DC Velocity - December 2012

Palletizer enhancements: Intelligrated, an automated material handling solutions provider, has made two enhancements to its Alvey 950 series hybrid palletizers. The new features include an onboard stretch bander and an integrated control system.

The Alvey 950 integrates robotic arms with a conventional high-speed palletizer to increase pattern flexibility and facilitate quick product changeover, according to The stretch bander—which is mounted by a hoist onto the palletizer—places a band of stretch film around the load. This band of stretch film provides stability to otherwise unstable loads. According to Intelligrated, the stretch bander is good for those companies that are trying to reduce their secondary packaging since stretch banding uses less stretch film than traditional stretch wrapping, which covers the entire load. By using the stretch bander, companies can reduce or eliminate the need for tie sheets and stretch wrapping. (Intelligrated, www.intelligrated.com)

Stretch-wrap data feature: Lantech’s L-Series stretch-wrapping machines are now available with a new Wrap Data feature that automatically monitors and reports containment force on every load.

Containment force is the total amount of pressure placed on the load by the layers of stretch film that hold it together as a unit. In the past, containment force had to be calculated manually using a hand tool to measure containment force at the top, middle, and bottom of a load.

The new Wrap Data feature is a quality control measure built into Lantech’s L-Series machine. The information is shown at the top of the L-Series’ display screen as the load exits the conveyor. The monitor will turn either red to warn of an unsafe load or green, meaning it’s good to go. (Lantech, www.lantech.com)

Tracking and fleet management: Blue Sky Network has launched the New SkyRouter mobile application, a fleet management portal for land, aviation, and marine assets.

New SkyRouter is a cloud-based solution designed to provide fleet managers with around-the-clock connectivity to their remotely dispersed mobile assets. It features GPS location, fleet asset lists, “breadcrumb mapping” (which allows users to backtrack if they get lost), and automated event reports.

The application is available for download at the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. (Blue Sky Network, www.blueskynetwork.com)

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