Sole Australian Distributor for Knight Industries

UNILIFT Cranes & Equipment find Safe, Reliable and Ergonomic solutions to the work place challenges. Within their web site you will find introductory information about their products and services. Their aim is to help you in your everyday business and make the job safer and more efficient.

Knight Products from UNILIFT on PDF

Rails.pdf, Arm manipulators.pdf, Balancer.pdf

The Boar's Rock Challenge

APS were approached by Boar's Rock to come up with a solution to a problem, which was present in 13 crushed fruit hopper installations in their red wine processing unit in S.A.

Problem 1: At the bottom of each hopper was a trapdoor which needed to be opened in very small increments (mm) to allow wine juice and tailings to slowly feed the rest of the processing run. If the product ran to quickly as it did often, it would flood the area with grape juice and stop production.

Problem 2: There was an existing toggle valve which operated the door but was a one hand operation which allowed operators to use the other hand to clear fouled doors when the unit overflowed-very dangerous!

Solution:
Adelaide Pneumatic designed a prototype, tested it successfully on site and then proceeded to engineer a batch of 13 for Boars Rock. This solution came in the form of a waterproof control module, with a two handed simple operation which not only moves in tiny increments but can 'park' with absolutely no actuator creep. It fulfills the Health & Safety Regulations required for staff plus provides the infinite control that was necessary for smooth, efficient production.
A simple solution which minimises maintenance and downtime, creating a very happy client.

Beck will now be known as BeckAir

NEUBLADE AIRSTRIP

Information PDFs FROM BECK AIR

BluePrint Automation masters Plastic Bag Handling (Netherlands)

The BluePrint Automation Group, operating from the Netherlands and the U.S., focuses on secondary packaging solutions for flexible and other hard-to-handle packages.  Today, BluePrint is dedicated to supplying fully integrated, turnkey systems to its customers for applications that involve the loading of these packages into secondary containers. One of the challenges that the company has recently faced has been in finding a reliable solution for picking up plastic bags in some of its packaging applications.

Creative Solutions for tricky material handling applications

The company was interested in developing a solution that could securely grip plastic bags of bread and load them into boxes for shipping. Standard suction cups did not provide a strong grip on the material, resulting in dropped products and machine stoppages.  “The handling of plastic bags is a difficult packaging application that we specialise in,” said R.M. Hoveling, R&D manager at BluePrint. "We need to handle flexible material that is constantly shifting and moving.”

Ideal combination seals tightly and grips securely.

BluePrint is now testing a new vacuum solution for the handling of plastic bags with its HVP packaging machine. This solution combines PIAB’s powerful P6010 vacuum pump with Cruise Control (PCC) option and new BL40-3P Polyurethane suction cup made of DURAFLEX®, a strong, durable and elastic material with excellent sealing capability. 

Increased energy savings with consistent vacuum levels

The air-saving PCC option automatically maintains a pre-set level of vacuum to ensure a consistent and reliable vacuum level is provided at the suction point. “The mechanical pumps we were using provided us with the high level of flow we needed, but they use a great deal of energy and generate a lot of noise. The new solution will decrease energy consumption and make the operation of the machine considerably quieter.” 

Designing for optimisation.

Now a market leader in the handling of plastic bags, BluePrint hopes to continue working with its vacuum partner, PIAB who said, “We were very happy with the results of the installation. It is a very natural partnership, and we hope to continue developing innovative vacuum solutions in the future.” 

NEW Vacuum Pump -
PIAB P6010 with PCC & AVM
40% more Flow & Reduced Overall Energy Consumption

PIAB, a global leader in industrial vacuum technology, marks the next generation in vacuum technology with the introduction of its P6010 vacuum pump. Based upon the company’s patented COAX® multi-stage ejector technology, the P6010 provides up to 40% more flow than conventional vacuum pumps, while still reducing overall energy consumption. A durable, maintenance-free, design makes the P6010 ideally suited for automated material handling and other manufacturing processes in the automotive, robotic, graphics and packaging industries.It features powerful, whisper-quiet, and non-heat generating suction at extremely low feed pressures. Additionally, the pump’s compact size makes it possible to mount closer to the point of suction, thus reducing compressed-air requirements and saving energy.

Based upon particular application needs, users can choose from two integrated control options to ensure increased productivity: PIAB Cruise Control (PCC), and Automatic Vacuum Management (AVM™). Both PCC and AVM™ provide vacuum sensing capability and save energy. The PCC offers many advantages for leak-prone materials such as paper and corrugated cardboard, while the AVM™ is ideal for handling non-leaking objects such as sheet metal, plastic or glass.

Specially designed for material handling applications in the packaging and graphics industries, the PCC automatically maintains a pre-set level of vacuum to ensure a consistent and reliable vacuum level is provided at the suction point. PIAB’s PCC feature is reliable during fluctuations in vacuum pressure, caused by product variations or changes in cycle time, because it eliminates the risk of dropping objects. Additionally, because PCC decreases air consumption, it lowers the noise level of the overall vacuum system. Working at an optimized vacuum level also reduces physical wear and tear on machinery components and lowers the need for spare part repairs and overall maintenance costs.

The AVM™ increases efficiency for manufacturers in the automotive and robotics industries because it stops the air flow when the set vacuum level is achieved, saving energy while still maintaining the suction. Featuring a high-capacity blow-off function to balance vacuum pressure and reduce cycle time, the AVM™ reduces up to 90% of the air consumption in comparison to continuously operating systems.

Both the PCC and the AVM™ are offered as complete packages, with valves and vacuum switches. This allows the options to be connected without further controls or monitoring equipment, reducing system design time for manufacturers.