/ By Kastalon / Articles of Interest • Custom Engineering • Window and Door Manufacturing/ • / 0 Comments

Field of Springs

In the same city where Astroturf made its debut, another material technology Wrings Houston a new baseball marvel.

When the Houston Astrodome, baseball’s first indoor stadium, opened in 1965, it had a natural grass field. The grass required a translucent roof, which produced glare and caused fielders to lose track of fly balls. To solve the problem, the stadium’s roof was painted and the grass replaced with the newly invented artificial surface that we now call Astroturf.

No matter what you think about baseball on artificial turf, it is commonly agreed that Houston was at the forefront of baseball stadium innovation in the ’60s. It continues that tradition today. The Astros still play ball under a roof but only when necessary. That’s because the city erected Enron Field, a stadium with a retractable roof that makes natural grass possible. Although Enron Field is not the first stadium with a retractable roof, it does boast a special suspension system that is engineered to open and close the roof without glitches.

Bart Riberich, vice president of engineering at Uni- Systems, the Minneapolis-based firm that designed the roof travel mechanism, says that operating problems occur when the suspension system relies on bogies. They concentrate the load at a single point when the wheels hit a high spot on the rail, thereby thwarting smooth movement. Instead of bogies, Uni-Systems engineers turned to independent suspensions for each of the 142 wheels that carry the three huge roof sections atop Enron Field. To make the independent suspensions work, the engineers needed a suspension spring that would compress when the wheels met a high spot on the rail.

Finding the materials to make the springs was about as easy as hitting a Randy Johnson fastball. Almost from the start, Uni-Systems eliminated conventional metal springs because they couldn’t achieve the targeted 25-year lifespan. The designers turned their attention to elastomers, which are not only highly resilient and durable but also able to handle heavy load capacity.

The Uni-Systems design team, along with engineers at Kastalon Polyurethane Products, Uni-Systems’ partner on the project, selected Adiprene urethane prepolymer from Uniroyal Chemical to make the springs. “The springs had to be compact to make the design work,” says Bruce DeMent, president of Kastalon. “The versatility of Adiprene urethanes allowed us to compound an elastomer that would give us the required performance.”

The patented cylindrical springs installed at Enron Field consist of alternating layers of steel and urethane around a central shaft. Only 8 in. in diameter and 9 in. tall, the assemblies support a normal load of 125,000 lbs and peak loads up to 325,000 lbs. Now, the Astros can play ball come rain or shine.

More information on polyurethanes is available by contacting Kastalon Inc. , 4100 W. 124th Place, Alsip, IL 60803 or calling (708) 389-2210.

/ By Kastalon / Articles of Interest • Energy Engineering and Design • Marine Industry/ • • / 0 Comments

Kastalon Lands Assist as Spawning Traffic is Restored

Kastalon products help to restore the natural migration of spawning fish in the majestic rivers of the Cascade Mountains, while maintaining the source of green energy from the dams.

Alsip, IL–Looking down from the Cascade Mountains at the three majestic rivers rambling through the picturesque countryside in central Oregon, no one would ever suspect that the salmon and steelhead were swimming their way up those rivers for the first time since 1968.

Although a series of dams, built in the early 1960’s, created a dynamic resource for hydro-power, the fish passage system built into the design proved unsuccessful for the fish to find their way downstream for migration.

Through a unique partnership, the co-owners of the dams, Portland General Electric (PGE) and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, spent several years developing a plan to improve the habitat for the fish.

The Barnard Construction Company and a team of engineers from CH2M Hill were commissioned by PGE and the tribes to design a system that would allow fish to be redirected for successful spawning migration without disrupting the source of green energy from the dams.

The unique solution involved constructing a 273-foot underwater tower and floating bridge from the floor of Lake Billy Chinook above the Round Butte Dam.

This massive structure’s one-of-a-kind design modified the current and temperature to mimic the natural conditions of the river for successful fish collection while maintaining water flow for power generation.

With the new collection station, the fish are efficiently transported downstream so they can continue on to the Columbia River and out to the ocean.

A key element of this project was determining a design for equalizing/dampening connectors that would join the floating apparatus with the stationary structure. These arrestors had to allow a full range of motion but provide predictable stability that could absorb storm forces and withstand seismic pressure.

After an extensive search, the engineers found Kastalon Polyurethane Product’s long-standing reputation for engineered to fit solutions to be a good choice to partner in the design and development of these unique polyurethane arrestor connectors.

