The new adhesive has a moderate viscosity, enabling it to be dispensed easily. In addition, Dymax made the adhesive sensitive to the spectral output of both ultraviolet and visible light wavelengths ranging from 300 to 500 nanometers. This enables it to cure faster and deeper with lower-intensity, less-expensive curing lamps than those needed by adhesives that respond solely to UV light.

This clear plastic angel earns its wings with the application of Dymax 3-20556 adhesive, which bonds without harming its substrates' appearance.

An additional advantage of being curable with visible light is that the adhesive can be used with those colored plastics and glass that do not transmit UV light. Like other products marketed under the Dymax Ultra Light-Weld name, 3-20556 has the environmental and safety benefit of being solvent-free. Its clear bonds resist moisture, thermal cycling, and impact more than most plastic-to-plastic adhesives, according to Dymax.

The new adhesive bonds plastic substrates, including acrylic, polystyrene, polycarbonate, and polyvinyl chloride, to each other, as well as nonplastic substrates, such as glass, metal, and ceramics, where the appearance of the bonding is important. Cases include the assembly of figurines, circuit boards, instrument and appliance housings, display cases, shelving, and racks. In addition to bonding two substrates, the adhesive is used for shallow potting, sealing, and tacking applications to fill gaps.

The Ergomed 300 consists of a fixed column that contains six different compartments to house sockets for electricity, communications, data networks, and medical fluids. The articulated arm rotates around the column and is capable of supporting up to 88 pounds of medical equipment. This includes a rack that hangs from the end of the arm to hold up to six syringes or vials of fluid.

Hospital workers work around intravenous feeds by moving the Ergomed arm around the bed.

Health care professionals use pushbuttons on the rack to program the delivery of the fluids to the patient through copper tubing, which is less likely than plastic hose to clog because of clamping or jamming. Copper tubing also can accommodate higher flow rates than plastic.

Hospital attendants simply move the arm to either side of the bed when they need to change medical treatment. They use a flow meter located on the fixed column close to the patient to keep an eye on the dosage delivered. As a safety measure, the respirator and heart monitor are installed on the fixed column to prevent them from being inadvertently disconnected from the patient. In addition to fluid system delivery, the Ergomed's arm supports an adjustable halogen lamp that can illuminate the entire area of the bed.

The Ergomed arm has been in use since July, first at the Assistance Publique Paris, a public hospital in Paris, and at the Hopital Universitaire de Bruxelles, a public hospital in Brussels, Belgium.

The M7 contains two shaped polytetrafluoroethylene diaphragms that are clamped together to move as one, eliminating the need for intermediate fluid or vacuum coupling. Instead, an integral guide creates a smooth, symmetrical rolling movement without flexing the combined diaphragm, providing it with a guaranteed minimum two-year service life, more than double the life of conventional designs, according to Lewa.

Each M7 diaphragm acts as a backup for the other. If one diaphragm is punctured, a built-in condition monitor alerts the operator while the other diaphragm keeps the pump functioning properly. This allows repairs to be performed at a convenient time.

The patented double-diaphragm of the M7 metering pump keeps the unit functioning, even if one of the diaphragms fails.

The M7 Series pumps are driven by American Lewa's E Series variable eccentric drive elements, which have demonstrated linear stroke adjustment to better than 0.01 mm. This translates into repeatability and metering accuracy within 0.5 percent. Operators use the drive elements to adjust the pumps for recipe blending, higher delivery rates, or flow smoothness, as desired.

The internal components of the M7 pumps that contact the fluid being metered are made of 316 stainless steel and PTFE to handle harsh chemicals and slurries. The pumps can meter up to 400 gallons per hour at pressures up to 1,000 pounds per square inch and temperatures up to 175°F.

They must be tamperproof to prevent inmates from removing components they can fashion into weapons. The sprinklers must be designed to offer no hiding places for contraband. They must not be so robust that they can support the weight of an inmate bent on committing suicide by hanging. Engineers at Star Sprinkler Inc., in Oak Creek, Wis., designed StarMax quick response pendant and horizontal sidewall sprinklers specifically to serve this challenging application.

The StarMax sprinkler is designed to be virtually tamperproof to protect institutional inmates.

Both sprinklers are chrome-finished and equipped with a conical escutcheon. Their robust steel frame is mounted internally with a cast-iron flange that tightens the sprinkler escutcheon to the wall or ceiling. The design prevents anything from a shoestring to a package of contraband from slipping behind the escutcheon. Should a determined individual manage to tie a string to the release assembly, the StarMax will break off at 80 pounds of pressure.

In that event, the sprinkler is activated, as is an electrical or mechanical alarm that alerts the institutional authorities that a sprinkler has been damaged. Not incidentally, the vandals are given a good soaking that authorities use to cool off unruly inmates, a far cry from the hotbox used in Cool Hand Luke to punish recalcitrant prisoners.

Among the institutions that use the StarMax sprinklers are Barner Maximum Security Prison in Arkansas, Menard Maximum Security State Prison in Illinois, and Cibola County Detention Center in New Mexico.

Berkeley Pump of Delavan, Wis., retooled its 6T and 7T submersible pumps, equipping them with investment-cast 304 stainless steel impellers, which it claims is an industry first, and with all-rubber bearings, to strengthen their abrasion and corrosion resistance.

Stainless steel impellers and neoprene bearings increase the abrasion and corrosion resistance of the Berkeley 6T and 7T submersible turbine pumps in water treatment applications.

Berkeley engineers redesigned the upthrust portion of the pumps, and replaced the thrust screw and nut with upthrust washers. This design permitted a rubber bearing to be installed at the top of each pump, stabilizing the shaft in abrasive environments and prolonging the overall life of the product. The pumps' stainless steel shafts are precision ground and polished to reduce running friction and thereby extend service life. In addition, the pumps' neoprene bearings channel sand and other abrasive particles away from the shaft.

The new pumps rely on a stainless steel suction strainer that is inherently corrosion resistant and will not collapse during service. Engineers installed a cast-iron suction bracket to provide precise alignment between the pump and motor.

The 6T pump series is designed to serve 6-inch well casings connected to motors ranging from 1.5 to 60 horsepower, pumping up to 400 gallons per minute. The 7T Series serves well casings 8 inches in diameter and larger, powered by motors ranging from 5 to 125 hp, and can pump up to 650 gallons per minute. Either series can achieve heads to 1,400 feet.

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