15 minute read
NEWS
FLEXICON EXPANDS QUICK SHIP PROGRAMME
Popular models of Flexicon’s BULK-OUT® Bulk Bag Dischargers and BLOCK-BUSTER® Bulk Bag Conditioners have been added to an expanded QUICK-SHIP programme that offers bulk handling equipment on a rush basis from stock throughout Europe.
Bulk Bag Dischargers are available as BFF models requiring forklift loading of bags, and BFC models with cantilevered I-beam, electric bag hoist and trolley. Both include FLOW-FLEXER™ flow promotion devices and can be paired with QUICK-SHIP models of flexible screw conveyors.
Bulk Bag Conditioners are equipped with opposing hydraulic rams and contoured conditioning plates, and a programmable scissor lift with turntable, for conditioning bags on all sides at all heights.
The QUICK-SHIP programme continues to offer FLEXICON Flexible Screw Conveyors, with tubes and screws supplied in any length from 1.5 to 12 m in diameters from 67 to 114 mm OD, with a stainless steel floor hopper, 45 or 90 degree discharge adapter, IP55 or IP65 geared drive units and IP65 control panels.
All equipment is constructed of carbon steel with stainless steel product contact surfaces, with the exception of polymer conveyor tubes.
The company also manufacture custom configurations of flexible screw conveyors, bulk bag dischargers, and bulk bag conditioners, as well as tubular cable conveyors, pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag fillers, drum/box/container tippers, manual dumping stations, weigh batching and blending systems, and engineered plantwide bulk handling systems with automated controls.
For information contact Flexicon Europe Ltd, +44 (0)1227 374710, sales@flexicon.co.uk, www.flexicon.co.uk
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WE DON’T DO A HUNDRED THINGS. WE DO ONE THING RIGHT! THE 6X®. OUT NOW!
We have known this for over 60 years. That’s why this new radar level sensor is not available in 100 different versions, just one perfect one. The VEGAPULS 6X is highly versatile, absolutely reliable and works in any process and environment. The only thing it doesn’t do is stress.
VEGA. HOME OF VALUES.
www.vega.com/radar
MICHELIN EYES EUROPEAN ROLLOUT FOR NEW MATERIALS HANDLING TYRE TRAINING COURSE
• Michelin training course for technicians working with materials handling equipment sets a new benchmark for the industry • Programme with practical emphasis is being run for
Camso technicians and offered to others outside the
Michelin Group
Michelin has launched a dedicated training programme for tyre technicians responsible for keeping fleets of forklift trucks and other materials handling equipment on the move.
The Michelin Training and Information Centre (MTIC) in Stoke-on-Trent is running the new materials handling tyre fitting course, which also embraces management of solid wheels. Michelin says the course lays the foundation for training excellence internationally and is hoping to roll it out across Europe.
Formalised through the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Accreditation scheme and recognised by City & Guilds, the Licensed Commercial Tyre Technician Category 2 – Specialist & Multi-Wheel course, places a big emphasis on practical training, with nine assessments for each attendee to pass.
MTIC Training Instructor, Dave Womble, says: “We had previously only trained technicians to work on pneumatic materials handling tyres, but we needed to include the removal and fitting of solid elastic resilient tyres as well, including divided and multi-piece wheels that require a hydraulic press. This is a new area for us in terms of training, and we have risen to the challenge.”
The decision to launch the programme follows the complete integration of speciality tyre and wheel business Camso into the Michelin Group.
Womble adds: “We have developed a training syllabus which is significantly improving the expertise of Camso’s Solideal On-Site Service Division – the team responsible for keeping large fleets of materials handling equipment on the move – and has much wider appeal to the industry too.”
The three-day course focuses on a number of key areas: tyre construction and sidewall markings, types of materials handling tyre, wheel recognition and measurement, safe inflation procedures of pneumatic tyres, practical assessments of all tyre and wheel combinations, as well as hydraulic trailer press safety checks, and health & safety.
Michelin has built a specialist ‘press room’ within MTIC to support the new training, providing a bespoke practical learning environment for visiting technicians, including a mock forklift chassis. It has also invested in specialist tooling technology and the centre’s own tyre press.
MTIC is running the course for Camso technicians and offering separate courses for technicians from outside the Michelin Group.
Wayne Mapson, EU Service Development Manager for Camso, says: “The course really serves to differentiate us from the competition and allows us to demonstrate that we’ve taken our health and safety focus to a whole new level. “On occasions in the past, the Solideal On-Site Service
Division had been unable to operate at certain big blue-chip sites – but with our
NTDA-recognised training, we can now prove we’re following the very highest industry standards.” The new course replaces a previous Camso training programme which had been validated by the British
Industrial Truck Association (BITA), but which was only available to the company’s own tyre technicians.
DON’T NEGLECT THE ESSENTIAL HAND PALLET TRUCK
Designed to make moving palletised loads easier, safer and faster, manual hand pallet trucks – sometimes referred to as HPT’s, pump trucks, pallet jacks or pallet lifters – play a key role in countless warehouses, retail outlets and manufacturing sites all over the world.
