Advanced Poly-Packaging, Inc. and Ergocon Solutions LLC announced the release of the Hands Free Towel Inspection and Packaging System.

The system brings automation and lower production costs for laundered towel packaging and is the first towel bagging system that is "hands free".

Bulk towels are placed in a large hopper (250 lb capacity) and conveyed individually upward to a horizontal inspection conveyor. The towels are then counted electronically as they are dropped into an open bag that is sealed and conveyed to a container for shipping. The entire system is operated by a single person and controlled by touchscreen interface on the T-1000.

The Hands Free Towel Inspection and Packaging System offers several distinct advantages over competitive brands:

• Faster Speeds – up to 4800 pieces per operator hour
• Minimal Effort – Operator only picks up imperfections; user-friendly machine interface; floor level loading by sling, life table or by hand transfer from a cart
• Increased Safety – No hand feeding eliminates repetitive motion injuries; floor level sitting or standing operation
• Improved Quality – Operator focuses on inspection, not feeding the next towel
• Flexible – Compact system that can be operated in a number of configurations to fit the space available

"You won't find a more cost-effective way to bag towels than you will with this system," said Advanced Poly-Packaging Vice President of Sales Stuart Baker. "It's fast, easy and allows the option to use a light duty operator with minimal training on what is considered a 'good' towel."

The system improves the quality of delivered towels because operators are able to devote their entire focus on inspection rather than feeding towels into the machine. The size and overall design of the system allows it to be operated by people with a variety of special needs since operators can work on foot or seated and with many light duty medical designations.

"We are dedicated to ergonomically considerate solutions for the textile rental industry to help satisfy the labor management needs of our customers," said Ergocon Manager Annette Feller. "We are delighted to be working with Advanced Poly-Packaging who, our research indicated, is the most capable packaging equipment manufacturer in the world. We also believe that Advanced Poly's sales and service staff members add tremendous value for the end users of the system."

The Hands Free Towel Inspection and Packaging System is available exclusively through Advanced Poly-Packaging, Inc. "It's not only a great solution for people in the textile industry, but proves that the T-1000 is capable of so many applications," said Baker.

The system is comprised of an infeed hopper conveyor, pick conveyor and inspection conveyor (developed by Ergocon Solutions) as well as a counting and bagging system (developed by Advanced Poly-Packaging, Inc.).

"The system works equally well for shop towels, bar towels, hand towels, printer towels and microfiber towels," said Feller. "It is capable of packaging shop towels in bags of 50 and other towels in large quantities as well."

Contact Advanced Poly-Packaging for a product evaluation.

About Advanced Poly

Advanced Poly-Packaging, Inc., a leader in the manufacturing of packaging machinery and poly bags, offers a complete line of bagging and auxiliary equipment that includes tabletop baggers, production bagging machines and fully automated custom bagging systems for a wide range of packaging solutions in the medical, pharmaceutical, hobby/craft, jewelry, fastener, tool and other industries. In operation since 1979, the company's capabilities include film extrusion, flexographic printing, graphic design and poly bag conversion to produce custom high-quality poly bags. The company produces custom bagging solutions offering its engineering, custom programming and technical service capabilities to customers. Advanced Poly-Packaging is headquartered in Akron, OH and coordinates European sales and distribution from a satellite office in England.

About Ergocon Solutions

Ergocon Solutions LLC was born out of a laundry operators' need to find a way to save labor in the inspection and packaging of towels in a highly competitive market. We are and will remain dedicated to finding ergonomically considerate solutions to production process challenges. Ergocon Solutions is headquartered in Aurora, OR.

FIS combines hands-on instruction with theory to provide the knowledge you need for today's fiber optic applications. FIS trains over 2,000 technicians annually.

Fiber Optics Training

• Practical, Hands-on Training
• Connectorization Techniques
• Test Equipment Operation
• fusing Methods
• OTDR Operation
• Installation and Restoration
• LAN Applications
• New! Security System Training

Custom & Corporate Training

Our two-day Fiber Optics I & II Course provides a broad range of subjects for fiber optic installers. If you would like the course conducted at your place of business, we can tailor course content to the needs of your employees.

A unique training experience!
Ask about training at beautiful Brightside-On-Raquette, our lakeside retreat in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The Brightside provides a unique and relaxing environment in which to learn about fiber optic theory and techniques.

At Brightside, you'll enlighten your mind while refreshing your spirit. After each day of training, you'll have the opportunity for fishing, hiking, boating or just plain relaxing around an Adirondack campfire.

Enjoy hearty camp-style cuisine, topped off with gourmet desserts prepared by our on-staff chef. The registration fee includes training, all meals and two-night's lodging in your own private room at The Brightside.

