Variety abounds for sources of data

In Print…

Scott’s has released a commemorative 25th edition of its Quebec Manufacturers Directory. Directory data includes executive name, title, company name, year established, square footage, estimated sales, SIC or NAICS codes and many other qualifiers. For more information, call 800-668-2374.

The first 34 years of the life of labour legend John Bruce are described in the book, John Bruce, O.B.E.: Journeyman Plumber, by Canadian trade unionist Donald Montgomery. Born and raised in Australia, Bruce emigrated to Canada via South Africa, where he dedicated his life to learning plumbing and improving conditions for plumbers everywhere.

He retired from plumbing in 1910 in order to fill the position of General Organizer of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, a position he held for over half a century.

The author states that Bruce was one of Canada’s most colourful, effective and longest-serving General Organizers of any North American union. In 1946 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire. Bruce died in 1970 at the age of 93.

To purchase copies of the book or to read excerpts on line, visit the web site at www.trafford.com/robots/ 00-0122.html. The 194-page, paperback book is published by Trafford Publishing and costs US$24.

The book, Root Cause Analysis: Improving Performance for Bottom Line Results, has begun its second printing. Written by Robert and Ken Latino, the 208-page hard-bound book helps readers identify, resolve and eliminate such chronic issues as repeated equipment failures. Priced at US$79.95, it is available for order through a variety of booksellers.

Lincoln Motors offers a free 12-page brochure, entitled The Fundamentals of Polyphase Electric Motors. A handy reference, the bulletin covers basic motor principles, various motor types, how a squirrel-cage induction motor works and performance characteristics. Also, insulation systems, enclosures, service conditions and starting methods are defined, and a summary of mechanical and electrical formulas is included. For more information, call 216-383-2069, fax 216-383-4730, e-mail mailbox@lincolnmotors.com, web site www.lincolnmotors.com.

The Compressed Air and Gas Institute (CAGI), a trade organization of manufacturers of air and gas compressors and related pneumatic equipment, has issued a brochure entitled Working Together to Serve You Better. The eight-page, full-colour literature describes the institute’s mission, structure and activities, and outlines its available educational and research materials. For more information, contact CAGI, 1300 Sumner Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115; tel. (216) 241-7333; fax (216) 241-0105; e-mail cagi@cagi.org; web site: www.cagi.org.

Published by Lovejoy in commemoration of the company’s 100th anniversary, The Coupling Handbook is a compilation of practical application insights and knowledge accumulated by its engineers, product managers and field service representatives for the benefit of machine designers and builders, maintenance personnel, distributors and others involved with mechanical power transmission. This 176-page illustrated reference work is organized into four main sections, the first two discussing basic terminology, general coupling evaluation factors and key considerations in coupling selection, the third detailing elastomeric and metallic couplings, and the fourth covering the selection of the right coupling for the application. The handbook is priced at US$22.95. Shipping to Canada is extra. All proceeds from handbook sales will be donated to the Lovejoy Foundation, which supports educational scholarships. To purchase a copy, contact the Marketing Department, Lovejoy, 2655 Wisconsin Ave., Downers Grove, IL 60515; tel. 630-852-0500; fax 630-852-2120; or visit its web site at: www.lovejoy-inc.com.

Interestingly, Lovejoy has grown from a small railroad accessory manufacturer founded in 1900 to a major provider of mechanical power transmission components. Still bearing the name of its founder, Thomas Lovejoy, the company set its sights on the power transmission industry when it acquired the patent for jaw couplings in 1927. It was a time when industrial machinery was changing over to individual electric motor drives, doing away with the risky and inflexible system of overhead central power shafts driving multiple machines via flat power transmission belts. The jaw couplings helped fuel that trend by providing an easy way to join a motor shaft directly to its driven equipment without requiring precise alignment, which remains the primary role for modern jaw couplings today.

On the web…

Darcor Casters of Toronto has updated its casters and wheels website, www.darcor.com, to offer customers and suppliers new options. Now users can locate a distributor by province, state or country. A new distributors-only section offers information regarding advertising, upcoming events, product data, and access to ordering catalogues and brochures. As well, customers will be able to ask questions, receive quotes and access information on Darcor’s complete product line, as well as view the catalogue through downloadable pages.

Emerson Power Transmission has announced the opening of its new web site at www.emerson-ept.com. The site is organized into three areas: public access (blue), which contains information available to the general public, i.e. product and company information, distributor locator, and downloadable literature and literature request forms; sign-in access (orange), containing engineering and technical consultative services, an e-catalogue with e-links to a shopping cart, smart interchange, CAD service and media library; and customer access (green), which contains the private, or secure, section of the site for transactions by authorized distributor and direct accounts.

CMMS developer Eagle Technology has announced a complete redesign of its company web site at www.eaglecmms.com. Improvements include a tab-based user interface and user-friendlier navigation and search features. The new site also features updated information on each program in the company’s ProTeus and Maintenance Manager CMMS lines. Visitors to the site can download free demos of all Eagle software products, and can download free mini-demos of selected CMMS modules.

Simco Industrial Static Control’s new web site is now open for business. Located at www.simco-static.com, the site offers on-line purchasing of static control products, web and sheet cleaning equipment and electrostatic charging systems. In addition, it offers data on the analysis of common static problems and how to solve them, and a complete product library of catalogues and brochures, dimensional drawings and specification sheets.

An on-line design tool, E-CAT, has been developed by Mississauga, Ont., based Woodhead Connectivity for the selection and design-in of Brad Harrison quick-disconnect products. Residing on www.woodhead.ca, this is an interactive electronic catalogue that is set up to select a unique part number and specification from among 8,000 potential part configurations. It allows users to find an exact part number coupled with a complete specification listing, a dxf file for drop-in to machine drawings, or a pop-up PDF page of the catalogue page for simple browsing of similar part numbers.

