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Groves Inc. has released a new bundle rack, which stores bundles or slabs up to 6,000 lbs. between posts. The 11-in. by 5 ½-in. by 60-in. long outside rails are designed with holes to hold 2x4s and include 2-in. square holes spaced 4 in. apart from the top. A steel plate with identical holes is welded and boxed inside the rails, 1 in. up from the bottom. The rails have a hot dip galvanized finish and are shipped with an 11-in. connector tube for butting the rails together in a straight line.

The Gorilla Gripper from SpecialtyTools.com is a sheet lifting tool capable of handling plywood, MDF, glass, granite, marble and more. The tool slips over the center of the top edge of panels with thicknesses between 3/8 and 1 1/8 in. When the handle is lifted, two gripping plates pivot into a parallel position to the panel surfaces, moving together to compress against the panel, gripping it tightly. The design of the tool allows for increased grip the more the panel material weighs.

Pinske Edge Material Handling Carts allow for material to be moved around the shop and is also suitable for transporting completed jobs to the installation site. The two-sided A-frame carts are made of 1 ¼-in. round steel tubing and are powder-coated for durability. A wide base provides stability. The carts are 8-ft., 6-in. long, 44-in. wide and 4-ft., 6-in. high and can accommodate full-size sheets or completed jobs.

The new Pro-Cart AT1, manufactured by Omni Cubed Inc. and available exclusively at GranQuartz, is an all aluminum construction device with oversized pneumatic casters for climbing over curbs, stairs and rough terrain. The Pro Cart attaches to the bottom of the work piece which allows easy maneuvering over and around obstacles. At just 46 lbs., the cart can actually be lifted completely off the ground while attached to the piece when climbing stairs. Optional folding kit available separately.

The Pro-Dolly was engineered by Omni Cubed to provide simple transport and installation of countertops, and is helpful when used in pairs for tall, heavy, or extra large countertops. The square-tube aluminum dolly features a lightweight and compact design weighing 19 lbs. with a rated capacity of 750 lbs. (1,500 lbs. when used in pairs). The low profile dolly (only 5.25 in. from the support rail surface to the ground) allows rolling of tall tops through doors. The dolly features four 8-in., flat-free closed-cell polyurethane tires for shock absorption. The support rail is lined with rubber to prevent chipping, and countertops are secured with an integrated clamp.

Wood's Powr-Grip's PT4HV11AIRS Air-Powered Tilter 600 is an economical below-the-hook vacuum lifter for handling solid surface materials. In addition to a powered 90-degree tilt, the lifter features sliding adjustable mounts and individual shutoffs for the vacuum pads. The standard foam pad rings enable the vacuum lifter to seal onto polished and irregular surfaces and allows it to handle a variety of solid surface, stone and other high-density materials. It is available with an AC or DC power system with a standard capacity of 600 lbs.

Rbo, part of Biesse's Wood Division, offers solutions for handling requirements in fabrication shops. Engineered to meet specific customer needs in terms of modularity and flexibility, Winner and Advantage are bridge machines for the vertical movement of components. Both are suited to high speed machining lines where a secure and safe separation of the panels from the stacks is fundamental. The machines' flexibility allows for the management of numerous panel compositions in both stack length and width. Rbo also manufactures equipment for handling heavy items (e.g. unloading packs of panels produced by panel sizing centers) as well as a wide range of transfer devices, and have developed equipment for rotating panels by 90 degrees for use with squaring and edgebanding machines.

The crane frame kit, from Kundel Industries, is made from a modular composite structure shape called SnapStrut (available in steel or aluminum). SnapStrut has an assortment of accessories including brackets, clamps, floor plates, etc., that enables the end user to build a crane frame to hang an overhead crane from. The crane frame kit is available in different dimensions and capacities and can be quickly assembled in the shop or at a job site using hand tools. The system can be moved to different areas with optional casters assembles kits.

F. Barkow Inc. offers stone carriers mounted approximately 18 in. off the ground for loading or unloading stone onto a dolly. Stone is firmly secured, and construction consists of 1½- by 1½-in. square structural tube framework, including removable stakes. The most common size for a carrier is 120 in. long by 72 in. high, although the equipment is made to the customer's specification. Standard 5-in. useable ledge board allows up to four 1¼-in. pieces of stone. No welding is required, and the payload should not exceed 1,000 lbs. per side.

The Hyster S80-120FT and H80-120FT Fortis lines of sit-down, counterbalanced lift trucks come with a durable power train design, industrial-strength electronics, exceptional cooling and enhanced hydraulics. Hyster counterbalanced lift trucks are reportedly able to decrease downtime by up to thirty percent. The Fortis line is available in three preconfigured power train bundles to improve productivity, while enhancing reliability and serviceability.

The Solid Surface Handler, from Shopcarts, is a material handling cart designed to handle multiple sheets of 30-in. wide solid surface material. The material can be rotated either vertically or horizontally and work height can be maintained by use of a foot actuated hydraulic cylinder. With the bed in a horizontal position, height adjustments can be made from 25 ½ to 33 in., or with the High-Boy option the bed height can be adjusted from 28 ½ to 36 in. The bed with its extendable arms can be used at its 72-in. closed position or expanded to support materials at preset stops of 10 and 12 ft. When used in the vertical position the cart's 30-in. width allows ease of mobility around the shop while rolling on swivel and rigid 6in. casters.

Hallmark Stone offers two exclusive products: the Top Dolly and the Top Saver, invented from within the company. The Top Dolly is designed to help countertop installation crews safely carry slabs from the work truck into a home. The product is a dolly with rubber wheels, constructed to allow a granite countertop slab to be clamped on top of it horizontally. The construction also allows the granite to sit higher off the ground, making it possible for install crews to transport granite slabs up stairs, through yards and down hills without damage to the countertop. The Top Saver boasts a flat clamp design that is nearly equal to the width of the countertop slab and does not require the use of steel rods, making it possible for install crews to vertically stack clamped slabs side-by-side.

The UniMove unit from UniTech allows one operator to handle large, heavy sheets and finished goods. The UniMove has eight model ranges with capacities of up to 1,000 lbs. and a large selection of standard suction feet (end effectors) to handle a wide variety of objects. Contact surfaces can be uneven, flexible, rough or even porous. The UniMove's patented control valve design automatically adjusts for solid surfaces, porous surfaces and varying load weights. The UniMove is constructed of stainless steel for long service life and low maintenance costs.

The UniMove Vacuum Tube Lifting System, from UniTech Industries Inc., allows a sinlge operator to pick up and move items that weigh up to 1,000 lbs. The system handles large sheets material and is suitable for repetitive and difficult lifting processes. It can be used for applications such as placement of large sheets onto a panel saw or onto a CNC router, and can handle uneven, flexible, rough and porous surfaces.

The Anver VP-Series Vacuum Lifter featuring the Easy Tilt quad-link system offers a mechanical advantage that will retain its vertical or horizontal position if properly centered on the load. Suitable for stone, glass and plate handling, it has a side handlebar which can be mounted to the left or right and lets users control pick-up with one hand and tilt with the other. Capable of lifting and tilting loads up to 500 lbs., the machine can be powered by electric, compressed air or battery and can be equipped with a wide variety of suction pad attachments to match specific applications. It is suitable for lifting and positioning heavy, flat items for assembly or installation.