Now Representing Sensuron - Ultrafine Distributed and Continuous Strain & Temperature Sensing

AP Corp is pleased to announce its selection as Sensuron's New England and Upstate New York Authorized Representative.

ABOUT SENSURON
Starting as an informal partnership with NASA and a formal licensing agreement in 2011, Sensuron began developing off-the-shelf fiber optic sensing systems and then designing cutting-edge fiber optic sensing platforms that allowed companies to consolidate their testing and measurement solutions. Sensuron is now a leading global provider of distributed strain and temperature sensing platforms for applications across industries and is now expanding to liquid-level and 2D deflection.

Sensuron's fiber optic sensing technology enables engineers to perform structural testing, design optimization, structural health monitoring, thermal mapping, and shape sensing with an efficient, robust, and simple-to-use tool.

AP Corp is proud to be representing Sensuron in all of New England and Upstate New York. For more information call (508) 351-6200 or visit this web page.

AP Corp.
One Tara Boulevard
Suite 200
Nashua, NH 03062
www.a-pcorp.com
508-351-6200 (office)

Register Now for Ambrell PRO Skills Webinars: "Induction Heating Fundamentals" and "Advanced Induction Heating: Coil Design"

Ambrell, a world leader in induction heating technology,  has two upcoming PRO Skills webinars:

• Induction Heating Fundamentals – March 24th at 11:00 AM Eastern Time
• Advanced Induction Heating: Coil Design – April 7th at 11:00 AM Eastern Time

PRESENTER:

Dr. Girish Dahake, Sr. Vice President of Global Applications
Dr. Dahakeone is one of the world’s foremost induction scientists. His webinars draw hundreds of attendees per event and they come from countries across the globe.

Each webinar is designed to provide helpful, relevant content about induction heating.  The webinars are approximately 1 hour in length and are followed by an interactive Q&A session with Dr. Dahake, which typically lasts about 30 minutes.

REGISTER NOW FOR THESE FREE WEBINARS!

https://www.ambrell.com/proskills-webinars

Combat the Hazards of Plastics Screw and Barrel Wear

This post is abstracted from an excellent article from Plastics Technology Online
written by Jim Callari. Read the full text here.

Industrial-grade screw and barrel wear cuts throughput speeds, producing scrap before shutting down. For the first time, technology is making progress in unraveling the mystery of screw and barrel wear. 

There has been a lot of injection molding machine innovation in the past year. And now, Glycon Corp. has the technology to test wear within the plasticating device. Glycon is in the first phase of rolling this technology out in the industry. It will concentrate on extrusion and blow molding. 

With this capability, they have developed the technology to calculate the rate of wear and predict future wear. This data determines the most cost-effective time to replace these components.

Glycon has been working on measuring wear since 1986 gained their first patent as Great Lakes Feedscrews. The company expanded the invention to include measuring barrel wear and was awarded additional patents in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2019. 

Wear and tear challenges are well documented over the years, and plastic processors know the symptoms. Many machine operators compensate by making changes to the screw speed or temperature settings. The problem is, both of these changes would ultimately result in lower efficiency and higher scrap rates. 

The new system called EMT (short for Electronic Measurement and Tracking), includes Glycon's flite-scan eddy-current sensors mounted in one or more positions within a SmartBarrel. These barrels also have SmartPorts, another innovative technology offered by Glycon. 

Measurements will be conducted routinely at the processor's plant by field technicians using a Flite-Scan sensor. Several eddy-current sensors were tried over the years. Multiple sensor manufacturers were collaborated with, but all ran into failure at high temperatures in the plasticating units. 

Micro-Epsilon, a leading manufacturer of sensors that measure displacement, distance, position, vibration, dimension and thickness, was the eventual choice because their sensors proved much more robust and provided reliable readings up to 600 F. 

The EMT system is not only to analyze the data to determine the optimum time to replace or repair worn screws or barrels to optimize productivity but also to relate the wear to:

• Materials of screw/barrel construction.
• Screw/barrel alignment. 
• Polymers being processed.
• Impact of abrasive fillers.
• Performance related to wear, including production rates, cycle times, energy consumption, melting rates, head pressures and melt temperatures.

