immediately understand problems without connecting the controller to a computer. In addition, built-in system and field power terminals reduce wiring to I/O modules. The controller also incorporates security technologies and software features, including digitally signed and encrypted firmware, controller-based change detection and audit logging. — Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, Wis.
Thermal Solutions
This company has added four additional sizes to the Arctic Series of condensing boilers (photo). The new models range from 1.5 to 3 million Btu with certified efficiencies of 95%. The stainless-steel boilers feature a non-welded heat exchanger. Arctic boilers are available in fully packed or knock-down configurations, allowing them to fit into spaces where other condensers are not easily installed. An Arctic boiler accommodates variable primary and secondary piping designs due to minimal waterside pressure drops and low minimum flows. A 5:1 burner turndown is standard, with a 20:1 option to be available later this year. — Thermal Solutions LLC, Lancaster, Pa.
Alfa Laval
With a design pressure of up to 21 bars (305 psi), the FrontLine gasketed plate heat exchanger (photo) allows a flexible design with plates tailor-made for demanding hygienic applications. The plate pattern, the channel depth and the overall dimensions are designed for gentle, uniform heat transfer for sensitive dairy, food, beverage and personal-care products. The FrontLine can be configured with different sections, using plate and gaskets in different materials with several types of connections making the final unit suited to users’ specific processing tasks. A unique herringbone plate pattern with optimized pressing depth and plate material provides gentle, uniform heat transfer of sensitive hygienic products. FrontLine is also designed with a wide stream plate for product containing particles or fibers, such as fruit juices. — Alfa Laval Lund AB, Lund, Sweden
Schneider Electric
With a wide range of flowtube sizes and an array of available transmitter configurations, the MagPLUS family of magnetic flowmeters (photo) offers precise, bi-directional metering of many types of fluids, from beverages and processed foods to potable water, industrial water and wastewater. The flowmeters feature fully welded construction, a selection of global standard flanges and end connections, rugged liners suited to all water and wastewater applications or hygienic sanitary design, as well as durable exteriors that are appropriate for underground installation and constant flooding. Thanks to a virtual grounding feature, this flowmeter eliminates the need for grounding electrodes or rings, reducing installation complexity and cost, while increasing longterm process reliability. A selection of three housing versions enables users to mount transmitters directly to the flowtube at 0- or 45-deg angles, or remotely in wall- or field-mount configurations. — Schneider Electric, Palatine, Ill.
Piab
Until now, ATEX gas-and-dust certified versions of this company’s vacuum conveyors were only available by special order. Now, users can visit the company’s website and configure the most suitable version of its piFLOWp (photo) or piFLOWt conveyors online. With these ATEX-certified conveyors, all plastic and rubber parts — including the filters and seals used between sheet-metal parts — are made of dissipative (antistatic) materials. All complete modules or units are fitted with seals of synthetic rubber (nitrile butadiene rubber), which have antistatic properties. Over 300 different configuration options for complete conveyors are possible. — Piab AB, Täby, Sweden
Roxtec International
This cable- and pipe-transit provider has introduced a high density (HD) cable-entry device for use in terminal boxes and enclosures (photo). The HD cable entry system meets challenges with high cable density in applications with that demand the utmost in safety, and is available in versions for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, as well as for non-hazardous locations. Besides providing environmental protection, it helps designers and installers save time, space and money. The cable entry device consists of an AISI 316L acid-proof stainless-steel frame and industry-proven components, such as sealing modules, making it adaptable to cables of different sizes. A single cut-out for the HD kit can accommodate up to 32 cables, which reduces the amount of space required when compared to 32 traditional cable glands. Designers and manufacturers cut weight by half and increase cable capacity by up to 40% when compared to cable glands, says the company. — Roxtec International AB, Karlskrona, Sweden
Enmet
ProAir 2200 (photo) is a compact compressed-air line monitor that can continuously and simultaneously monitor up to four gases in realtime using internally mounted sensors. ProAir 2200 can be custom configured to monitor a variety of hazardous gases present in compressed air, including CO, CO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), trace hydrocarbons and many other gases associated with OSHA monitoring requirements for Grade D breathing air. The monitor can be adapted to meet specific industrial requirements for compressed-air line monitoring. — Enmet Corp., Ann Arbor, Mich.