But it can be all too easy to take these humble, apparently simple pieces of equipment for granted. As a result, some companies do not realise the extent to which their operation relies on their hand pallet truck until they find themselves without it due to a breakdown.
We all know the frustration and stress arising from delays to the production process or hold-ups in the supply chain caused by the failure of materials handling equipment, but when essential tools that are in nearconstant use, such as hand pallet trucks, malfunction it is not only a company’s ability to meet deadlines that suffers. A business’s reputation can be negatively impacted too – and that usually leads to reduced profitability.
Toyota has developed a dedicated national team of Hand Pallet Truck Specialists specifically to keep these vital workhorses safe and performing to the highest standards at all times.
Our dedicated team of Hand Pallet Truck Specialists operate nationally to enable preventative maintenance, safety inspections or repairs that are required to be carried out quickly and efficiently.
Whether you use a single hand pallet truck or several across multiple locations or at one site, Toyota’s dedicated team will ensure that your productivity remains high by arranging and undertaking a regular servicing and maintenance plan that fits your precise needs and work patterns.
Hand pallet trucks must be routinely inspected and maintained to comply with health and safety regulations. Specialists ensure that customers are operating in accordance with all the relevant regulations, including Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98)
Regular maintenance is also essential for the safety of your workforce and a robust service programme will identify any potential issues that may compromise the safety of the hand pallet truck and its operators. It will also reassure your team that the equipment they are using is in the best possible condition.
A structured service schedule from Toyota provides cost transparency and, because fees are agreed up-front, budget forecasting becomes far simpler. Toyota’s ‘Pallet Truck Plus’ is a hassle-free hand pallet truck rental option with low monthly costs on a two-year agreement.
While a strict servicing and maintenance regime is the best way of preventing significant downtime - with all the cost and disruption to a business that can mean - truck build quality is also a major factor in maintaining operational efficiency.
Manufactured at a dedicated production facility in Sweden, the BT Lifter range of hand pallet trucks from Toyota Material Handling comes with a 99year functional guarantee on the fork frame and a 5-year guarantee on the pump unit.
With their builtin sustainability, models in the BT Lifter range set the highest standards in hand pallet truck durability, strength and performance. Capable of lifting and moving loads weighing up to 2.3 tonnes, in work-cycle tests BT Lifter HPTs have been shown to deliver optimum performance for up to five times as long as other trucks on the market.
But, importantly, Toyota’s HPT Specialists are trained to work on any make of hand pallet truck – not just Toyota models – which is essential for those customers that operate mixed fleets. Furthermore, to keep downtime as well as costs to a minimum Toyota’s Specialists carry out maintenance work at your facility.
Taking truck maintenance seriously means that any potential problems can be identified before they become more serious and, over time, this not only helps to extend the performance and life of your trucks, but also protects the wellbeing of your team.
Other Valves Fight Friction, We Designed it Out Unlike other valves that seal with friction, Posi-flate’s unique butterfly valve uses an inflatable seat to seal with air pressure. Thus it requires less torque and a smaller actuator, resulting in lower cost. Plus, the seat automatically compensates for wear, providing longer life. Some users have reported over six million cycles and the valves are still going strong. • Less friction • Low torque • Low maintenance • Lower actuator costs • Longer valve life • More reliable Tel: +44 (0) 1908 622366
www.posiflate.com
Leading construction materials supplier, Aggregate Industries, has launched a reduced carbon asphalt that is 100% recyclable and ideal for the construction, repair and maintenance of new or existing highways. Foamix® offers a truly sustainable solution for base and binder course layers, and is suitable for use in highways, footways and haunching works.
Foamix – a cold-mix asphalt that does not require its source materials to be processed with heat – delivers significantly less CO2 compared to standard asphalt products. There is no compromise on performance, giving equivalent bearing capacity to standard asphalt, with a proven track record for increased cohesion and strength.
Containing 92% recycled materials, including 85% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), Foamix® promotes a circular economy approach to road construction by reducing the requirement for virgin aggregates. It can be manufactured on site where construction is taking place using Aggregate Industries’ Sitebatch Technologies® mobile mixing plants, meaning the team can reprocess locally sourced planings from the existing road asset – either on site or at a nearby location – ensuring Foamix can be placed, compacted, and put into immediate use. This significantly minimises HGV movements across the local road network, construction times, user disruption and delivers a significantly lower scheme carbon footprint. What’s more, Foamix can be laid in one single lift up to 150mm thick using conventional surfacing equipment and laying techniques and does not require any additional specialist labour.
Foamix is being launched under Aggregate Industries’ newly established Surfacing Solutions team, which combines the expertise of the contracting and asphalt divisions to offer contractors and specifiers a whole-chain approach to product specification.
Thomas Edgcumbe, Managing Director for Surfacing Solutions at Aggregate Industries, said: “We’re delighted to be able to expand on our range of low carbon products with the launch of Aggregate Industries’ reduced carbon asphalt, Foamix.