The Glycon EMT system's advantages are that it provides precise measurement of the wear on the OD of the feedscrew and the barrel's ID and its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. It allows maintenance personnel to plan to measure intervals and to schedule changeouts at convenient times based upon wear-rate data rather than 'running to failure' and having to run inefficiently or not at all.

For more information about the new Glycon technology in New England and Upstate New York, contact AP Corp. Call them at (508) 351-6200 or visit their website at https://a-pcorp.com.

AP Corp. Selected Druck New England Representative

AP Corp. is delighted to announce that they are now the New England Sales and  Engineering Representative for Druck piezo-resistive pressure sensors and test/calibration instruments.

Druck, a Baker Hughes business, manufactures the high-reliability piezo-resistive pressure sensors and test and calibration instruments known for performing in the most challenging environments. Their products provide customers with the highest performance, stability, quality, accuracy, and quickest response in any environment.

Druck's product line includes pressure sensors,  OEM custom sensors, PACE Pressure Controllers, handheld process calibrators, pressure indicators, test tool instrumentation, and  4Sight2 Calibration Management Software.

The addition of Druck extends AP's offering of high quality, best-in-class, engineered sensor solutions. AP Corp's application expertise and long-standing customer relationships in New England are vital to providing Druck with accelerated sales growth in this territory.

For more information, contact:

AP Corp.
One Tara Boulevard
Suite 200
Nashua, NH 03062
www.a-pcorp.com
508-351-6200 (office)

New Address for AP Corp!

Important News! AP Corp has moved to a new address:

One Tara Boulevard
Suite 200
Nashua, NH 03062
www.a-pcorp.com
508-351-6200 (office)

Distance Measurement for Reflecting Surfaces with Universal Laser Sensor

Plastics, mirrored glass, or metals have highly reflective surfaces and require special laser sensors to measure displacement and distance. Displacement and distance measurements on strongly reflecting surfaces challenge conventional, diffuse reflection laser sensors. 

Laser sensors such as the Micro-Epsilon optoNCDT 1750DR provide a real-time surface compensation feature that controls exposure time that produces stable signals. This type of laser sensor operates on the principle of direct reflection, aligned so that the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. Proprietary algorithms compensate for the back-scattered, high-intensity light—all of this in a compact design, including an integrated controller (no external control unit is required).

Mounting and wiring are easy. A mounting template enables the user to align the sensor correctly. The laser class 1 rating on which the optoNCDT 1750DR operates is another advantage. Additional safety precautions are not necessary since the emitted laser power does not exceed 390 µW. Users have the choice of an intuitive web interface which can operate the laser sensor from a browser.

For more information in New England, contact AP Corp.

AP Corp.

https://a-pcorp.com

508-351-6200

Do You Have a Production Part Heating Challenge? Get Free Assistance from The LAB

Ambrell's Applications Laboratory, known in the industry as THE LAB, will solve your most challenging heating applications. They will provide recommendations for precision induction heating solutions for parts of every size, shape, and material composition. 

THE LAB will apply their state-of-art testing facility, fully equipped with Ambrell induction heating systems and hundreds of proven coils. You can also interface with their engineers and see first-hand how they design prototype coils and develop innovative, practical solutions to maximize your heating process's efficiency. 

The process is easy. Just follow these three steps:

1. Send THE LAB your parts and process requirements.
2. Their engineers will analyze your process and heat your parts to develop the right solution for your specific application.
3. You will receive your parts back for inspection, as well as a video of the heating process and a laboratory report with a system recommendation.

You have the option to observe testing through Ambrell's Remote Lab Service from the convenience of your office.

If you have old systems that need upgrading, why not find out if using a smaller, more efficient Ambrell induction heating system is the right solution for your process? There are measurable savings in less downtime, higher production throughput, improved energy efficiency, and more.

To learn more in New England and Upstate New York, contact AP Corp. Call them at 508-351-6200 or visit their website at https://a-pcorp.com.