Kastalon, a second generation family-owned business located outside of Chicago, accepted the challenge of providing a unique design and chemistry of polyurethane with the mechanical and physical properties that would give the strength and life expectancy the project required.

Today, after nearly two years of design, testing, and construction, the massive underwater tower and fish collection station rises from the floor of Lake Billy Chinook. For the first time since 1968 the migratory cycle for the fish has been restored without disturbing the hydro-power being provided to the region.

With improved habitat and downstream passage, the juvenile Chinook salmon and steel head can now return to their native spawning grounds and complete their natural cycle.

/ By Kastalon / Steel Mill Industry • Success Stories/ / 0 Comments

Filler Plates – Cargill Steel

Challenge/Problem/Issue
As the global demand continues to grow for light gauge metals in the automotive, appliance and building material markets, the metal coil processors must adapt to the unique challenges of producing surface-sensitive materials.

Because the pre-finished metal surface is more susceptible to scratches or damage, they must pay extra attention to the equipment and the handling of the coils.

Solution
Cargill Steel, East Chicago addressed their desire to successfully process light gauge materials by purchasing a new re-coiler reel for this application. Unfortunately, they continued to experience creasing, “head-in” damage, and marks on their finished product. They made several process changes as well as modifications to the reel but could not obtain an end product that they believed would be acceptable to the market that they were trying to attract. As a result, they moved away from those customers.

Cargill Steel started investigating ways to eliminate the damage they were experiencing and sought the assistance of Kastalon Polyurethane Products , who are well known for their coil protection solutions. After many months of design and engineering reviews, Kastalon made the recommendation to outfit the reel with a multi-segment bolt-on set of engineered polyurethane filler plates.

Once the filler plates were installed and put into service, several different gauges were run. The first was a .070/.071 thickness. This coil ran twice through the line and re-coiled twice on the filler plates. No markings could be felt. The second coil run was considered light gauge at .017 thickness. This coil also ran through the line and re-coiled twice on the filler plates. Again, the Quality Control Supervisor reported no marks.

Customer Value
The success of these coils has since allowed Cargill Steel to go after the light gauge market. In addition to the added business opportunity, the Kastalon Polyurethane Filler Plates are far lighter than steel, thereby allowing for faster change-outs and reduced maintenance costs have further improved operating efficiency.

/ By Kastalon / Automation Industry • Automotive and Transport Industry • Conveyor Systems • Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry • Material Handling and Logistics • Success Stories/ • • • / 0 Comments

Koat-A-Roll® – Doncaster Gear Products

Challenge/Problem/Issue
Doncaster Gear Products specialize in forging and machining their own gears. As part of the forging process, they blast many different parts. For this process they make steel fixtures to set the parts on as they are fed into the automatic blaster. These fixtures represent a significant investment as hundreds are made annually, however, the blaster wears them away over time.

Solution
Attempting to find a way to give these fixtures a longer life, Doncaster Gear purchased Koat-A-Roll® polyurethane sleeves to put over the fixtures. Although not a standard application for Koat-A-Roll conveyer roller sleeves, the exception wear properties of the material and the cylindrical shape made it a perfect fit.

Customer Value
Within the first year, Doncaster realized a $2,000-$3,000 savings in material and machining cost. According to Dave Quarnstrom, “Although this is an unconventional use of the product, it was a great investment.”

/ By Kastalon / Success Stories • Window and Door Manufacturing/ • • • / 0 Comments

Fork-Kushions® – Siding Manufacturer

Challenge/Problem/Issue
A quality control supervisor of a globally recognized manufacturer of engineered wood siding was continually experiencing significant damage caused by their forklifts picking up bundles of siding. Unique to the industry, their siding boards are denser and more rigid than traditional strand board siding, however, this rigidness also makes the sharp edge more susceptible to damage when coming in contact with the back of a lift truck. As a result, the supervisor searched for possible solutions.

Solution
Upon investigation, the supervisor learned of a revolutionary forklift bumper system called Fork-Kushions® that had proven to provide impressive damage control. Due to the sharp edge of the siding, it was determined that the “cut-resistant” style with its durable outer surface and it’s shock absorbent center would be the best fit to test against their application.

