Direct-to-metal urethane added to coatings family
Fast Clad direct-to-metal urethane has been added to the new ExpressTech coatings family.
Fast Clad is a high-build, fast-drying, single-coat urethane that the company says promises to equal the performance of two-coat conventional epoxy-urethane systems.
This aliphatic polyurea coating can be applied in a single coat with no outgassing or pinholing, the firm says. It dries in 1 hr to a corrosion-resistant finish with excellent color and gloss retention. It may be applied at temperatures as low as 35° F. Application with airless spray equipment is recommended. The coating may also be applied by brush or roller. It has a 2 hr pot life at 77° F.
Source: Sherwin Williams Co., Industrial and Marine Coatings Group, 101 Prospect Ave. NW, Cleveland, OH 44115-1075.
Laser transmitter helps with alignment jobs
The new CLS-100 cylindrical laser transmitter is designed for precision machinery and equipment alignment applications.
It is housed in a precision package that can slip in and out of mounting fixtures, and it provides a visible red laser beam for a digital readout receiver. This new laser can be inserted into a lathe, precision bores, and custom mounting fixtures to measure machinery straightness, flatness, parallelism, and squareness to tolerances as tight as 0.0001 in. over distances of 20 ft.
This new laser transmitter is built in a precision brass housing that is 1 in. in diameter and 61/2 in. long and can be plated for added wear resistance, if desired. Its focused laser reference beam is emitted from a sealed port on one end, and the laser can be placed as far as 60 ft away.
A reinforced cable and a quick release connector link the laser to a power supply that contains four AA batteries, a power switch, and ready-on indicator. The laser will run for 20 hr on a fresh set of batteries.
Source: Pinpoint Laser Systems, 3 Graf Rd., Newburyport, MA 01950.
New connectors allow power break while energized
A new concept in EEx d connectors is designed to allow operations to be carried out quickly and safely. These flameproof connectors can be disconnected while live, because of a double shuttle design.
Each plug and socket has two sets of contacts, one that is fixed and wired up during installation and the other set in a shuttle that moves away from the fixed, and potentially live, contacts as the connector is pulled apart. Once separated, each shuttle remains locked, preventing it from being pushed back onto the potentially live contacts.
The BASEEFA approval certificate states, "The connectors are designed to be separated while energized by means of a second set of conductor pins in each connector that are mechanically interlocked to contact last on engagement and first on disengagement of the male and female connector." The connectors are ATEX approved to Ex II 2G EEx d II C T6.
The concept can save time as the requirement for a hot-work permit is not always necessary. One oil field service company using the connectors said, "The Rota EEx d allows for the live connection and disconnection of our cables by our field engineers, improving safety and reducing costs.
"The connector is readily mated and demated quickly, reducing our rig-up and rig-down times. The Rota connectors are very robust, and well sealed, negating worries about water ingress. Their snap fitting has reduced connector failure due to thread damage noted in other styles of connector. We currently use the EEx d's on coiled tubing, coiled tube drilling, cement units, injector head jacking frames, and our computer systems."
Source: Rota Engineering Ltd., Wellington St., Bury, Manchester, UK BL8 2BD.
Globe valve operated by external lever
Here's the Laurence FIRE-CIDE valve, a globe type that is operated by an external lever, which provides manual lifting action to the piston through a rotary shaft seal.
This design allows stronger return spring action and ensures reliable, fail-safe return, the company says. The valve is reset manually and is held open by the fusible link. It is tripped closed when the fusible link melts.
The valve conforms to the US Department of Labor's Occupational Health & Safety Administration requirements for heat actuated valves on withdrawal lines of indoor tanks containing flammable or combustible fluids. They can also be placed on outdoor flammable liquid lines as a safety precaution.
Valves are Factory Mutual System approved for emergency shutoff. They are available in 1/2 in. through 4 in. sizes with either threaded or flanged end connections.
Source: Leslie Controls Inc. Div., Circor International Inc., 12501 Telecom Drive, Tampa, FL 33637-0906.