To register for training, phone our FIS Training Coordinator at 1-800-500-0347 x242.

All Metals & Forge can now provide custom hand rolled bars in a variety of sizes and shapes from tool steels, nickel alloys, high temperature alloys, high speed steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, titanium, cobalt alloys, manganese steels, and super alloys. Odd sizes not available from mills or service centers, including in-between sizes in both standard and metric, are now available at All Metals & Forge.

Hot Deliveries

Hot deliveries arrive in 1 week or less, rush orders in two weeks and standard deliveries in 3 to 4 weeks from material in stock. Get hard-to-find alloys for aircraft, aerospace, petroleum, defense, and marine applications made quickly in round bar, square bar, flat bar, hexagon and custom shapes.

Save Money

Don't machine away money turning or cutting bar down from larger sizes or shapes. Get stock and shapes as close as your tolerances allow.

All Metals & Forge can make as little as one bar for you in its custom production facility.

Other All Metals & Forge Capabilities include:

Warehouse Products

• Raw Materials: Alloy Steel, Aluminum, Carbon Steel, Cobalt Alloys, Copper Alloys, Magnesium, Nickel alloys, Refractory Alloys, Stainless Steel, Super Alloys, Titanium, Tool Steels, Zirconium
• Mill Shapes: Bar - Flat, Round, Hex, Hollow and Square, Extrusions,Fittings, Flanges, Foil, Plate, Sheet, Strip, Pipe, Tubing, Wire.
• Questions? Click Here..

Forging Capabilities

• Materials that we forge include carbon steel, alloy steel, tool steel, special grades, stainless steel (including PH grades), titanium, aluminum, magnesium, copper, nickel, cobalt, high temperature, super alloys and special alloys.
• Questions? Click Here..

Custom Hand Rolled Bars

• All Metals & Forge can now provide custom hand rolled bars in a variety of sizes and shapes from tool steels, nickel alloys, high temperature alloys, high speed steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, titanium, cobalt alloys, manganese steels, and super alloys.
• Questions? Click Here..

Custom Melting and Designer Alloys™

• All Metals & Forge, LLC can now supply Air or Vacuum Melted Designer Alloys™ in the below listed material families, in quantities as small as 250 lbs. (120 kgs.)
• ALLOY STEELS, CARBON STEELS, COBALT ALLOYS, NICKEL ALLOYS, STAINLESS STEEL (300 - 400 - 500), STAINLESS PH GRADES, TOOL STEELS
• Questions? Click Here..

Value Added Services

• COLD & HOT FORMING - Martensitic, Ferritic, Austentic, Springback, Rod, Bar & Wire.
• HEAT TREATING - Quenching, Annealing, Normalizing, Tempering, Surface (Case) Hardening, Sub-Zero Annealing, and other heating and cooling processes.
• CUTTING - Abrasive Saw Cutting, Cold Shearing, Melting, Thermal, Plasma & Powder Cutting, Arc-Air Gouging, Waterjet, Laser Cutting, Cambering, Custom Shapes.
• MACHINING - Drilling, Milling, Reaming, Sawing, Tapping, Threading, Turning, Boring, Trepanning, Duplex Milling, Blanchard & Double Disc Grinding.
• EXTRUSIONS - Produced to your custom configuration.
• ROLLING & WELDING - To make rings, cylinders, tubing & pipe. AM&F can also roll flat bar the "Hard Way".
• POLISHING - Sheet, strip, plat flat bar, discs
• Questions? Click Here..

About All Metals & Forging, LLC.

PARTNERING This industry trend is shaping the way All Metals & Forge does business today. We are developing closer customer relationships and taking on a larger role in the total supply and manufacturing chain. A closer connection with our customers is key. Our ability to anticipate customer needs, willingness to become involved with their business, and ability to respond quickly and cost effectively has established All Metals & Forge as a premier vendor. Today we forge relationships that create AM&F Solutions®.

Model 3554 BATTERY HiTESTER quickly diagnoses the condition of lead-acid batteries by measuring the internal resistance and voltage of batteries used for backup in UPSs and emergency power supplies in the field, without shutting down the system.

The four-range design covering 0.001 mΩ to 3.100Ω enables easy measurement of the mid- and high-capacity sealed lead-acid batteries in these devices. By simply specifying primary and secondary limits for the battery resistance and the minimum voltage threshold, the battery tester quickly displays Pass, Warning or Fail based on the combination of reference values, for fast and accurate assessment.