Hoerbiger Safety Solutions
To ground and monitor multiple pieces of equipment, such as loading and mixing stations for tanks or railway cars, a large number of conventional static ground systems would normally be required to provide adequate protection against incendive electrostatic sparks. In addition to these flammable liquid and gas applications, powder processing equipment, such as fluid-bed dryers and micronizers, typically require multiple grounding systems to adequately protect potentially explosive dust atmospheres. The Earth-Rite Multipoint II (photo) allows up to eight individual pieces of equipment to be monitored with a single system. It consists of a compact and well-organized monitoring and control unit with LED display. In addition, optional remote-indicator stations may be specified for the process environment. Since the remote indicator stations are supplied via the intrinsically safe circuits of the monitoring and control unit, no additional external power supply is needed. — Hoerbiger Safety Solutions, Vienna, Austria
Eisele Pneumtics
The new stainless-steel connector of the CleanLine series (photo) fulfills all of the important criteria for use in the food processing industry, and is constructed entirely according to the regulations of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG). On the outside and top, it is completely sealed by FDA-compliant seals made of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). The outer contour is rounded and micro-machined to minimal roughness (Ra <0.8µm) to prevent any accumulation of impurities and also to facilitate cleaning of the connection. The same applies to the inside of the connection, which is manufactured from stainless steel 1.4404. It is completely free of dead zones and can be cleaned simply by flushing. The inside is hermetically sealed by two seals so that no liquid can penetrate the connector from outside. — Eisele Pneumtics GmbH & Co. KG, Waiblingen, Germany
Alicat Scientific
The Basis line of mass-flow controllers has been expanded to include the new 20SLPM model (photo). Specifically designed for original equipment manufacture (OEM) and process integration, this small-footprint instrument provides fast, accurate control of gas flowrates in a wide range of applications, including sparging into liquids and sample dilution, as well as many gas-mixing applications. Suitable for use in OEM gas analyzers, automated gas mixing on process lines and anywhere basic mass-flow-only control is required, a 100-ms control response enables Basis controllers to react in realtime to upstream fluctuations. Basis controllers are available with the following multi-gas calibrations: air, argon, CO2, N2, O2 and N2O (selectable over serial connection). Furthermore, helium and hydrogen are also available in single-gas units. — Alicat Scientific, Tucson, Ariz.
Schenck Process
The new Global Cleanable Airlock (GCA; photo) is designed for applications where dry raw or finished products are being handled at high process rates, and where inspection or system clean-out are required. Available as either a standard or demountable unit, the GCA also possesses a number of features suited for sanitary processes. The standard model incorporates seals and product-contact surfaces that meet food safety requirements. The demountable unit is designed with a rail system that simplifies removal of the endplate and rotor assembly from the housing, providing access to the internal valve cavity, rotor pockets and all other product contact areas for quick and easy cleaning. GCA units feature stainless-steel construction and housing and endplates designed for explosion and shock resistance. An oversized rotor shaft creates a naturally radiused rotor pocket for more complete product release — Schenck Process LLC, Whitewater, Wis.
DeZurik
The new high-pressure combination air valve, the ASU-CAV (photo) is a single body, combination automatic air valve featuring an innovative design for clean or dirty service applications in mining, petrochemicals, water treatment, reverse osmosis and high-pressure (150–300 psi) wastewater. Available in sizes 1 to 4 in. with all stainless-steel construction, the new valve provides maximum corrosion resistance. The lightweight, low-profile design also operates without linkages to assure proper operation and increased durability, and meets AWWA C512 requirements. — DeZurik, Inc., Sartell, Minn.
