New Equipment
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Large Welded Sheets in Aluminium
I T is now possible for the Northern Aluminium Co., Ltd.. to produce at their works near Newport, Mon., automatically welded sheets of aluminium measuring up to 30 ft. by II ft. This is because of the application of Argonaut welding, and it is expected that because larger plates are now available the number of uses of this material will be increased.
A new rolling mill plant will eventually come into production, but in the meantime Noral plate in thicknesses of up to 0.4 in. is buttwelded by means of an Argonaut C-type head mounted on a tractor supplied by British Oxygen Gases, Ltd. The two plates are held in a jig and the welding head is propelled along the seam at speeds of between 15-150 in. per min.
Beads are ground flush, and for most purposes such welded pieces may be used in the same manner as homogeneous sheets.
Protecting Bodywork RUBBER mouldings of D section which IN. may be used as rubbing strips for the protection of the sides of bodywork are now available from the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co. (Great Britain), Ltd., Wolverhampton. There are three sizes of hase-14 in., U in and 177 in. The sections are made in black and white and may be applied by screwing or bolting through concealed wood or metal fastenings,
Goodyear have also introduced TrSeal rims for the fitting of large tubeless lyres.
Strong Ratchet ARATCHET handle for use with Bi-Hex fin, sockets is an addition to the range of Garringtons, Ltd., P.O. Box No. 4, Bromsgrove, Worcs. It incorporates a quick-change lever, and is said to be exceptionally strong as the pawls are in compression rather than in shear.
Another innovation is a punch for producing holes from 3/32-17/64 in. diameter in metal sheets of up to 14 gauge. It is supplied with a full range of punches and dies.
Rayon Fabric A COMPETITIVELY priced rayon in• upholstery material has been introduced by Courtaulds, Ltd., 22 Hanover Square, London, W.I. Known as
B28 Duracour, it has the qualities required of such material in being hard-wearing, flame-resistant, moth-proof and easily washed, and is stated to be completely fast to light. The material is comfortable in hot weather and has a synthetic finish on each side.
Deflation Warning ADEVICE designed to give a visible or audible warning to the driver of a vehicle when a tyre begins to deflate has been introduced by Bowser, Monks and Whitehouse, Ltd., Spring Gardens, Doncaster. Known as the Tyre-Guard, it consists of a member suspended from the axle with a pivoted finger set close to the tyre wall. If a tyre deflates, the outer swelling of the wall causes the
linger to deflect, and this action closes an electrical circuit which may pass through alight or buzzer close to the driver.
The standard model costs £2 10s. and a heavy-duty type with all working parts enclosed in heavy rubber £3 5s. A twopole version of the heavy-duty model is available for vehicles such as petrol tankers.
Another new product of the company is the Rotaflash, a warning light which has a parabolic mirror that revolves around the bulb at 120 r.p.m. It is stated that the emitted light can be seen for several miles. With bracket, the Rotaflash costs 12 15s, whilst a roof-mounted variant is £16.
Painting Platforms ADJ USTABLE access platforms have
• been supplied by Access Equipment, Ltd., Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Hefts, to form part of two separate painting booths of Birmingham Transport Department, The structure provides a rectangular frame which surrounds a double-decker and provides a 3-ft.-wide walkway.
It may he raised from ground level to a height of lift. -by means of a hydraulic ram. This is positioned horizontally and actuates through a cable and pulley system, thus avoiding excavation. The platform is -34 ft. long by 15 ft wide, and is supported on four corner posts by the steel cables, which permit a distributed load capacity of 10 cwt.
The installation was built by the Midland Fan Co., Ltd.
Novel Application AN interesting application of a fork truck to vehicle building is represented by the use made by Marshall Motor Bodies, Ltd., Cambridge, of a Ransornes FL.40 machine. The company are making military vehicles with a chassis 15 ft. long and 12 cwt. in weight. After fabrication, the chassis are placed on trolleys for painting, and in the past
it was necessary for a number of men to turn them over.
Now with the aid of a -boom attachment on the Ransomes and a special, jig, produced by Game (Cambridge), Ltd., it is possible to pick up the frames and pivot them by hand. Chassis can alsobe stacked by the fork truck.
Sound and Pressure TYRE-INFLATION equipment of the 1 type which emits an audible signal when the pre-set pressure required has been delivered is being manufactured by Pneumatic Components, Ltd., Eyre Street, Sheffield, 1. The meter may be mounted on a wall, a pedestal or upon a rotating head oh top of a cabinet in which -the hose may be contained. This third type can be supplied with a water-hose as well as an air line.
Two-ton Crane A FLOOR Crane with a capacity of two PA tons and a self-aligning jack which may be used on uneven surfaces are additions to the range of Harvey, Frost and Co., Ltd., Bishop's Stortford,' Herts. Known as the Lodernaster, the crane is a hydraulic appliance with a lift of 9 ft. 4 in. The self-aligning jack is a double-extension unit with a substantial pivot at the base.
Nozzle Analyser A N improved type of fuel-injection C' 1. nozzle analyser has been introduced by Leslie Hartridge, Ltd., Buckingham.
It has an in-built fume exhauster and is provided with a wide range of adaptors. Testing is achieved by controlling the length of the injection period so that the action of the needle can be observed in slow motion.
Time and pressure readings may be taken simultaneously by means of a Presco-Time recorder. A spray target is. supplied with the cabinet, and injector clamps of the type which allow quick connection are incorporated.
Versatile Spanner ANOVEL type of open-ended spanner known as the Surpans is designed by Brades Nash Tysack, Ltd., Oldbury, Birmingham, to move nuts by pressure on their faces and not the crest angles. This eliminates the possibility of burring the crests, and the pattern of the spanner allows one tool to be used for several different sizes of nut. For example a
B.S.F. spanner can grip nuts of in. A.F. and in. A.F.
Surpans spanners are available in sizes from * in. to * in. B.S.F,, and k in. to I in. Whitworth. A set of six retails, at 19s. 6d.
Combustion Heaters
cOUR new combustion heaters have been produced by the Key-Leather Co., Ltd., 5 Urswick Road, London, E.9. Model numbers, maximum outputs and prices are as follows: X31 14,000 Bah.U. per hr., £65; X7, 28,000 B.Th.U. per hr., £130; X10, 40,000 B.Th.U. per hr., £150; X12, 48,000 B.Th.U. per hr., ;£165.
Ali models are of similar design and are for use either with fuel Oil or paraffin. The units come into full 'operation within 60-80 sec. after the pilot lamp is ,illuminated, and can be set to give either maximum or half output. A 200-25th',A.C. to 12/24v. D.C. transformer costs £17 17s.
Semi-trailer Supports FRONT supports for semi-trailers arc now being manufactured by the Adrolic Engineering Co., Ltd., Clober Road, Milngavie, Dunbarton. The gear May be used to raise the chassis by 8 in. simply by operating the handle of a hydraulic pump.
Retraction of the supports involves withdrawing the locking pin and cranking the handle for half a turn, after which the wheels afford a ground clearance of 1 ft. 2 in. The gear has been designed to suit any width or height of semi-trailer.
Power Aid
QINGLE-LEVER power-shift trans mission for the Allis-Chalmers TL.20D Tracto-Loader has been introduced by Mackay Industrial Equipment, Ltd., Faggs Road, Feltham, Middx. Smooth engagement of the gears is afforded by the employment of planetary units which are in constant mesh. Clutches are disengaged when light pressure is applied to the brake.