DIVID AND RU
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The growing popularity of multi-compartments has led to various solutions to the challenge of movable bulkheads.
• Various food scares have seen companies specify multi-compartment, multi-temperature bodies in a move to improve standards. Their virtue is that distribution flexibility can be maintained as goods at up to three different temperatures can be carried.
As the use of multi-compartment temperature-controlled vehicles has grown, so has the need for efficient, movable thermal bulkheads and there is a variety of approaches to the problem.
Some manufacturers provide systems where cold air is bled from the frozen goods compartment to provide the required degree of chill for other higher temperature compartments.
Others use a system of roof ducts direct from the fridge plant, which eliminates cross-contamination between compartments.
In these the movable bulkhead is only required to act as an efficient thermal barrier. Don-Bur has a further variation, in that its thermal bulkheads use a form of heat exchange to provide temperature differential — without any direct air transfer between compartments.
York will supply its Design Council Award winning bulkhead to other manufacturers, or to operators for retrofitting.
The current UK recession has been the demise of supliers such as Carrymaster and Truck Panels.
Kingfisher Manufacturing, run by exCarrymaster personnel is now producing a movable bulkhead, with a patented positive locking system. It markets kits for both new and retro-fit applications. Truck Panels is also continuing. The stock, designs and equipment has just been purchased from the receiver. Its former products, including movable thermal bulkheads, will be made at a new Stoke-on-Trent factory.
A new variation of bulkhead is typified by the Loadmaker design. marketed by JR Supplies. This semi-rigid insulated structure, weighing around 35kg, has compression seals and is located using straps made to match any make of load restraint tracking.
Options include roof-mounted, totally removable bi-fold or off-centre split models. Fan kits for air transfer between compartments are also available.
Also new into the I.J1K and Europe with a foam-filled soft bulkhead is Cargoteani which has just reached a marketing agreement with US company Donovan Enterprises.
Weighing just 32kg these bulkheads are available with fan kits while others have reduced thicknesses with specially laminated cores.
FLEXIBLE DIVIDER Design & Marketing is now supplying bodybuilders with both conventional and semi-rigid bulkheads, having just concluded an agreement to manufacture yet another US design of flexible divider at its Peterborough plant.
Design features include an adjustable roof-mounted tracking system and gas strut restraint with automatic travel stop, extra reinforcement and a replaceable wear pad on the bottom edge. Fan kits are optional.
Klege-Europ's bulkhead uses a combination of both multi-leaf pvc blades and brush seals. This company is also manufacturing a new bulkhead design, using its unijected process, which was originally used on its insulated doors. This process is designed to produce considerably lighter structures, without compromising thermal performance.
Henderson Mobile has a new brushsealed moving wall kit, made from 50mm insulated foam sandwich panels with integral heavy-duty nylon bracing mesh. It moves on nylon wheels running on a metal track and has a gas strut counter balance mechanism. A positive locking system is optional.
E by Phil Reed