Customer Value
After 2 weeks of putting the Bumper into service they saw a 30% reduction in Broken Board. There was also a reduction in Siding interlocking with itself when the forklift picked up the tiers of newly milled siding. Although this was not a defect, it did cause safety and ergonomic issues and was greatly reduced by using the bumpers. The only concern they had was that they were going to have to purchase a longer fork for the forklifts to make up for the 1-1/2″ they lost for the bumper and it’s bracket.

After a full 3 months in service, the Fork-Kushions combined with the hydraulic carriage dampers for the fork lifts resulted in about an impressive 60% reduction of in process damaged board.

/ By Kastalon / Glass Manufacturing • Success Stories • Window and Door Manufacturing/ • • / 0 Comments

Fork-Kushions® – Masonite

Challenge/Problem/Issue
Exemplifying manufacturing excellence, one of the a world’s leading manufacturer of interior doors, entry doors, french doors and glass doors felt it important to address the scratches and dents being caused by the forklifts transporting their product throughout the production facility and shipping area. The challenge was to find a process improvement that could realistically and economically prove effective, and increase the volume of quality going out the door.

Solution
Having heard of the new innovative bumper system developed by Kastalon , the plant management enlisted our assistance in matching the right bumper for the application. Kastalon recommended a soft grade Fork-Kushion® to absorb the doors impact while providing a non-scratching, non-marring surface for the doors to rest as the load is shifted back on the forks.

Customer Value
Customer immediately saw a reduction in their damage. The improvement not only saved significant dollars in the time and material used to touch-up and repair the damage, but it also improved the shipment times. Within 30 days, the reduction in damage was so significant that management issued a mandate that all forklift trucks be outfitted with a set of Fork-Kushions.

/ By Kastalon / Steel Mill Industry • Success Stories/ • • / 0 Comments

Expanding Mandrel Sleeves – Titan Steel

Challenge/Problem/Issue –
Titan Steel was not satisfied with the scrap rate they were experiencing on the coil processing lines and wanted to find a way to maximize their output.

As one of the worlds largest distributors of tinmill and an important distributor of steel plate including pressure vessel plate, hot and cold rolled steel, coated steel products including galvanized steel and prepainted steel, efficiency are extremely important.

Solution
Kastalon engineered expanding mandrel sleeves made from specifically formulated Kastalon Polyurethane® with exceptional wear properties and expansion capabilities. The mandrel sleeve not only increased the diameter of the mandrel but significantly reduced the damage and reduced the manpower required for change-outs.

Customer Value
According to the Plant Manager, “Kastalon’s Expanding Mandrel Sleeves virtually paid for themselves the moment we unwound our first coil. With coil prices at a premium, every effort to maximize our output must be made and we look to Kastalon to help design products such as Mandrel Sleeves. An initial investment on our part has optimized our production, giving our customers an excellent finished product while maximizing our operating profits.”

Running 180,000lbs per day, Titan Steel calculated a yield of 50-75 more sheet-per-coil on their blanking line using Kastalon’s Expanded Mandrel Sleeves. At a estimated cost of $2.00 per sheet, that represents a savings of $800-1000 per day, which does not include the huge cost savings in the manpower required to scrap the previously damaged sheets.

/ By Kastalon / Automation Industry • Automotive and Transport Industry • Can Manufacturing Industry • Food, Beverage and Tobacco Industry • Press Releases/ • / 0 Comments

Fork-Kushions® – New muscle takes the Floor

New patent pending Coil Saddle takes safety and stability to a whole new level.

Alsip, IL – Kastalon, Inc. has blended portability and stability to create the Coil Saddle , a revolutionary coil storage device for any application. The deep cradle fits virtually any size coil and takes up minimal floor space. The unique design offers the versatility of using it as a moveable fixture in staging areas or affixed permanently to the storage area floor.

Made of bright safety yellow polyurethane and reinforced steel frames the Coil Saddle surprisingly only weighs 45# and can be easily moved out of the way when not in use, thus avoiding tripping hazards.

With the cost of metal continually increasing, the cost of scrap becomes a greater factor to your profitability. Coil Saddles is your front line weapon in scrap management by protecting surface sensitive metals from floor irregularities and contamination.

Kastalon has been a leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of high quality, innovative polyurethane parts and products to protect metals. From the time metal is rolled, coated or processed Kastalon roller coverings, mandrel sleeves, filler plates, coil handling pads, fork truck bumpers and coil storage products are in service providing outstanding protection and increasing yields.

