Pfister Waagen has introduced Sirius, a ’weigh rail’ for moving trains. The 1·8m rail is welded into existing track and uses sealed load cells to measure wheel and axle weights of trains passing at 6 to 12 km/h. There is no restriction on the speed of other trains.
Speno Rail Maintenance Australia has supplied an ST4A-1 ultrasonic rail flaw detector to South Africa’s Lennings Rail Services, which has a five-year contract with Spoornet for maintenance of heavily-used lines. The machine can operate at up to 38 km/h.
Stäubli has introduced a range of stainless steel quick release hydraulic connectors for rolling stock applications.
Changchun Car Company is using robot guidance equipment to automate the welding of 25m carriage roofs. The Meta Laser Pilot tracking system searches for longitudinal seams, positions the MIG guns, and the steel sheet is then welded by six-axis robots. A microprocessor controls weld bead deposition at up to 4m/min.
Reader Enquiry Numbers
Pfister Waagen 140 Stäubli 142
Speno Rail Maintenance 141 Meta Vision Systems Ltd 143
CAPTION: Malaysian firm Loh & Loh Construction has taken delivery of a bridge inspection vehicle for work on the KTMBerhad metre-gauge network. Supplied by Barin of Italy, the road-rail vehicle is based on a Volvo FL6 E42 R chassis and has a 10m reach.
Barin, Italy. Reader Enquiry Number 147
