The new products debuted at this year’s INFUSION illustrate just how quickly the mechanical market is expanding, and how McElroy is dedicated to staying at the forefront of its growing popularity.
ProFab™ 400i
As the usage of fusible solutions in the mechanical market has increased, members of Team McElroy have made several trips to industry and channel partners’ fabrication facilities to discuss needs, wants, and the challenges that they are facing at the moment.
“One goal was to accommodate larger pipe sizes – especially for doing miters and being able to produce pieces utilizing a two-jaw configuration,” said Geoff Koch.
The result: the ProFab™ 400i, a hydraulically-operated two-jaw machine to fuse 160mm to 400mm pipe.
Building on McElroy’s emphasis toward digital integration, the ProFab 400i is integrated with the DataLogger® tablet and uses the same FusionGuide™ Control System found in the TracStar® iSeries.
“Carriage movement and functions for turning on the heater and facer are operated through the DataLogger with control screens very similar to what operators see on the medium-diameter TracStar iSeries and Tritan™ 560,” Geoff said.
The ProFab 400i jaws can each be rotated up to 22 ½ degrees, creating a 45 degree angle for miter fusion. Each jaw has an independent horizontal and vertical adjustment, allowing for fine-tuning the alignment.
“The ProFab 400i provides the capability for larger pipe sizes in a way that integrates the technology we’ve been working on with the rest of our product line.”
EP3000
The EP3000 is McElroy’s next-generation HPU, engineered to work across a broad range of carriages. Fully compatible with all equipment, including legacy Acrobat™ and DynaMc® products, the EP3000 provides seamless plug-and-play connectivity for heaters, electric facers, and hydraulics while also unlocking advanced features of McElroy’s new Acrobat iSeries lineup.
With a similar size and footprint as the EP800AD, the EP3000 allows for easy jobsite setup. It features a new motor, manifold, and pump stack design, with a new two-section hydraulic pump that allows it to meet short open/close times and high pressure to runt he full line of Acrobat carriages. When using the EP3000, operators will select the carriage being paired with the HPU, and the HPU will deliver the appropriate power.
Acrobat™ iSeries
The Acrobat iSeries combines the reliability and flexibility of legacy Acrobat carriages with McElroy’s technological innovations of recent years. Available as the Acrobat™ 160i, Acrobat™ 180i, Acrobat™ 250i, and Acrobat™ 315i, the Acrobat iSeries integrates advanced FusionGuide Control technology, expanding capabilities while maintaining the compact and lightweight profile that the Acrobat line is known for.
To meet the challenges of the ever-changing plastic pipe fusion industry, the Acrobat iSeries automates repetitive processes, ensuring that those aspects of the fusion are right every time. That, in turn, frees the operator to focus on other critical tasks to maximize performance.
The Acrobat iSeries features auto drag calculation and auto shift sequences, with an integrated indexer, heater release and auto-retracting heaters. It features expanded guide rod spacing, with new facer models to accommodate, and when paired with the new EP3000 it provides automatic carriage recognition and machine setup information.
Despite these new features, the Acrobat iSeries was intentionally designed to remain lightweight and portable, allowing it to remain one of McElroy’s most flexible product lines.
“We’re taking the proven advantages of our TracStar iSeries platform and delivering them at a scale that fits more jobs, more crews, and more markets,” Geoff said. “And this is just the beginning.”
- Offset Inserts for Acrobat™ 160, Acrobat™ 250, and Acrobat™ 315
Now available and ready for order, these offset inserts are designed to provide critical clearance when working with short-neck fittings. Standard jaws often don’t leave enough space for proper facing and fusion — these inserts allow operators to push the fitting further into the jaw, making setup and fusion safer and more effective in tight configurations.
- Knife-Edge Jaws for Acrobat QuikFit™ 355-630
Currently in validation and coming later this year, these knife-edge jaws provide similar functionality for larger pipe sizes. Purpose-built for QuikFit systems, these jaws help with fittings and tees where stub-out length is limited. A 400mm version was featured at Product Showcase, with size-specific models planned throughout the line. Formal availability will be announced following final testing.
- Acrobat 630 full range heater
In response to customer feedback, McElroy is developing a single heater solution to pair with the Acrobat 630 and QuikFit insert packages, eliminating the need for multiple heater plates. This heater will cover a range from 250mm to 630mm, allowing operators to tackle reducers and varied pipe sizes with one versatile unit, making it ideal for in-ditch or in-position fusion.
