GLOVES FOR PROTECTION If you’re looking for a means to protect hands from hazardous chemicals, Ansell (www.ansellpro.com; Redbank, NJ) offers ChemTek gloves. There are two versions, one that’s butyl and one that combines viton and butyl. Although they’re engineered to handle harsh materials, they also offer an ergonomic shape and soft polymer feel.
LIGHT FILTERS FOR LIGHTING Headlamps are increasingly plastics-intensive, which improves design but which, notes the people at Schott Lighting Components (www.schott.com; Mainz, Germany), can be prematurely aged by ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation emitted by such things as xenon and halogen lamps. So they’ve devised UV and IR filter coatings that transmit the visible light spectrum but filter out the harmful wavelengths.
COMPACT CONTROL Omron (www.omron.com; Schaumburg, IL) has combined a human-machine interface (HMI) and a programmable controller (PLC) in a single unit, the NSJ series. There are separate but integrated processors for display and control tasks, which means control functions aren’t compromised by even heavy graphics demands. A built-in DeviceNet master reduces I/O wiring to a single open network cable. Prices range from $3,200 to $4,575.
DUCATI’S HYPER CONCEPT Less than four months after debuting its Hypermotard concept motorcycle at the Milan International Motorcycle Exhibition, Ducati (www.ducati.com) announced it will begin selling the 100-hp, 385-lb. enduro model in spring 2007, marking the first time the Ducati name has graced an off-road two-wheeler. Named “Best Bike for 2005” by the Motorcycle Design Association, the Hypermotard features a narrow, compact front design with an air-cooled twin-cylinder V engine.