AHR Expo 2018 product roundup

Sheet metal forming equipment and tools fill exhibit hall

Barry Nelson of Advance Cutting Systems explains duct liner cutting with the Jet Liner II at the AHR Expo.

Richard Bluestone of Alan Manufacturing with the company’s fresh air intake system.

Thomas Mackinnon of Armacell holds the Tubolit W LS pipe insulation, also available in 6-foot lengths. Justin Hardy (left) of Armacell gives it thumbs up.

President and CEO of CPS Products Inc. Brian Humes, standing with the company’s TrR650W series of wireless recovery machines, the CC220EW enhanced wireless scale, and VPW/VP15W wireless vacuum pump.

All of the DMI Cos. brands, including Ductmate and GreenSeam, were under one booth.

The Duro Dyne booth featured its Warrior sheet metal machinery and a “warrior wall,” a list of submitted names of active and military veterans.

Dick Foster of Zonefirst with his company’s zoning system that now works with wireless Ecovent products. Foster says it’s the first wireless, Wi-Fi and app-based zoning product.

Gripple’s Fast Trak rapid rigid support is on display at the AHR Expo.

Snips editor Michael McConnell (left) speaks with Brian McElwaine of Kanomax about the company’s duct air leakage tester.

Lance Herlong, president and CEO of Kingspan (left) and Pete Faverio, president of PTM Manufacturing, with the Kingspan KoolDuct system.

It was busy and loud at the Mestek Machinery booth at the AHR Expo.

Jimmy Meyer of Meyer Machine & equipment stands with the company’s Elec Trak I, which is a portable duct cleaning vacuum.

Midwest Tool & Cutlery brought Ron Aho, the inventor of the Tinknocker Tool, Midwest’s newest product, to works its AHR Expo booth.

Rossi HVAC Hardware is displayed its Everlock positive locking quadrant at the AHR Expo in Chicago Jan 22-24.

Rotobrush’s Cameron Bell (left) and John Kovacs stand with the AirPlusXP duct cleaning machine.

Mark Flanders (left) and Tom Mullen of Shortridge Instruments, Inc. holding the company’s Flow Hood, an air balancing instrument.

Sheet Metal Connectors erected a huge piece of ductwork to showcase its products.

Brent Nicols with Thermaround, the new spiral duct alternative from Thermaduct.

Ecco Manufacturing’s booth had an umbrella made of sheet metal, which was fitting for the expo being held in Chicago.

The Vicon booth was full of the company’s sheet metal fabrication machinery.

Trimble unveiled its VR headset that works with the TrimbleConnect app, at the AHR Expo.

CHICAGO — Cold air and rainy weather didn’t stop thousands of people from coming to the Windy City Jan 22-24 to attend the 2018 AHR Expo.

The annual event set six records, including the 72,075 in total attendance and 49,995 registered visitors, according to event officials. Other records included 2,155 exhibiting companies, 534,080 square feet of exhibit space and representatives from 169 countries.

“The excitement generated by this year’s record crowds of attendees and exhibitors was palpable from the show floor to the training sessions,” said Clay Stevens of the International Exposition Co., which manages of the expo. “Whether you are designing a building’s HVACR system from the ground up, or want to make your existing spaces warmer, cooler, quieter, smarter, safer or more comfortable and efficient, the AHR Expo is the only place where you can see and experience it all, learn from the industry’s top experts and stay at the forefront of innovation.”

The expo overlapped with ASHRAE’s 2018 winter conference, which was also well-attended, association officials said.

“The winter conference and AHR Expo are prime opportunities for attendees to stay on top of the latest information and technology needed to work toward a more sustainable world,” said current ASHRAE President Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D. “Lessons learned at the conference have a direct impact on the success of our industries and affords us the opportunity to extend this knowledge around the world.”

Here’s a list of some of the thousands of HVAC and sheet metal products on display.

Rossi HVAC Hardware displayed its Everlock positive locking quadrant. The Everlock quadrant replaces the need for wingnuts. Wingnuts vibrate easily, causing blades to lose position and airflow to become out of balance. The Everlock handle features 11 stops for unparalleled positive-locking control, the company says.

Mestek Machinery featured all of its machinery at its booth, which created a busy and loud atmosphere. The company showed its ISM by Lockformer Max-Stitch 1.6i, a single-wire stitch welder.

Ecco Manufacturing’s booth featured a sheet metal umbrella. This was a play on the “Windy City” location.

The DMI Cos. had all of their brands under one booth at the expo. Their brands include Ductmate Industries, GreenSeam Industries, AireTechnologies and Linx Industries.

At CPS Products Inc.’s booth at the expo, the company its TrR650W wireless recovery machine, CC220EW enhanced wireless scale and the VPW/VP15W wireless vacuum on display.

The Duro Dyne booth featured their specially painted Warrior sheet metal machinery, which it used to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project charity. Officials were auctioning the PBF510, FPP4 and MF12-A combo, and the FDCC Connector Cradle. The company donated $1 to the charity every time the hashtag “#DuroDyneWarrior” was used on social media. According to the company’s website, the auction collected $28,343. A “warrior wall” at the booth contained names of military veterans or those currently serving.

Armacell, the maker of Armaflex, closed cell insulation, featured its new Tubolit W LS pipe insulation, available in multiple lengths. The Tubolit W LS pipe insulation is polyethylene insulation for plumbing lines, in semi-slit and self-seal closure, officials said. Their booth featured live product demonstrations and engineer technical presentations.

At the Meyer Machine booth, President Jimmy Meyer spoke about the company’s Elec Trak I, which is a portable duct cleaning vacuum. According to company officials, the product is ideal for condominium and attic furnace jobs.

The Vicon Machinery booth had attendees walking the red carpet while exploring their booth full of the company’s sheet metal machinery.

Thermaduct revealed its new Thermaround, a spiral duct alternative.

Zonefirst displayed its new HVAC zoning product that works with wireless Ecovent Systems.

Kingspan had its KoolDuct System on display at the expo. This product is a pre-insulated rectangular HVAC ductwork system that is 13 feet with zero connections.

Shortridge Instruments, Inc. had its Flow Hood, an air balancing instrument, featured at the expo.

Gripple’s Fast Trak Rapid Rigid Support was at the expo. The support is a pre-fabricated system that removes the need to cut rod or strut on-site.

Rotobrush brought its AirPlusXP duct cleaning machine to the expo. Officials said the machine offers 30 percent more vacuum power when compared to the company’s original AirPlus.

Kanomax displayed its new duct air leakage tester. The DALT 6900, according to officials, meets and exceeds SMACNA HVAC standards.

Advance Cutting Systems had its Jet Liner II at the show. The company explained how duct liner cutting worked with the system.

Alan Manufacturing displayed its fresh air intake system. The VCS control panel of the system regulates the intake of fresh air to meet the ASHRAE 62.2 standard, according to officials.

Trimble had their new VR headset at the AHR Expo. Associate editor Lauren Tucci-Howey was able to try out the device. The hard hat, which works in conjunction with the Trimble Connect for HoloLens app, which can be used for training purposes or to compare plans against completed work, officials said.

Lauren Tucci-Howey is a former associate editor at Snips. She started with BNP Media (Snips’ parent company) as an intern in 2016. In addition to Snips, she contributed to Walls & Ceilings, a sister publication covering drywall, stucco and related materials.