New product announcements: 05/12/2010 Air Compressor: Energy-Efficient Design The Mobilair M100 air compressor from Kaeser is capable of producing 375 cfm at 100 psig. It is powered by a Kubota diesel engine with a high-capacity cold-start battery and features Kaeser’s Sigma Profile energy-saving rotary-screw air-end. A fully waterproof canopy swings open with gull-wing doors for easy access to internal components and reduced noise levels. Kaeser Compressors; 800-777-7873; www.kaeser.com Wheel Loader: Upgraded Engine The DL420 is an articulated wheel loader that features a larger engine than its predecessor, the DL400. It’s powered by a 6-cylinder, 280-hp Cummins engine, and its Z-bar
New product announcements: 05/05/2010 Wheel Loader: Load-Sensing Hydraulics The Hyundai HL770-9 Wheel Loader now features a load-sensing hydraulic system with a variable volume pump. Other improvements over previous models include a fully automatic power-shift transmission with variable shift control, multistage clutch cut-off and an integrated payload system. A larger cab boasts improved visibility and optional joystick seating. It has a 5.5-cu-yd bucket and an integrated rear-view backup camera. The GPS-enabled HI-Mate system allows fleet operators to track fuel efficiency and diagnostics through a Web-based interface. Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc.; 847-437-3333; www.hyundaiamericas.com Fire-Stop Collar: Meets Multiple Fire-Safety Ratings The SpecSeal
At the site of a new $8.5-million, three-story dormitory at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., the Versa-Floor HR floor system is getting its first real-world application. The prefabricated steel deck is joined and fitted with channels on the ground. Then, the 30 x 30-ft steel panels are lifted into place by a crane. Once connections are made to the structural columns, it’s almost ready for the concrete slab to be poured. “That’s the genius of the system,” says Aaron Ford, project manager on the dormitory project and associate principal with structural engineering firm L.A. Feuss Partners, Dallas. “We build
A Minnesota entrepreneur’s lightweight, aerodynamic wheel covers promise to save trucking companies millions of dollars in fuel costs every year by boosting big-truck fuel economy by 1%. Photo: Schneider National Inc., Cloth windscreen zips into a spring-loaded base inside the wheel, cutting drag. Jon Fleck’s “Deflecktor” wheel covers consist of a spring-loaded steel frame that snaps into the standard concave rear wheels of truck tractors. A circular truck-tarp-vinyl cover zips into the frame. The device cuts drag by keeping air from flowing into and out of the deep rear wheels as the truck speeds along the highway. The covers’ ability
New product announcements: 04/28/2010 Vibrating Concrete Screed: Single Operator Required The E-Screed is a battery-powered, vibrating screed that requires only one operator for strike-off of wet concrete. The screed’s high-frequency vibration produces uniform vibration distribution over the entire blade length, enhancing the integrity of the concrete. The screed is powered by a 36-V lithium-iron-phosphate battery that boasts over 1,500 lifetime cycles. The E-Screed battery-powered unit can be used with existing Magic Screed blades. Allen Engineering Corp.; 870-236-7751; www.alleneng.com Compact Excavator: Redesigned Boom The redesigned Bobcat 324 compact excavator features a boom cylinder attached to the top—instead of the bottom—of the
Starting under a disruptive cloud of fine volcanic ash, Germany’s triennial construction equipment show, Bauma, ended on an optimistic note in Munich last week. Flight bans reduced the show’s visitor numbers, but global equipment sales are reviving, report exhibitors. “What a difference a year makes,” says Mike DeWalt, director of investor relations at Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill. From fast-falling sales in last year’s first quarter, now “demand for our products is rising,” he says. Last week’s show, held on April 19 to 25, was the biggest-ever Bauma in terms of sheer space, say officials at organizer Messe München GmbH. Braving
New product announcements: 04/21/2010 Air-powered Mixer: Works With Many Materials The CS Unitec Model 7 Air Mixer is intended for mixing paint, glue, epoxy, mortar, concrete, refractory cement and other materials in hazardous environments. The mixer is ATEX-approved for use in EX zones with hazardous atmospheres and is safe to be used around water. The mixer’s 1.5-hp motor has two speed settings: zero to 190 rpm and zero to 350 rpm. The device has the capacity to mix batches of material up to 110 lb. The mixer uses 49 cfm of air at 90 psi and weighs only 15 lb.
A recent report from the National Research Council will help guide the federal government as it develops fuel-economy and carbon regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Congress is looking at this group of previously unregulated vehicles because they use 26% of the liquid transportation fuel consumed in the U.S., and their energy consumption is projected to continue rising for the next 25 years. The 414-page report shows that combining such technologies as advanced diesel engines, hybrid powertrains, improved aerodynamics, low-resistance tires and others could improve fuel economy in work vehicles by as much as 50% by 2035. The cost of
New product announcements: 04/14/2010 Coring Machine: Goes Right Through Rebar The DD 350 Coring System is a diamond-coring machine powered by a water-cooled, high-frequency brushless motor rated at 3,600 W. It features 10-speed electronic gearing, which allows for constant power output over the entire diameter range. The Iron Boost function provides extra performance for coring through rebar. The DD 350 can be used in many coring applications, including drilling corner holes, penetrations for pipes and cables, large-diameter drilling and coring in heavily reinforced concrete. Hilti; 800-879-8000; www.us.hilti.com Random Orbit Sander: Adjustable The Makita BO5041K is a 5-in. random-orbit sander that
A structural engineer is poised to be the first to use steel fibers as structural reinforcing in the lateral-force-resisting system of a concrete-framed high-rise in a seismic zone. The application, designed to reduce reinforcing-steel congestion in shear-wall link beams and, perhaps, in shear walls themselves, is based on recent successful performance tests of SFRC link beams at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Photo: Bekaert Corp. Specimen Steel-fiber reinforcing can eliminate 40% of rebar in link beams in seismic frames. Image: Cary Kopczynski & Co. It also allows diagonal rebar to be smaller and more bendable, so it can exit
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