A weekly look at new products, innovations

Editor's Note: Each week, Rubber & Plastics News will take a look at some of the rubber industry's new products and innovations on www.rubbernews.com. Does your company have a new product or new innovation? To be considered for inclusion in this recurring feature, email [email protected].

GE Lighting has unveiled the Albeo AHH1 light series, which is designed to meet recommended luminance and illuminance requirements for high bay applications in hazardous atmospheres that contain gases and vapors.

This includes acetylene, hydrogen manufactured gases containing more that 30 percent hydrogen by volume, ethylene, cyclopropane, hexane, butane, propane, acetone, benzene and gasoline that are not normally hazardous.

According to GE, the LED lights are 30 to 65 percent more energy efficient than fluorescent and HID lighting systems and deliver a brighter, whiter light with less wattage, less maintenance and less waste. The company said Albeo AHH1-Series offers a fixture for hazardous locations with high ambient temperatures and wet applications.

The device uses a sealed, IP66-rated form factor, the company claimed, and offers customers a rugged design that performs well and is reliable. The product has a T4A rating at 50-65C, a T5 rating at 40-50C with a die cast aluminum housing, the company said, and it accommodates a single or double fixture with one or two LED modules per fixture.

The product's lens system enables LEDs to provide optimized illumination for open floor and racked aisles with photometric distributions of 55, 90 and 120 degrees, GE Lighting said.

For more information, click here.

Teknor-Apex Co. has unveiled Sarlink 9156-02, a thermoplastic vulcanizate elastomer for pipe seals.

The company said the compound exhibits the same processing and performance advantages over thermoset rubber as a well-established TPV while providing enhanced lubricity for faster insertion of seals and more error-free assembly.

The company will introduce the product at the K Show 2016, set for October.

For use in seals for non-pressure water and drain pipe, Sarlink 9156-02 provides physical properties nearly identical to those of Sarlink 9156B, a compound for pipe seals, the company claimed, but as a lubricated compound it exhibits a coefficient of friction just 16 percent as high.

One advantage is that the greater lubricity of Sarlink 9156-02 is an advantage for inserting the seals into the fittings, where lubrication increases speed and helps to prevent rejects, the company said. The fittings with lubricated seals facilitate pipe insertion, the company claimed, and the lubrication helps prevent improper assembly and damage to the seal.

The lubricated compound exhibits greater retention of sealing force over a period of years than rubber, prolonging the working lives of pipe seals, according to Teknor-Apex. Sealing force is measured by the degree of stress relaxation, the company said, and compared with rubber, both TPVs exhibit lower levels of stress relaxation over a period of years, particularly at elevated temperatures, Teknor Apex claimed.

Both TPVs eliminate the crosslinking step by being processable on standard thermoplastic equipment with much less scrap, and by providing the capability of two-component molding, the company claimed. The two-component seals differ in design from rubber seals, providing easier and more effective ways to position the seal in the fitting, the company said.

For more information, click here.

Jet Edge Inc. has introduced its latest generation of Mid Rail Gantry waterjet systems.

According to Jet Edge, the product was designed for heavy duty 24/7 use in industrial environments and is capable of operating up to four abrasivejet or water-only waterjet cutting heads for increased productivity.

Jet Edge Mid Rail Gantry waterjet systems are precise and accurate, the company claimed, holding +/- 0.001 inch linear positional accuracy (more than 12 inches) per axis and +/- 0.001inch repeatability (bi-directional). Moving elements are supported on THK linear ways, and precision ball screws are directly coupled to servomotors, the company said, and critical motion components are protected with metal covers, brushes, labyrinth passages, lip seals and high-volume low-pressure filtered air.

JetEdge said the Mid Rail Gantry separates the motion system from the waterjet cutting table, eliminating vibration and ensuring maximum part quality. Motion is controlled with Jet Edge's Aquavision Di industrial PC controller, the company said, with customized front end guides that help the user through the process from job setup to production.

The device is available in a wide range of sizes, JetEdge said, and comes standard with one abrasivejet cutting head, but it can be equipped with up to four cutting heads. An optional mirroring package allows waterjet operators to cut large parts twice as fast, the company said.

A Jet Edge UHP waterjet pump powers the Mid Rail Gantry, the company said, with waterjet pumps capable of 36,000 psi, 60,000 psi and 75,000 psi models with 30-280 horsepower.

For full specifications, visit www.jetedge.com, e-mail [email protected] or call 763-497-8700.