It seems every time we go to a trade show, someone takes a look at all the four- and five-foot-long conveyors in our booth and asks “Do you make any conveyors longer than that?”

Yes, yes we do. And here’s the proof.

I walked out into the shop today and found our crews building up an 18″ wide by 25′ long AS65 Center Drive conveyor and asked if I could take few photos. It took two of us just to roll the conveyor into place for pictures.

This particular conveyor was pushing the maximum length for our Automation Series conveyors, which is 26′, but it’s quite common for us to build conveyors in the 15-20′ range.

At trade shows we tend to use the shorter ones just because they’re much easier to move around and show all the features without having to walk someone 20′ away. Plus, there’s really not much to see but more aluminum and more belt when you start talking about longer conveyors. But, yes, we can and do build them longer and wider on a regular basis.

If you can’t wait for your printed issue to arrive, you can read the full story on their website.

We’re honored that New Equipment Digest has chosen to feature one of our Automation Series products on their cover again. When we initially launched the Automation Series line in 2009, it appeared on the cover of the March issue. They were also awarded one of NED’s “Best of 2009″ awards.

In the meantime, you can configure conveyors, request quotes, and download drawings, CAD models and specifications through our Conveyor Configurator.

Our on-call support team will be able to ship certain parts during this period. If you have an urgent need, please contact your local distributor or leave a message for our on-call staff by calling our main number (513-753-6000).

We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This morning I got a call from our production team that started out with “You’re gonna want to see this.” That kind of call can go one of two ways. When I got out there, what I found was definitely on the “good” end of that spectrum.

The conveyor they showed me was one that’s getting ready to ship. It’s an accumulating conveyor for one of our OEM partners that’s received several enhancements from our engineering team.

It’s a mostly-standard AS40 Automation Series conveyor. Lane dividers have been added to help guide the product to the drive end of the conveyor, where a special UHMW “nest” was been placed. It’s designed to fit the product perfectly and holds it in place until a robot can pick it up and move it on to the next step of the operation; other pieces accumulate behind it. An extra bar has been added between the lane dividers that keeps the product from stacking up vertically while it’s accumulating.

This is the kind of “special” our engineering team handles on a regular basis, since many of the projects we work on have some sort of complexity that needs a little more than is available from a completely standard conveyor.

Ever since we launched our Automation Series conveyors, we’ve received requests to bring the aluminum frame and tension release technology to our angled frame lines. Today we’re excited to announce that we’ve done just that with the launch of AS40Z Angled Frame Conveyors.

The AS40Z line is built on the same rigid aluminum frame we use for our AS40 and AS65 conveyors. It’s designed to reduce twisting, which is often the cause of tracking problems in competing conveyors. They also feature the same Tension Release tails, so you can relieve the tension on the belt for quick and easy under-belt cleaning with just the push of a button.

We brought one of the most popular components of our 125Z Series Angled Frame Conveyors – the Z-Track™ mechanism — over to help make it easy to track the belt. As with other Automation Series conveyors, V-Guide belts are an option. They’re especially helpful in applications where the conveyors are in hard-to-reach places.

AS40Z conveyors are available in three styles — Z, L, and R. Z conveyors go from horizontal, to incline, back to horizontal, which makes them ideal for moving product up and over aisles or other equipment. L conveyors are horizontal to incline, which is useful for moving product up from a low discharge height and depositing it into a box or bin. R conveyors are incline to horizontal, which is great for applications that need to elevate product and then connect to another conveyor or machine.

These conveyors are available in widths from 8″ to 24″ and in lengths up to 20 feet. They can handle loads up to 120 lbs. The most popular angles — 30°, 45° and 60° — are available as standard, while other angles can be requested through special orders.

For more information, see the AS40Z section of our website or contact your local distributor. You can also contact our knowledgable sales staff at (513) 753-6000.

They are extremely compact motors due to their brushless design and come with a digital operator that can be placed up to 65 feet away. They offer a number of advantages over our standard AC motors, including:

• Continuous torque at any motor speed from 80–3,000 rpm
• Accurate speed control with feedback to ensure a constant speed within ±.05% of the set speed (when using the digital controls) even when loads are being added or removed
• Eight set speeds that can be controlled automatically or manually
• Speed setting can be controlled using the internal or external potentiometers, the digital operator or by varying the external DC voltage
• Parallel shaft gearhead that’s ideal for stopping, starting and reversing
• IP65 motor, with an IP65 remote digital operator panel that can be placed up to 15 feet from the controller
• Multiple alarm and protection modes that prevent you from overpowering the motor

Our brushless DC motors are ideal for applications where you need accurate control of the speed or where a high number of starts and stops are involved. Consult our Sales Department for more information.

In addition, you can follow us on foursquare to get tips on our favorite places to relax near the convention center. We’ll also have tips on places you can find our conveyors in action at partner sites all over the world.

What is foursqare? It’s an application you install on your mobile phone that lets you “check in” at the places you go and share your location with your friends. Along the way you can unlock badges, tips from other users and rewards from the places you shop, eat and drink.

How to get started:

1. Download the foursquare app to your phone (available for iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm, Nokia and Windows Phone 7)
2. Launch the app and sign up for an account
3. Visit the places tab, click the place you visiting in the list (our booth is a good place to start!) and touch “check in here”

The show was a resounding success. We met with hundreds of attendees representing more than 22 countries all over the world. Many of them stopped to check out our Automation Series conveyors, which received lots of compliments when people saw the Tension Release tails in action. Others were interested in the InnerDrive conveyors, with the drive motor inside the drive pulley. With our broad range of products, we were able to find a solution for just about every visitors’ needs.

This years’ show was a little shorter than years past, going from five days to four. The new format worked well, keeping us busy right up until the end instead of waiting through a slow final day. Other exhibitors we spoke with were pleased with the new format, as well.

Our conveyors were well represented in other exhibitors’ booths on the show floor. We had 35 conveyors in 17 different booths. Below is a photo gallery with a few pictures we took during the show.

Did you make it to the show? Did the shorter show give you enough time to see everything you wanted?

What is foursquare? It’s a social network that lets you use your mobile phone to check in at the places you visit and share them with your friends. You’ll receive tips from other users, unlock badges for doing certain activities and even earn special discounts from certain retailers. If you check in at the same place often enough, you’ll become the mayor, which comes with its own perks at some businesses. Check out this overview for more information.

Our conveyors appear in at least 15 booths at Pack Expo:

• We’ll be releasing our Conveyor Configurator, an intelligent conveyor sizing and quoting tool. You’ll be able to configure your own conveyor — along with its drive, sides, stands and accessories — and request a quote directly from your local distributor
• We know your time is valuable, so we’re launching a new series of short support videos called Quick Clips
• Our distributors will be calling on customers both old and new to show you all our latest innovations