“Made of 92% recycled materials and 100% recyclable, Foamix is manufactured to provide a cost-effective and highly sustainable solution that promotes a circular economy approach to road and pavement construction. As a business we’re committed to providing materials and solutions that assist in the immediate and sustained action as we transition to a more sustainable construction industry. We are changing the way we construct and the launch of Foamix is yet another step towards that goal.”
Foamix has already been used as part of a comprehensive suite of materials on the UK’s first carbonneutral highway construction scheme between the M6, 36 junction and Brettargh Holt roundabout. The works formed part of the estimated £8m award winning A590 Brettargh Holt scheme, which was designed with a low carbon strategy in mind to deliver safer and smoother journeys for road users. As pavement experts, Aggregate Industries collaborated with AE Yates, Amey Consulting and National Highways to engineer a pavement design and material specification that would unlock significant carbon reductions and cost benefits utilising Aggregate Industries’ bespoke ex-situ cold recycled Foamix solution.
For more information on Foamix®, visit www.aggregate. com/foamix. For more information on Aggregate Industries, visit www.aggregate.com.
MODU-KLEEN® DOWNDRAFT SERIES DUST COLLECTOR
The Modu-Kleen® downdraft dust collector represents the latest dust collector technology developed by Dynamic Air to contain fugitive dust. With the new Modu-Kleen downdraft dust collector, the air enters at the top of the dust collector housing and flows downward to the cartridge filters, improving the filtering process and the material-to-air ratio. Air velocities are much lower than those with a conventional dust collector, reducing the load on each filter cartridge and extending filter life. Cartridge filters are positioned horizontally, requiring less floor space and making filter removal easier.
Personnel never have to enter the filter housing for general maintenance or for cartridge filter removal. This provides a much safer and quicker method of filter removal. For fast and easy inspections, a large, quick-opening door allows maintenance personnel to closely inspect each cartridge when required. In addition, any single cartridge can be removed without disturbing adjacent cartridges. Also, each cartridge filter has a unique built-in quarter turn bayonet mount, so no tools of any kind are required for cartridge removal.
https://www.dynamicair.com/products/ dustcollector681.html
Dynamic Air Ltd. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom +44 1908-622344 E-mail: sales@dynamicair.co.uk www.dynamicair.com
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Tuf-Lok ring grip pipe and tube couplings are rugged, heavy duty, self-aligning and self-grounded couplings with a high end pull. They can be used for almost any application where pipe or tube ends need to be connected. The Tuf-Lok self-aligning couplings install quickly and easily with little effort.
Features
• Self-aligning • Self-grounding • High pressure rated • Full vacuum rated • Stainless or mild steel • Usable on thin or thick wall pipe or tube • Low cost • Reusable • Absorbs vibration • Externally leakproof
Tuf-Lok (UK)
Tel: +44 (0) 1706 822512 Email: sales@tuflok.co.uk • www.tuflok.com
HEAVY DUTY BUTTERFLY VALVE
Posi-flate 585/586 butterfly valves feature seats and discs for application pressures up to 10 bar. The design improves on existing 485/486 seats to provide the same incredible valve life at even higher pressures. The 585/586 valves are designed to fit PN 10 flanges, and come in sizes 80mm to 600 mm.”
The Posi-flate Series 585/586 butterfly valves are designed for the most the most severe of applications. They are ideally suited for very abrasive materials which can reduce valve life. The inflatable seat design provides a better seal by utilizing air pressure to expand the seat against the disc, providing more sealing area and an even pressure distribution against the disc every time. The seat automatically compensates for wear when it inflates against the disc, extending valve life considerably.
Because the Posiflate disc only makes casual contact with the seat during opening and closing, torque requirements are substantially lower. This ease of movement also allows the disc to come to a perfect 90-degree position every time. Additionally, the smooth profile of the disc helps material flow easier and reduces build-up. For unique fail-safe monitoring, a pressure switch can be utilized to verify a perfect seal.
The Posi-flate 585/586 butterfly valves are available in a wide variety of construction materials including stainless steel and lightweight aluminum. https://www.posiflate.com/ products/585.html For more information or to get in touch, please use the details below: Posi-flate Milton Keynes, United Kingdom + 44 1908 622366 E-mail: sales@posiflate.co.uk www.posiflate.com
SELF-ALIGNING COUPLINGS
Tuf-Lok ring grip couplings are low cost, heavy-duty self-aligning couplings for either high pressure, to 150 psig, or full vacuum rated applications. Utilized in all industries where pipe ends need to be connected, they are ideal for pneumatic conveying systems as well as gas and liquid applications. These couplings install quickly and easily, reducing installation costs. They are available in 2-inch (50mm) through 10-inch (250mm) pipe sizes and are made for use on plain end pipe or tube, regardless of pipe or tube wall thickness..Other features include self-grounding, vibration resistant, leak-proof, with an extremely high end pull for difficult applications. No machining or grooving is required to maintain pipe integrity. Every coupling becomes a union, providing easy, low-cost maintenance when piping components need replacement. Standard gasket materials are available to meet special design conditions, such as food grade, higher temperatures or special chemical resistant applications. Tuf-Lok UK Phone: +44 (0) 1706.822512 E-mail: sales@tuflok.co.uk www.tuflok.com
