INDUSTRY UPDATE

Engineering plastics, one of the major materials working to protect medical and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, has made headway as an alternative to metals in hygiene and safetyconscious industrial markets.

Machinery, componentry, safety, automation and Industry 4.0 and process applications are among the beneficiaries of engineering plastics’ virtues.

Most PPE equipment – masks, goggles, gloves, gowns and coveralls – are made of non-woven polymer polypropylene. Other translucent shields between customers and retail staff, for example, are made from polycarbonates such as Wearguard, which are not only very touch but also easy to wash and chemical resistant.

“It is in fact quite possible to introduce anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities into the formulation used to manufacture different engineering thermoplastics families,” says Cut To Size Plastics managing director Laurie Green.

“While other plastics groups are suitable in their natural or food grade state to substitute hygienically and cost efficiently for metals used in production process and Industry 4.0 higher speed automation.”

Custom manufactured plastics, sometimes with added hygienic, mechanical and lubrication qualities, can include Wearlon PTFE (polytetrafluorethylene) and Wearex UHMWPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene).

Standard product groups, including Wearlon Nylon, Wearace Acetal and Wearthane polyeurethane can not only be modified, but are often suitable in their natural state as light but tough highperformance alternatives to metals in applications demanding excellent impact resistance, high mechanical strength, high physical protective qualities, strong washdown and chemical performance, and outstanding sliding and machinability qualities.

“In addition to being used as machinery components - shields, rollers, bearings, guards, sprockets, guides and sheaves – some of these versatile materials can be used to fabricate entire large machinery components, such as plummer blocks,” Green says.

Cut To Size Plastics’ engineering materials comply with some of the world’s toughest food contact and process standards. The company is also registered on the NSW Government’s COVID-19 Emergency Suppliers portal as a company that can supply raw material for manufacturing processes and products, as well as adapting its processes to manufacture components for urgently needed medical equipment such as ventilators.

Green, who has more than 40 years’ experience in specifying and supplying engineering plastics, says the COVID-19 pandemic will give manufacturers a renewed focus on the hygiene and washdown qualities of materials to be selected for use in processes and machinery, particularly those involved in the preparation and export of food, beverage, medical and agricultural products.

“We’re not saying for a moment that engineering plastics are better in every instance than metal alternatives, because you have to consider each application on its particular engineering merits,” he says.

“But we do say that for an expanding variety of applications, engineering plastics may be ideal and cost-efficient for applications for which they have not previously been considered – until now.”

Green says that the pandemic has made the world much more conscious of hygiene, and that could be the catalyst for Australian manufacturing to shift its focus from metals to plastics.

“European and other purity-focused manufacturers have been much more open to change, and they are the ones who have been leaders in purity and hygiene standards,” he says.

“In a very hygiene-conscious, postCOVID world, our local attitudes may begin to change.”

To cope with expanding demand for engineering plastics componentry, Cut To Size Plastics recently expanded its precision engineering capabilities with the introduction of a Morbidelli Author M100F heavy duty CNC router and machining centre. The performance and flexibility offered by the new machine provides a 60 per cent time saving in machining cycles compared with older technology.

Cut To Size Plastics 1800 CUT2SIZE www.cuttosize.com.au

Mouser Electronics Inc. is now stocking UltraTEC UTX thermoelectric coolers (TECs) from Laird Thermal Systems and the LTM4663 ultra-thin μModule TEC regulator from Analog Devices Inc.

Together, these advanced TEC devices form the core of a temperature feedback control loop design and provide a reliable solution for use in industrial laser applications, optical modules and optical networking systems as well as medical diagnostics, laser projectors and LiDAR systems.

ADI’s LTM4663 integrates a TEC controller, switching regulator, inductor, linear power stage and supports components in a compact 3.5mm x 4mm x 1.3mm LGA25 package.

The device’s ultra-thin form factor allows it to be attached to the back side of a PCB in optical modules, even in tight spaces.

The LTM4663 TEC regulator operates over an input voltage range of 2.7V to 5.5V and features two selfcorrecting, auto-zeroing amplifiers to serve as a temperature feedback control loop and thermistor input amplifier.

The regulator supports versatile use cases, allowing developers to independently program maximum cooling and heating currents as well as the maximum TEC voltage.

