Parts Handling Equipment

In-process control and embedded weighing is now possible in any critical instrument or system operation with WMC weigh modules from Mettler Toledo (Columbus, OH). The instruments are claimed to be the smallest high-precision weighing sensors in the world, measuring just one inch in width.

A rugged, energy-efficient drive boasting a compact footprint, lower total cost-of-ownership and moreover enhanced usability is equally at home controlling motion in material handling systems or packaging conveyors. The Sinamics G110D drive from Siemens (Atlanta, GA) is ideal for installation in close proximity to motors located throughout facilities where dust and water ingression are a concern.

Meech International (Oxfordshire, UK) says its new IonRinse system presents a major leap forward in energy saving and sustainability in the field of cleaning blow-molded containers and pre-forms for use in the food and beverage industries prior to filling or blow molding, respectively. The system will be unveiled at the K Show at Stand 11B60.

Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA) has debuted its next-generation DataMan handheld industrial ID scanner series designed for factory floor use. The rugged DataMan 8000 Series offers advanced 1D and 2D code reading via patented IDMax technology regardless of size, quality, printing method or surface.

A new application need not necessitate exchanging grippers for handling of different sprues when using a system from Fipa (Cary, NC) that requires only that the gripper jaws be swapped. The model GR04.103 and GR04.130C sprue grippers can be reconfigured quickly meaning a substantial amount of time can be saved during changeover.

You say that ambient air does not cool that molded part moving along the conveyor fast enough, even with fans added. Well, now you can add a portable, spot air-cooling unit to a Dynamic Conveyor modular system right at the point where it’s needed.

Microscopic hair-like flash from molded, cut, and skived plastic parts used in medical applications is removed in an instant using a new compact hot-air blower. The parts in question are used for internal medical examinations or dispensing applicators.

Venturi vacuum pumps powered by compressed air have no moving parts, thereby delivering high reliability, and can achieve a 26-inch Hg vacuum with only 0.74-1.27 SCFM air flow, depending on the suction cup size. Vendor Anver Corp. (Hudson, MA) says these devices can provide millisecond attach and release. The pump, suspension, and suction cup are an integrated unit and can be positioned close to the load to minimize the potential for vacuum loss through tubing.

Horizontal flow wrapping using shrink films to provide skin-tight packaging for cartons, food products, and pharmaceuticals is a popular packing method where the film is fed around a forming box to create a tube. Generally an overlap, often sealed together by heat-seal or heat-shrink processes, of 25-35 mm of film is needed. But due to tension on the film, the overlap can come apart if the seal is not formed correctly, causing high rejection rates and requiring rewrapping. Packagers often compensate by using wider films to produce a larger, more expensive overlap.