Pressure washer manufacturer Hotsy has launched its new web site at www.hotsy.com, providing visitors with information on its full line of indus
trial cleaning products. In addition, the web site has basic information on pressure washing, covering the “13 things about pressure washers Hotsy experts know.” This section helps consumers understand how to pick the right cleaning solution for their needs. The site also allows visitors to search for a distributor by province or by state, and includes technical support.

GE Supply is now easier to find on the Internet at its new address, www.gesupply.com. Site visitors can locate and purchase electrical, voice and data products from GE and more than 200 other manufacturers. Transactions are fast and secure. In addition, the web site provides links to and information on the company’s branch office locations, national sales centre and support services.

A new section has been added to Pall Corporation’s web site to serve customers in the food and beverage industry. This section, accessed directly at www.pall.com/foodandbev, covers such market areas as beer, wine, soft drinks, bottled water and fermentation. Filtration products for various applications, including microbial sterilization, waste stream management, particulate control, solids removal or concentration, gas filtration and laboratory analysis, are featured.

The official publication of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), Standardization News magazine, which covers standards development, can be found on line at www.astm.org. Sections include feature articles, commentary, global notebook, technical news and people.

On CD…

BOC Gases general product catalogue is available on CD-ROM. Included are more than 40 key vendors and over 7,000 pages of information covering information and product attributes. It is supported by software to search, view, utilize, export and access the data distributed, and is being produced for the first time in Canada. Cost is $199.95. For more information, call the BOC Gases technical service line at 888-256-7359.

Rockwell Automation has introduced a free product catalogue on CD-ROM that includes the full line of Allen-Bradley and Rockwell Software products. In addition to a comprehensive listing of products such as programmable controllers, relays, timers, operation interface devices, photoelectric sensors, drives, I/O systems, industrial computers and motion controllers, the CD provides product data sheets, procurement specifications, illustrations and an embedded search engine to help customers find the information they are seeking. It can be ordered via Rockwell Automation’s web site at www.ab.com/catalogs, or by contacting its Response Center at 800-223-5354, ext. 1112.

Machinery’s Handbook, containing updated contents and what’s new in electronic referencing, is available on CD-ROM. The 26th edition includes an expanded index and 80 pages of new material on aerodynamic lubrication, high-speed machining, grinding speeds and feeds, fluids, ISO, surface texture, EDM and more. Features include complete text search plus Boolean and proximity searches, interlinks to related topics and examples, and support for bookmarking, journalling and annotation. In addition, the CD-ROM features cut and paste capabilities for inserting text and graphics into proposals, documentation and other written material. It can be sourced from KBC Tools in Canada by calling 888-522-8665, or ordered at www.kbctools.com.

Offering Lab Safety Supply’s complete selection of more than 73,000 products, its CD-ROM catalogue contains information on hand tools, first aid and material handling equipment, plasticware/glassware items, storage systems, etc. The CD offers easy navigation and is Internet-enabled, making products simple to find and providing access to the most current information. For a free CD-ROM catalogue, call 800-356-0783 or e-mail custsvc@labsafety.com.

Andantex has released Version 1.20 of its CD-ROM on-line catalogue, containing information on all its mechanical power transmission products, and giving unit ratings, dimensions, application examples and CAD files. In conjunction with the release of this catalogue, the company has updated its web site, located at www.andantex.com. Information on its power transmission products can be found on the site, and visitors can electronically request literature and product applications.

The scaffolding safety training interactive CD-ROM from Summit Training Source is designed to help prevent incidents and ensure regulatory compliance. Entitled Scaffolding Safety–Erecting and Dismantling, the CD-ROM trains workers on safely erecting, dismantling and maintaining scaffolding. The video clips in the program are filmed at both industrial and construction sites. Free previews are available by calling 616-949-4343, toll-free 800- 842-0466; faxing 616-949-5684; or e-mailing previews@safetyontheweb.com.

Practical tools for those who specify, design, operate or work with compressed air systems are offered on the new CD-ROM from Van Air Systems. The Compressed Air Treatment Solutions CD helps users select dryer and filter models, see the relationships between various air system parameters and determine the amount of water that will be removed by a particular treatment system, along with gaining a greater understanding of the basic principles of air treatment. Included is a dew point calculator, a product sizing calculator and a water equivalents calculator, an educational video and a product catalogue. For more information, contact Van Air Systems tel. 814-774-2631, toll-free 800-840-9906; fax 814-774-0778, toll-free 800-826-2471.

In video…

A new training program from Summit Training Source, Valve Safety, instructs plant employees in safe valve handling and accident prevention. The majority of valve-related incidents result in muscle strains and sprains, abrasions and cumulative trauma, but more serious injuries can occur if valves break or burst due to mishandling. Proper valve safety training can limit accidents and the injuries they cause, and so save time and money. The 16-min. video costs US$495, while the interactive CD-ROM version costs US$695. Each program comes with facilitator guide and employee handbook. Free previews are available by calling 616- 949-4343, toll-free 800-842-0466, or faxing 616-949-5684; or by e-mail to: previews@safetyontheweb.com.

Product selection software…

Poulies Maska has announced that its Drive Selection Program is available in Microsoft Windows format and can be downloaded directly from its web site at www.maskapulleys.com. This easy-to-use program automatically selects the type and size of components needed for an application based on the criteria entered. Contact Poulies Maska for more information at 418-883-3322; e-mail sales@maskapulleys.com.