INFUSION21: Taking Fusion to the Next Level

Every year McElroy hosts an industry conference called INFUSION, which highlights advancements in fusion equipment, showcases machine capabilities, and provides an overview of case studies and best practices. Whether virtual or in-person, Channel partners and industry partners from across the globe joined forces for this event. The video game themed conference, albeit fun, was derived from the idea that everyone is striving to get to the next level, whether it is going for personal best or creating new and innovative fusion equipment.

“Drive, experience, and current skills have to be applied consistently if you want to advance.”
CHIP MCELROY

Here are the highlights from the Product Showcase, as we take things to the next level.

TracStar® iSeries

There is a continued focus on the TracStar iSeries and how this newest innovation can help the industry. Each model, the TracStar 630i, 900i and 1200i, is integrated with the DataLogger® 7, and powered by the FusionGuide™ Control System.

Here’s an overview of some of the features:

A FusionGuide Control System with three levels of fusion control:
- Level 1 – Manual Control with the operator controlling all functions
- Level 2 – Enhanced Guided Workflow with the operator controlling the bead-up, heat/soak, open/close and fuse/cool functions
- Level 3 – Fully automatic

Perkins 3.6L engine compliant with US Tier 4 and EU Stage V regulations
Improved torque advantage at desired RPMs
More system pressure when you need it for ground drive, pipe lifts and other functions that use higher pressure
New cowling design allows operators to fuse a tee on the machine without removing the carriage
Controller Area Network (CAN) bus systems allow communication between all devices
Power Control Module (PCM) provides heater control, heater power and communicates with other devices on the unit; built-in ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) is configurable and resettable if there is a trip
New indexer design with embedded sensors for collision avoidance to protect the heater, facer, jaws, and carriage
7” sunlight-readable, touchscreen vehicle display provides more service and diagnostic information
Onboard battery charging station for iSeries Remote Control and DataLogger®
Smart keypads replace manual hydraulic valves and provide operator feedback by changing colors when certain items are engaged or disabled
Paddle levers replace toggle switches for more precise control of the indexer and carriage

DataLogger® 7

Building on the success of previous versions, the DataLogger 7 allows operators to document job, operator, and machine details including GPS locations. This device continues to bring accountability to the fusion industry.

The DataLogger 7 is packed with exciting features:

Documents electrofusion, squeeze off techniques, and pressure testing in addition to butt, miter, manual, and sidewall fusion
Delivers more joints in less time with McElroy Optimized Cooling™; analyzes each joint to ensure adherence to industry standards in real-time
FusionGuide™ graph for visual feedback in real-time
Auto-backup of data to SD card
14+ hour battery capacity and a hot-swappable battery option offering more than twice the battery life of the previous version.
An Android 9 operating system with a more powerful and faster processor making it possible to run all your business apps
Find My Device functionality
IP68-rated rugged base tablet is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof
Hard keys added for easy navigation between applications
Large 7” display with greater readability whether indoors or outdoors; can be used with gloves, stylus, or in wet conditions
Front-facing 16 mp camera with flash for great quality photos of your job
New smaller hydraulic pressure transducer with rugged connector includes a new cable for seamless connection to any McElroy DataLogger-compatible machine

Acrobat™ QuikFit®

The original Acrobat machines that feature the QuikFit® carriage are size-specific and are composed of lightweight, modular components so that the upper and lower jaws can be assembled around the pipe by hand. Now announcing Acrobat™ QuikFit® Inserts. With the desire to use ONE machine to fuse various pipe sizes or fuse pipes to reducer fittings our new inserts make this possible. These new inserts are specific to the Acrobat line of equipment but work like our other inserts and fit into the existing jaw.

Additional features include:

Inserts reduce QuikFit jaws for speed of reconfiguring pipe sizes
Inserts fit into the 630mm jaws and size down to 250mm
Inserts allow for reducer fittings to be fused on one machine
Fuses in any orientation including vertical and overhead.
Allows for fabrication on the ground or in the air

Sidewinder®

The stalwart Sidewinder fusion machines saddle fuse branches, tapping tees and service fittings onto mains from 1 ¼” to 4″ IPS. This machine is also gaining a new accessory. Derived from gas company feedback of the difficulty of getting quality fusions due to the ovality of the pipes, McElroy engineers went to work. We have now created 2” and 3” main re-rounding inserts for the jaw clamp Sidewinder to help create better overall rounding.

Features include:

Sidewinders available in a variety of configurations, sizes, and pressure ranges
DataLogger® compatible with joint records stored in the Vault™
Re-rounding inserts available for jaw clamp Sidewinders when pipe ovality is an issue
Fuses a variety of fittings

LineTamer®

The LineTamer® cost-effectively straightens and re-rounds 3” and 6” IPS coiled pipe to meet or exceed ASTM D 2513 ovality requirements. It safely removes coil set for speedy installations on the job site. The LineTamer is being re-introduced with a new certification training course through McElroy University that features hybrid sessions that are online and in-person.