/ By Kastalon / Agricultural Equipment • Automation Industry • Automotive and Transport Industry • Crane and Gantry Manufacturers • Marine Industry • Packaging Industry • Press Releases • Steel Mill Industry • Transportation Industry/ / 0 Comments

Kastalon Crane Bumpers – Simple and High Performance Can Be One and the Same

For more than 40 years, Kastalon supplies crane bumpers into every imaginable environment around the world.

From ports and shipyards to steel mills and industrial facilities, Kastalon bumpers are unaffected by extreme environmental conditions, and are highly effective in temperature extremes from less than -51°C (-60°F) to 107°C (225°F).

Approved for use on nuclear fueling cranes by the U.S. Navy and for nuclear power house cranes, Kastalon crane bumpers are virtually unaffected by gamma ray exposures in excess of 1×109 Roentgens.

Whether you are purchasing new equipment or are replacing existing bumpers, specify Kastalon Crane Bumpers.

To assist you in sizing or customizing bumpers, Kastalon offers an interactive web site for calculating the exact bumpers to meet any requirements.

Access the Kastalon Crane Bumper Calculator by visiting www.kastalon.com or contact us directly and an applications engineer will help select your optimum bumper.

/ By Kastalon / Automation Industry • Case Studies • Safety / OSHA/ • • / 0 Comments

Sound Value Being Added to the Workplace

In 1987 society was introduced to a relatively new term called Ergonomics. By definition, the new buzz word means “The study of workplace equipment design or how to arrange and design devices, machines, or workspace so that people and things interact safely and most efficiently.” Countless organizations were formed and research groups began delving into the cause, effect and corrective action required to reduce the occupational injuries associated with the work environment.

As a result of studies and analysis done in the workplace, jobs have been made more efficient, less fatiguing and safer for the employee. OSHA has established a comprehensive strategy and has written a protocol for Developing Industry and Task Specific Ergonomic Guidelines published in June of 2004.

As we continue to search for ways to recognize and control potential hazards in the work place, nearly twenty years later, the newest safety concern to be brought to the forefront is Noise in the Workplace. Noise is often overlooked as a key “ergonomic” element in the workplace, however, the National Hearing Conservation Association has proven otherwise and has formed an alliance with OSHA to develop a hearing conservation programs that can be adopted by industry.

Studies have proven that excessive noise can cause lasting damage to hearing and can be considered dangerous if an employee is exposed to sound levels of 85 decibels or more for prolonged periods. Further, occupational noise has been written into General Industry Safety Orders for many states and has been named to the top 10 OSHA citation list with fines totaling over $206,000 in 2002.

According to OSHA’s 1981 estimates, at least one million workers in manufacturing and utilities had sustained occupational hearing impairments greater than OSHA’s definition of hearing handicap.

Unfortunately, although loss of hearing is the second highest self-reported workplace injury or illness in the United States, it is considered to be 100% preventable.

As automation continues to revolutionize industry, more and more facilities have integrated a material handling conveying system into their work flow in order to move product more efficiently. A conveying system not only brings an efficiency factor but adds an additional noise factor, as well. In conveying environments noise is created by not only the machinery itself, but also the product being conveyed across the belt or metal rollers. In addition, noise can be accentuated by conveying systems being operated at higher speeds.

According to a report published by the Conveyor Product Section of the Material Handling Industry “The primary goal should always be to reduce noise at its source.”

Different conveyor designs create different noise issues to be dealt with. For example Roller tube ringing is a common source of noise in roller based conveying systems. By covering metal rollers with Kastalon Koat-A-Roll® polyurethane conveyor roller sleeves , the roller surface is transformed to a non-marking, shock-absorbing, rugged “slip-on” polyurethane coated conveyor roller. Product is now transported across the urethane material and does not come in contact with the metal roller. Independent field tests have found that simple addition of polyurethane sleeves results in an impressive reduction in operating noise measuring 7-10 decibels.

Benefits of Koat-A-Roll®
Utilizing innovative components such as Koat-A-Roll® conveyor roller sleeves, legacy systems can be retrofitted in the field with inexpensive non-marking, rugged “slip-on” polyurethane roller covers. The value is not only limited to immediate reduction in noise, but the cost effectiveness becomes even more substantial when considering the greater friction and longer component life that is achieved.

For more information about Kastalon Polyurethane Products, visit www.kastalon.com or contact their client relations staff at 800-527-8566.