The Laird Thermal Systems UltraTEC UTX TECs are assembled using next

The highly intelligent web-enabled design of the new LQ800 Multi Channel Controller from Electro-Chemical Devices (ECD) combines advanced IoT liquid analytical measurement of 50-plus parameters and precision process control of flow/level for a wide range of waterbased industrial applications.

The LQ800 is designed to operate with up to eight digital analytical and flow/level process sensors. Available analytical measurements include pH, ORP, conductivity, resistivity, dissolved oxygen, selective ion, turbidity, flow, level and many others in varying configurations for a given application.

gen thermoelectric material that deliver key improvements in efficiency and temperature differential and boost cooling capacity by up to 10 per cent. The TECs offer high cooling capacity, making them an ideal choice for both laser cooling and laser projection.

When paired up, the LTM4663 and the UTX TECs provide an efficient thermal management solution for laser and optical applications.

The LTM4663 regulator allows designers to manage the temperature feedback control loop while the UTX TECs deliver the cooling function and heat pump necessary for reliable temperature control – and they’re both available now from Mouser Electronics, the New Product Introduction leader empowering innovation.

Mouser Electronics www.mouser.com

Say goodbye to mental math guesswork, fiddling with digital calculator apps on mobile phones or even cumbersome pen on paper calculations.

Built-in analytical calculations and data logging are a key feature of the sophisticated Multi Channel Controller, which includes several easily selectable mathematical functions: automatic measurement conversions for dissociation, cross-sensitivity and concentration levels.

The LQ800 can digitally communicate with any of ECD’s S80 Intelligent Sensors. Two-way communication allows each plug-n-play S80 Sensor to configure itself automatically to the LQ800’s

COVID-19 has proven to be a very dark cloud for 2020, but not one without a silver lining. For every unforeseen challenge faced by the Australian manufacturing industry, there’s been an opportunity.

As such, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews has taken steps to reinforce local manufacturing in Australia.

Similarly, Australian owned and managed IDM Instruments, a leading manufacturer of testing and measurement instruments, has focused on the local manufacture of its Gelbo Flex Tester.

“It’s time for Australians to support local businesses and manufacturers,” says Tommy Halmos, managing director of IDM Instruments.

“As citizens paly their part, it’s important for manufacturers to continuously research and innovate as means to succeed in the uncertain times.”

The Gelbo Flex Tester is such an innovation, used to test the quality of nonwoven material. As millions of masks and other personal protective equipment items are manufactured and sold during the COVID-19 menus and display screens for the desired measurement parameter, which eliminates complicated technician set-up routines.

A large, easily viewed colour 120x90mm touchscreen display makes ease-of-use a breeze. The display and interface can be web-enabled with remote monitoring and activation with smart phones, tablets, personal handheld devices and computers with access via the web.

The straightforward menu navigation structure was designed with busy technicians in mind.

The LQ800 Multi Channel Controller is available now from AMS pandemic, testing of non-woven materials is crucial.

This is important because most nonwoven materials tend to lint or shed. Thus, IDM’s Glebo Flex Tester measures the amount of lint shed and how quickly it sheds as the non-woven material is subjected to repetitive twisting in the flexing chamber, thereby ensuring the quality of the material.

As this process continues, the air inside the testing chamber is withdrawn to the particle counter, which counts and sorts the lint particles in real time. This allows the Gelbo Flex Tester to provide statistical analysis for real-time reporting.

IDM Instruments’ Gelbo Flex Tester has gained immense popularity in the nonwoven and textile industry worldwide. As manufacturing of face masks and protective gowns and caps increases, IDM Instruments is ready to take the lead and efficiently manufacture the Gelbo.

IDM Instruments 03 9708 6885

www.idminstruments.com.au

Instrumentation & Calibration, either as a 24 VDC or a 100/240 VAC powered unit. Suitable for harsh, rugged environments, it features a NEMA 4X/IP65 rating and can be used in ambient temperatures from -10 degrees C to 55 degrees.

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration 03 9017 8225 www.ams-ic.com.au

Smart warehouses are connecting more data into the network than ever before using Industrial Ethernet. Don’t let non-industrial grade Ethernet cable put your warehouse communication in jeopardy. Safeguard against future network failures with Turck. Our connectivity solutions are more rugged – standing up to the toughest industrial use. From optimizing enterprise level data communication to ensuring real-time communication at a robotic pick station, our connectivity experts design reliability and toughness into every solution we make.

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Basic Specification

CHARGING AND DIAGNOSIS EASIER

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