Technical Innovations
Miller Electric's Cat-equipped welder
 The Miller Electric Mfg. Co.'s Big 40 welding generator is equipped with a Caterpillar 3024 diesel engine. |
Miller Electric Mfg. Co. now offers its Big 40 engine-driven welding generator equipped with a Caterpillar 3024 diesel engine. The Big 40 can also be equipped with a Wiscon Continental gas engine.
Miller claims that the Big 40 is one of the most powerful, quiet, versatile, and reliable engine-driven welding machines in the industry. It delivers 20% more power at its rated output than previous versions, providing 400-A, 40-V at 60% duty cycle. In addition, its 20- to 500-A range "exceeds all competitive models" by at least 125 A on the high end and 20 A on the low end. The welder can run carbons up to 7.9 mm (5/16 in), stick electrodes up to 6.35 mm (1/4 in), and wire from 0.58 to 3.2 mm (0.023 to 1/8 in).
"This broad range gives users in the structural construction, oil, chemical, and mechanical contracting industries the ability to take on a variety of jobs with a single machine," said John Luck, Product Manager, Miller Electric. "In the dc TIG mode, welding operators will notice smoother control on the low end. In the stick mode, they'll experience the new patent-pending arc drive circuit (active dig control) that enhanced E-6010 pump welding without compromising E-7018 performance. Arc drive focuses the arc into the joint and eliminates sticking and outages, thus allowing users to get the rod into tight places, like an open root pass on pipe."
Volvo Penta's marine diesel engines
 Volvo Penta's two new diesel engines for planing boats extend the company's 40 series engines produced at its Vara plant in Sweden. |
KAD 300/DP and KAMD300 are the designations of Volvo Penta's new marine diesel engines in the 225-kW (300-hp) performance range. The engine packages and the Duoprop drive are completely new and should help strengthen its product program for planing boats, according to the company.
The two 3.6-L diesel engines extend Volvo Penta's well-known 40 series, produced at the same site where Volvo produces all its 3- and 4-L diesel engines, the company's Vara plant in Sweden. These electronically regulated and compressor-charged engines, equipped with turbocharging and air-charge cooler, represent state-of-the-art technology in marine diesel engines and will provide improved performance with higher top speeds, improved acceleration, low noise levels, and a "vibration-free" ride.
The new KAMD engine, which is also available in an inboard version, has a unique cylinder block and head with improved cooling capacity, a new four-stroke air-charge cooler, and a new turbocharger to match the increased power output. The injection system has been modified to provide increased capacity and pressure to match the new five-hole injector. The expansion tank is mounted directly on the engine, as is the seawater filter on the Aquamatic version.
The inline six-cylinder, direct-injected engine with 24-valve technology, Electronic Diesel Control (EDC), and advanced combustion system help to minimize exhaust emissions, enabling the engine to comply with IMO (International Maritime Organization) and RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) exhaust emissions regulations.
EDC is an electronically controlled processing system that optimizes engine performance by continuously monitoring and controlling vital engine functions such as for the compressor, turbocharger, and air-charge cooler that optimizes engine performance. Volvo Penta's EDC system, introduced in 1995, also regulates the engine's fuel system. One advantage of the EDC system is its monitoring of the fuel temperature, which maintains a constant engine power output at fuel temperatures between 5 and 55°C (40 and 130°F).
At the heart of the EDC is an electronic control module (ECM) based on an Intel 16-bit chip microprocessor. The ECM continuously logs and computes information from a number of engine sensors to manage shifting variables, which include factors such as the optimum quantity of fuel required and injection timing. The ECM considers input from eight key operational parameters. The EDC system and instrumentation are easy to plug in and contain a self-diagnosis unit that warns the boat driver if a problem arises.
The new Duoprop drive features a completely new design and stainless-steel propellers. It has been designed with larger exhaust channels, resulting in reduced exhaust resistance and directing exhaust gases down into the water via the drive system, thereby substantially reducing noise levels and vibrations. The drive also has a reinforced internal geartrain.
All the necessary connections, such as exhaust pipes, seawater inlet, etc., are integrated in the drive and the transom shield. The drive system has an integrated cooling-water intake and an optimal exhaust system, making installation simple and quick for either single or double installations in planing boats.