Fullbrook Systems
The new Dispermat SL-B horizontal bean mill (photo, p. 30) is suitable for fine grinding batch sizes from 150 to 750 mL, and features an integrated mill-base circulation system, which means there are no external pumps to clean. The speed control is infinitely adjustable from 0 to 6,000 rpm. This new model utilizes an integrated pneumatic press-out system, whereby the mill base is pressed out to ensure that the dispersed product can be almost completely regained with minimal wastage. The product sample is conveyed through the horizontal milling chamber with minimal clearance volume by a spiral conveyor, which is connected to the milling rotor, while the separation of the mill base is made by a dynamic gap. The mill features a wear-resistant stainless-steel milling chamber and a milling rotor made of hardened nitride steel. Shaft sealing is provided by a mechanical seal with integrated pressure system and cooling. An explosion-proof, ATEX-approved version is also available. — Fullbrook Systems Ltd., Hemel Hempstead, U.K.
Vega Grieshaber
This level and pressure instrumentation specialist has brought a Bluetooth solution to the market (photo). A new generation of the universal display and adjustment module plicscom will allow all the transmitters in the plics instrument platform to be remotely operated via an app — easily, conveniently and securely — thereby enhancing the concept of the modular instrument platform plics. Its wireless Bluetooth communication is suitable for all industries and is particularly suited for applications in difficult-to-access locations, harsh industrial environments and hazardous Ex areas. The new module is backward compatible, which means it can be used on the entire installed base of more than 1.5 million plics sensors, many in operation since 2002. — Vega Grieshaber KG, Schiltach, Germany
Omega Engineering
Available in three screen sizes, the OM-SGD Series of panel meters (photo) offers a wide operating power-supply voltage range of 4 to 30 V d.c. and two alarm outputs. Waterproof NEMA 6 (IP67) versions are also available. Using the provided configuration software, users can select from over 40 standard display configurations to quickly program exact process requirements. Furthermore, users have the ability to customize colors, text labels, input scaling and units before uploading the selected display configuration to the meter via a USB interface. The OM-SGD is suitable for process monitoring in a wide range of industrial or laboratory applications in the chemical, water, petroleum, HVAC, electronics and semiconductor industries. — Omega Engineering Inc., Stamford, Conn.
BPS
The Model MTD-4K bulk-bag discharger (photo) is designed for the reliable unloading of large-capacity bulk bags. With the use of 4-in. tubular construction, the machine can unload bulk bags with capacity up to 4,000 lb. A smaller model, the MTD-2.5K can unload bulk bags up to 2,500 lb. A heavy-duty version, the Model MTD BBD-4K, features vibratory-motor agitation to assist in unloading hard-to-remove products. — Best Process Solutions, Inc. (BPS), Brunswick, Ohio
WaterWorks Propylene Glycol Check is said to be the world’s first visual test strip that measures propylene glycol levels. With simpler operations than a refractometer, the strip verifies that fluids are in good working order to prevent damage to cooling systems. The strips can test for levels in water from 20–60%. Test strips only need to be dipped in water for 2 s to conduct a check. After dipping the strip, users can determine the propylene glycol levels after just 60 s. The strip will change colors, indicating its status. The strip’s color is then matched to an included color chart. — Industrial Test Systems (ITS), Inc., Rock Hill, S.C.
Traditional dissolved-air flotation systems produce the flotation motive water through air satura
tion of a partial flow in the plant outflow. The saturation usually takes place using multi-stage pumps, which only run smoothly if they are fed with pH-neutral wastewater that is mostly free from solids. The injector system developed by this company achieves micro-bubble formation comparable to saturation by pumps. The air saturation of the partial flow is carried out by an injector pressure container, which is fed by a wastewater pump resistant to solids and which can handle both alkaline and acidic wastewater without any problems. This enables cycles to be driven through flotation systems without chemical conditioning or neutralization. The flocculant dosage is required only to produce separable flocs. If floating solids are present without flocculation, a chemical-free procedure is possible. — EnviroChemie GmbH, Rossdorf, Germany