Turning bolts made visible

Rotabolt has launched a new tension-monitoring bolt that gives a clear indication from a distance when it is de-tensioning. The new bolt uses the same internal air-gap technology as the original Rotabolt. The original bolt features a tactile indicator that requires the operator to check a special cap on the head of the bolt. But the Rotabolt Vision has a specially developed yellow stripe across the head of the bolt. As soon as any tension is lost across the bolt, the indicator instantly rotates by ninety degrees to show a distinct right angle break in the yellow line. The company claims the bolts are visible up to 25m away, and when placed in difficult locations can be checked by binoculars.

Pic: The Rotabolt Vision.tif

An edge on the competition

Lift-It Manufacturing has launched a range of slings with toughened edges that it claims are more durable than normal slings. The Monster Edge sling ranges in capacity from 400kg to 10t hanging vertically at a 5:1 safety factor. The sling edges have a special yarn that is woven oversize and then reduced through a special process. Width ranges from 25mm to 100mm.

Pic: Monster Edge Picture.jpg

Braking your fall

Tractel has launched a fall arrestor to use with its Tirfor wire rope tensioning device. With the Tirsafe, users can create a temporary horizontal lifeline system. The Tirsafe holds a line under a tension of 1.6 kN, and the shock absorber built into the Tirsafe device reduces end loads to 30 kN. The lifeline can accommodate up to two users with a single span of 30m. A minimum of 5m ground clearance is required to ensure safety in the event of a fall.

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Breaker, breaker 1 2 3

Tower crane anti-collision detection equipment can now be supplied with a radio-receiver link-up. SMIE AC30 operates by using a series of transponders to measure the exact position of the jib and hook at any given time and relays this information to any other cranes working on the site to prevent collisions. Now the system’s status can be constantly checked, recorded and reviewed. The AC30 remote monitoring system incorporates a monitoring unit which enables site management or safety investigators to go back and examine the exact times the system was operational, determine whether the override feature was activated and whether an alert occurred. This information can be relayed by telephone to the reseller – in the UK, Cranesafe – or back to the vendor, SMIE, in France, for further help.

Corkscrews no more

Igus has launched a control cable whose wires are braided to reduce wire bending. The four or eight-core Chainflex CFBRAID series cable is available in shielded or unshielded versions.

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