• Re-designed circuit for super resistance to noise
• Store up to 4800 sets of battery data in internal memory and manage records on your PC
• Auto-hold and Auto-store functions make measurement and recording simple and hands-free
• Strengthened (and user-exchangeable) probe tip means less chance of breakage and more constant workflow

DUO-TOUCH® RUN BAR SIMPLIFIES INSTALLATION AND PROVIDES A CONVENIENT, ECONOMICAL MEANS FOR TWO-HAND CONTROL MACHINE ACTUATION

Minneapolis, MN—November 12, 2007—Banner Engineering Corp. introduces the DUO-TOUCH® Run Bar with STB Buttons for two-hand control machine actuation. The Run Bar easily interfaces with DUO-TOUCH SG Two-Hand Control Modules, SC22-3 Safety Controllers or other Type IIIC control systems to provide convenient, reliable actuation. The DUO-TOUCH Run Bar minimizes the possibility of defeat and accidental actuation, and its ergonomic design reduces hand, wrist and arm stresses associated with repeated switch operation. The Run Bar includes two preinstalled STB Touch Buttons, making set up and installation easy.

The DUO-TOUCH Run Bar features robust, 13-gauge cold-rolled steel construction and a unique design for maximum ergonomics and safety for machine initiation. In addition, its diverse-redundant, self-checking, microcontroller-based photoelectric STB Buttons minimize the risk of defeat. The STB Buttons are also immune to ambient light, EMI and RFI interference, and they provide high excess gain to cut through heavy contamination. Plus, the STB Buttons feature bright status LEDs to indicate power, output and fault. For added convenience and installation flexibility, models with an integrated emergency stop button, along with a variety of accessory brackets and telescoping floor-mounted stands are available. List price for the DUO-TOUCH Run Bar with STB Buttons starts at $358.

"The new DUO-TOUCH Run Bar is designed to solve the ergonomic problems associated with mechanical push buttons, while simplifying installation," said Mike Carlson, technical manager for Banner's safety products. "The Run Bar contains two preinstalled STB Self-Checking Touch Buttons which require no physical pressure to activate, protecting workers from hand, wrist and arm injuries resulting from stressful manual operation." Carlson adds, "The Run Bar, when used with a DUO-TOUCH SG Two-Hand Control Module or other IIIC (per ISO 13851) compliant system, meets U.S. and international standards and minimizes the possibility of defeat or accidental operation in machine actuation applications."

Applications. The DUO-TOUCH Run Bar is designed to comply with ANSI B11.19 and ISO 13851 (EN 574) Type IIIC two-hand control requirements, making it a rugged, reliable solution for general initiation of a cycle on a variety of machines, including:

• Punch and power presses
• Cutting and forming machines
• Riveting and swaging machines
• Heat staking machines
• Table-top robots

In addition, several features of the DUO-TOUCH Run Bar make it particularly easy to set up and use:

• Minimizes risk of defeat and accidental machine actuation
• Provides a convenient and economical means for safeguarding when interfaced with DUO-TOUCH SG Two-Hand Control Modules or comparable control systems
• Offers ergonomic design for reduced hand, wrist and arm stress
• Constructed of robust, 13-gauge cold-rolled steel
• Provides two diverse-redundant microcontroller-based photoelectric STB Touch Buttons with continuous internal self-checking
• Offers models with an integrated emergency stop button
• Features bright LED power, output and fault indicators
• Offers optional telescoping stands and brackets
• Provides knockouts for wiring flexibility and installation of accessory EZ-LIGHT™ indicators
• Meets ANSI B11.19 and ISO 13851 (EN574) standards

About Banner. Banner Engineering is the world's leading manufacturer of electronic machine guarding systems, vision sensors, wireless networks, photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors, precision measurement systems and fiber optic assemblies.

For further information, contact Banner Engineering Corp., 9714 Tenth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55441. PH: 888.373.6767 (Toll-free North America), or 001.763.544.3164 (International). FAX: 763.544.3213.

To learn more about DUO-TOUCH Run Bars with STB Buttons, view

To learn how a two-hand control system works and what makes it safe, visit iKnow®: Two-Hand Control Systems.

For the entire selection of Banner safety products, 2006-2007 Machine Safety Products catalogs are available free of charge. Download or request a catalog online at Banner Engineering website or call 1.888.373.6767.

Industrial Hand Controls

Tuthill Controls has worldwide industry experience providing foot controls to meet specific customer requirements.

We manufacture a wide selection of mechanical levers and hand controls including miniature levers, and industrial joysticks. From light duty to heavy duty, we offer a hand control that will meet your push-pull or pull-only hand control needs. Our hand controls come in non-corrosive materials.

Types of Industrial Hand Controls available:

Brake Lever:Over Center Locking Control
Light Duty Lever: Push-Pull
Unidrum Lever: Push-Pull and Pull-Only Push-Pull and Pull-Only Metric
Leverstak: High Lever
Custom Hand Control Solutions: Push-Pull

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