Looking at product innovations
While each issue of this magazine tends to highlight the topics of our main feature articles and columns – both on the cover and on our contents page – there are, in fact, many interesting technical and engineering innovations and...
April 1, 2012 | By Bill Roebuck
While each issue of this magazine tends to highlight the topics of our main feature articles and columns – both on the cover and on our contents page – there are, in fact, many interesting technical and engineering innovations and solutions to read about in our Product News pages in each edition. So for a change, I’d like to point you to just a few that I found particularly interesting in this issue.
An innovative co-extruded gasket from Sweco is described in item 409 on page 28. It combines both white and black silicone. The black is conductive and the white is not, allowing the gasket to dissipate static electricity in high-static processes while only the food-grade, non-conducting portion is exposed to the product being processed.
On page 29, item 412 from Meltric is an electrical receptacle box designed for wet environments that includes built-in circuit protection for safety. It also offers a dead-front safety shutter for protection from live parts and arc flash, a practical and safe combination in a unique design.
On page 30, What’s New in Bearings highlights bearings that fight corrosion, not just by using stainless steel, but also by applying thermoplastics (Kilian, item 372), or special plating, such as cadmium (Accurate Bearing, item 371). Timken, in item 376, notes an average increase of 10% in the load ratings for its tapered roller bearings, while Kaydon offers tips on spotting the warning signs of bearing failure.
What’s New in Pumping on page 31 targets products for harsh operating conditions, such as item 383 from KSB that pumps corrosive, gaseous or temperature-sensitive liquids, or even solids-bearing liquids – all this in a single, modular design. And a Goulds pump from ITT – item 380 – is designed to be maintained even while it is running – now that’s innovative!
Item 395 describes upgraded Kimberley-Clark work gloves that provide better grip when used with oil or industrial grease. Items 393 and 394 both outline safety headgear that is lighter than previous designs for better worker comfort. And with more women in the workplace, somebody has finally developed personal protective equipment in smaller women’s sizes – see Gateway’s products in item 392. These, and more, are found in What’s New in Safety and Personal Protective Equipment on page 32.
And we can’t leave out the items in Product Spotlight on page 2. There you’ll read that SEW has expanded the lower power range of its ‘intelligent’ industrial gear units (item 365), and about a new wireless shaft alignment system – item 419 – that can be operated easily by inexperienced users. We’ve also included a write-up on a non-corrosive solution from Walter that safely removes rust on iron and mild steel without damaging the parent material. There’s also two point-and-shoot thermal cameras that feature the latest user-friendly features to enhance productivity – see items 368 from SKF and 370 from Fluke.
Keep in mind that additional information on any of the products described briefly in this issue – there are more than three dozen – can be obtained from the suppliers by using our online reader reply card at www.mromagazine/rsc.
Bill Roebuck, Editor & Associate Publisher, broebuck@mromagazine.com
To view the full layout of this article with images, as it originally appeared, see page 6 of the April 2012 issue. The digital edition of this issue can be found here:
