A NEW LIFT
It’s no secret that lifting boxes is a factor in employee back injuries. The Dual Lift and Solo Lift promise to transform how boxes are lifted, stacked and delivered. Hand placement can have a significant effect on what happens to an employee’s back. The Dual Lift gives every box a pair of handles. Handles reduce the effective weight of a box by almost 10 lb. They let employees correctly lift a box, eliminating the need to twist the back and tilt the shoulders. An employee simply places this lifting tool onto the top portion of a box and straightens his legs to lift. The Solo Lift creates a single handle that lets employees lift and carry a box with one hand. Lift Mates Inc.; www.liftmates.com., 831-626-2986.
TAKING THE CHARGE OUT OF BELTING
A new formulation of urethane power transmission belting minimizes static electric charge buildup on conveyors and other machinery. The Static Dissipative Belt made of Cyclothane-SD is a second-generation conductive urethane. Earlier belts were often combined with carbon and metal particles to prevent static buildup. However, when the belts stretched, the conductive particles moved apart, causing short circuits. Cyclothane-SD contains an elastic conductive thermoplastic that is chemically combined with urethane molecules. Therefore, its static dissipative properties will not decrease with age or stretching. Dura-Belt Inc., durabelt.com, 800-770-2358.
EXTENDED SAFETY ZONE
A little more room can offer big benefits. This I-Zone Area Detection System, for example, gives you a seven-foot safe area under open doors. For high-speed dock doors, the system uses infrared technology to sense when people are in the area, not just under the door. When a person enters the safety zone, the sensors keep a door open until he has left. The sensors detect approaching people from either side of the opening and will reverse the door if the close cycle has already begun when someone enters. Rite-Hite Doors, ritehite.com, 800-456-0600.
FASTER CONVEYOR INSTALLATION
Changing the placement of your conveyor often means a lot of rewelding and bolting of support components. A new mechanical design, from W.A. Schmidt, promises to eliminate that problem and speed conveyor installation.
Typically, conveyors are secured from a joist through a makeshift hanging device welded or bolted to support beams. Once that joist is removed, every point of attachment requires a new steel angle to be welded or bolted in place. The Hanger System, however, can be moved or adjusted as needed by sliding it along the support beam.
It consists of a piece of 3/4-in. flame-cut steel plate machined in the form of the letter J. With the J-hook facing down, the piece is pre-welded horizontally aside the top of a steel angle. The hanger system is attached by wrapping the J-hook around the top of a support channel. The J-hook grips the protruding edge of the beam like a claw while the vertical steel bar of the hanger rests snugly against the back of the supporting C-channel. Once in place, it can slide laterally across the length of the C-channel. After a conveyor or a piece of equipment is attached to the vertical steel bar, the hanger system stays securely in place. The system comes in a variety of lengths and beam widths. W.A. Schmidt; waschmidt.com, 800-523-6719.
