VIBRO-BED Fluid Bed Dryer

Kason Corp. and ABM Equipment introduced a patent-pending 2-stage fluid bed dryer that can dry up to 10,000 pounds of cannabis an hour with minimal cannabinoid loss. Ideal for batch or continuous drying of cannabis biomass, the VIBRO-BED fluid bed dryer uses heat as an accelerant rather than a primary driver for evaporation, burning off less CBD than alternate technologies, the companies say. Additionally, two-stage fluid bed dryers are an improvement compared with belt and tumbler dryers because the fluid bed pushes air up through the product while it is being constantly shifted with vibration. This fluidizes and maximizes exposure to air, speeding the drying process while maintaining product integrity. The new system, available through ABM Equipment, also dries and retains more CBD with less energy than tumbler and belt dryers, it says. Because the product is suspended over the airstreams, this method increases the surface area of the product being exposed to dry air for greater efficiency and drying consistency. Cannabis processors also are using the equipment to capture and return lost trichomes to each batch.

HAULMAAX EX

Hendrickson Truck Commercial Vehicle Systems, in partnership with Navistar, is offering HAULMAAX EX as a part of the chassis enhancements of the International HX. The redesigned HAULMAXX EX delivers improved performance and durability, which helped the team design the new HX Series for productivity, durability and comfort, the company says. With the updated vehicle’s release, Hendrickson is launching its next-generation, heavy-duty rubber suspension, which addresses the growing demand for rubber suspensions across all vocational applications. The suspension is optimized to provide a 70,000-pound site rating for the 46,000-pound capacity suspension, with added capacity ranges of 40,000 pounds and 52,000 pounds. The HAULMAAX EX also is the lightest weight suspension in its class, allowing the ability to increase vehicle payload. The suspension provides the versatility needed for trucks and tractors because the beam distributes the load equally between both axles in off-road and uneven terrain conditions while eliminating fixed center bushing pivot points to reduce wheel hop.

Sealed Doors

Fogg Filler, a division of ProMach, created new sealed doors for a safer rinsing environment for beverage manufacturers. When rinsing bottles, harsh chemicals are sometimes used to reach proper sanitization levels. Fogg’s air-tight doors are designed to keep the fumes from these harsh chemicals enclosed and away from employees, the company says. The doors have screw locks, instead of the magnets that come on standard doors, for a more secure hold. In addition, the package comes with a stainless-steel lockable switch that will release the fumes safely before releasing door to be opened to ensure the operator's safety.

Sanitary Steam Heaters

Komax Systems Inc. announced the creation of a world-class turnkey solution designed to improve processing in the food and beverage industry. Direct injection steam heaters provide a direct heating method that instantly transfers 100 percent of the heat from the steam to the product, while allowing precise control over steam flow and mixing turbulence, the company says. Within the food and beverage industries, there often is a desire to switch from batch to continuous processing, which keeps production going without interruptions and improves quality and consistency. Other benefits of Komax’s sanitary steam heaters are the ability to break the stream into smaller streams; the piston closes during shutdown to prevent a sudden steam collapse within the tube; and the fact that the piston modulates to maintain a steady differential between the water pressure and stream in response to changes in steam demand.

WebCenter 20.0

Esko USA announced the release of its next generation WebCenter 20.0, which delivers new speed and efficiency gains to entire packaging value chain. The latest feature-packed version of the company’s powerful and secure web-based packaging management and collaboration platform manages all aspects of packaging and label production for brands and their print suppliers. The goal of WebCenter 20.0 is to make to prepress process considerably faster while delivering a 25 percent increase in performance, the company says. The go-to solution streamlines approval and project lifestyles and removes bottlenecks associated with the packaging development process. In addition, the platform includes new and additional support for end-to-end color workflow for brands and their suppliers, Color Trace. Color Trace enables brand owners to create color specifications directly in WebCenter and communicate them to their printers that use ColorCert software from X-Rite to report a scorecard of the final production.

IPAK Tray Formers

Wexxar Bel, a division of Pro Mach, released a new tray forming system with servo drives to improve control and boost return-on-investment (ROI) in packaging applications. The IPAK tray formers integrate servo technology to help packaging machinery run more efficiently with a higher degree of accuracy and control with cases, while reducing noise, downtime and making the overall packaging process more user-friendly, the company says. With two servos, control is maximized while reducing waste. The first servo advances the corrugate blank into the compression section and guarantees precise speed control. It also ensures that the correct amount of glue is applied to the corrugate with no spill over, which supports a cleaner machine and a perfectly formed tray for improved stacked strength. The second servo motor actuates the mandrel drive to form the final tray and enables users to increase their speed (trays per minute) to boost throughput and achieve greater efficiency in motion.

Gary Tantimonico of PDC International, Norwalk, Conn., was promoted to president. In the machine tool industry for more than 30 years, Tantimonico joined PDC in 1991, where he helped develop a professional sales department for the organization. In his new role, he replaces Neal Konstantin, who will retain the role of chief executive officer.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Motion Industries Inc. recently broke ground on a $11.2 million, 104,000-square foot plant in Irondale, Ala. The new facility will house the company’s fluid power shop, hose and rubber shop, and engineering department and will enable the company to increase capabilities in fluid component repair and fabrication, power unit fabrication, machining, hose kitting and assembly, and engineering design. The new plant is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2021.

Headquartered in Wiener Neudorf, Austria, Schur Flexibles Group aims to accelerate the change for a better world through protective packaging solutions. The company now is part of the “50 Sustainability and Climate Leaders” initiative, supporting the United Nations’ efforts to take effective action in the fight against climate change. Protecting goods, preventing unnecessary food wastage and sustainability are at the core of Schur Flexibles’ operations as it specializes in made-to-measure, tailored packaging and protective packaging solutions.

Marge Eggie, a veteran sales specialist for Polymer Solutions International (PSI), Newtown Square, Pa., was the recipient of the 2020 Kristin Safran Directors Award from the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), Alexandria, Va. Eggie has worked in the bottled water industry with the PSI team for more than 20 years and has been an active member of the IBWA for more than 10 years, serving as co-chair of the association’s Membership Committee for the last five years. Created in 2006, the IBWA Directors’ Award recognizes members whose advocacy, commitment and actions on behalf of IBWA — and the bottled water industry — have achieved clear and measurable results for both IBWA and the bottled water industry.

ePac Flexible Packaging, Austin, Texas, appointed Ryan Kiley as director of market development. In his new role, Kiley will be responsible for driving ePac’s connected packaging solution, ePacConnect, globally. Currently being piloted in the United States and Europe, ePacConnect leverages the power of digital printing to create serialized, trackable flexible packaging and new ways for brands to engage consumers, gain market insights and protect their brand, the company says.

Dorner, Hartland, Wis., is celebrating its 55th anniversary as an industry leader of conveyor systems. Among its recent innovations are the Next Generation 2200 Series low profile belt conveyor, a platform that’s stronger, faster and more flexible for handling small- to medium-size part applications; and the Edge Roller Technology (ERT 250) Pallet Conveyor, a new platform capable of zoning for accumulation and automation assembly applications. Dorner boasts a global workforce of more than 400, and brings a diverse conveyor automation product line and extensive application knowledge to industries around the world. In other news, Matthew Kelley was appointed to the newly created position of regional sales director, where he will lead a team of Dorner regional managers to grow the company’s industrial and sanitary conveyor business.