Imperial Electric handles Howell's customer service

Howell Electric Motors, recently acquired by Kinetek Inc., Deerfield, Ill., is now being operated by Imperial Electric, Akron, Ohio. Howell motors are often used in food machinery, air handling, commercial cleaning equipment, industrial machinery, and custom applications. Imperial Electric also manufactures a complete line of motors including ac and dc gearless machines, ac and dc hoists, flange mounts, gearmotors, transaxles, motor generator sets, and hydraulic submersibles. All inquiries and order processing information for Howell Electric products should be directed through Imperial Electric at (330) 734-3600 or via e-mail at sales@imperialelectric.com.

Mark your calendars for PTDA

The Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) has announced the following dates and locations for its 2008 events:

University of Industrial Distribution
March 2-5, Indianapolis

PTDA Executive Development Conference
March 9-10, Las Vegas

PTDA Canadian Conference
May 29-31, Whistler, British Columbia

EPTDA 2008 Convention
Sept. 24-26, Brussels, Belgium

PTDA 2008 Industry Summit
Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Miami Beach

For more information,
visit www.ptda.org.

PMMI celebrates 75 years

PMMI, a trade association with more than 540 member companies that manufacture packaging machinery, components, containers, and materials, has issued a commemorative logo and plans to celebrate its 75^th anniversary. Parties are planned at the 2008 Executive Leadership Conference, to be held April 6-10 in Indian Wells, Calif., and during the 2008 Annual Meeting, which takes place Sept. 22-24 in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.pmmi.org.

Webinar to discuss belt drive solutions

Choosing the right power transmission technology for the job can be a real challenge, especially with today's demands to optimize systems for efficiency, noise, package size, and easy maintenance. If you'd like to learn more about the pros and cons of different power transmission solutions, and belt drive systems in particular, you may want to attend the upcoming webinar, Power Transmission Technologies: the Advantages & Applications of Belt Drive Solutions.

Brent Oman, who has more than 20 years of drive design experience with Gates Corp., will present the one-hour tutorial live on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. EDT, and the event will also be archived to view at any time. Topics to be covered include: information needed to design a power transmission drive; descriptions of drive options including roller chain, gears, and belts; advantages and disadvantages of each technology; and belt drive solutions, support options, and specific application examples. For more information, visit http://machinedesign.com/go/gates.aspx.

FIRST Competition kicks off in overdrive

The 17^th annual FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition kicked off January 5^th with this year's contest titled “FIRST Overdrive.” At the event, which took place at 49 kickoff sites, teams received a kit of common parts that they will use to build a robot. Students also had a chance to view this year's game field where the robots will have to knock down and move 40-in. inflated trackballs around a circular field by either kicking or carrying the balls. One of the companies donating kit parts for the 2008 contest is igus Inc., East Providence, R.I., a platinum-level FIRST supplier for the past three years. The company donated plastic machinery components such as cable carriers and plastic bearings through its Y.E.S. (Young Engineers Support) Program. For more information, visit www.igus.com/yesprogram or www.usfirst.org.