The Tritan 560 is the newest member of McElroy’s pipe fusion lineup and is set to arrive in Australia soon.
The Tritan 560 combines features of three of McElroy’s most innovative machines; the rugged portability and technology of the TracStar iSeries, the bottom-loading capabilities of the Talon 2000, and the Acrobat QuikFit carriage’s ability to meet the pipe where it lays on the job.
With those innovations in mind, McElroy designed a machine that rethinks the fusion jobsite with an eye for efficiency and worker safety.
The Tritan’s bottom-loading carriage sets it apart from the other equipment in McElroy’s fusion lineup, along with its full 360-degree rotation and a boom that can raise, extend, and curl the carriage to approach and load pipe.
With the Tritan, there’s no need to top-load pipe into the machine, and the machine operator is able to safely and easily position the Tritan using the DataLogger® tablet, which allows them better visibility to ensure there’s nothing – and no one – in the way of the machine.
“Because the design of the Tritan allows so much freedom of movement, wireless controls were developed so the operator can move wherever is needed for the best visibility,” McElroy Product Innovation Manager Mike Pacheco said.
The Tritan offers a removable carriage that can operate in a two one two or three and one configuration, in both a top-loading or bottom-loading setup for maximum flexibility in the field.
In confined spaces or in-ditch applications, the carriage can be loaded directly onto the pipe from above, minimising the amount of excavation required under the pipe.
To take the efficiency improvements a step further, the Tritan 560 aids in pipe positioning, allowing for more flexibility and increased performance and productivity.
With the same rugged, dual rubber tracks found on McElroy TracStar machines, the Tritan offers all-terrain mobility to easily travel across a variety of terrains and can be driven directly to and from the pipe itself.
By building off the legacy and design of multiple McElroy units, the Tritan minimises the amount of time spent between fusions while also letting the machine work in tight areas.
In addition to its other revolutionary functions and features, the Tritan includes a hydraulically powered generator to supply voltage to its heater.
Rather than energising and de-energising the heater to control its temperature, this new approach varies the motor’s speed to raise and lower voltage. For operators and contractors, that means less fuel consumption and an overall reduction in engine noise.
Many operators are familiar with using the DataLogger 7 as a wireless control for the TracStar iSeries. The Tritan 560’s design takes that functionality a step further, with the DataLogger 7 poised to fully, wirelessly operate the vehicle as its primary interface.
The Tritan’s controls work seamlessly through the DataLogger, including its basic function controls, the bottom-loading carriage, rotation, and boom.
The DataLogger is a staple of the fusion industry, allowing contractors and operators to capture, store, and share fusion data.
In the years since its release, the DataLogger has proven itself an invaluable tool for operators, managers, and inspectors due to its ability to document all aspects of the fusion process from start to finish, including metrics like GPS and operator identification for each joint fused, anywhere in the world.
DataLogger integration also allows users to take full advantage of McElroy’s Vault, a powerful cloud-based tool to collect, store, analyse, and share joint reports and project information.
Its easy-to-use interface also allows for the recording of each fusion’s GPS location, machine, and operator information, along with joint data.
“As contractors begin to receive and use their Tritan 560 machines, we’re excited to see how they apply the Tritan’s functionality to real-world applications,” McElroy President and CEO Chip McElroy said.
“The Tritan 560 builds off the success of our existing lineup, and we can’t wait to see this latest machine add to that legacy.”
For more information, visit mcelroy.com
This article featured in the May edition of The Australian Pipeliner.
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