|
PROBLEM:
|
SOLUTION:
|
|
Adhesives
|
|
Adhesives, Gasketing and Sealants
|
- Concrete damage from water penetrating through cracked concrete
- Concrete crack sealer is not flexible, dries out and cracks easily
- Crack sealer doesn't stick to both sides of the concrete
- Crack sealer doesn't hold up to extreme weather conditions
- Roof leaks caused by poorly-sealed roof flashings
|
|
- Adhesive isn't effective on porous or irregular surfaces
- Doesn't allow for repositioning bonded materials
- Takes too long to set up and hold
- Isn't safe on sensitive materials such as Styrofoam
- Difficulty in controling the application and preventing overspray
|
|
|
Threadlockers/Thread Sealants
|
- Threaded pipe fittings leak due to vibration, corrosion and pressure
- Pipe sealant cannot be used with high-temperature, high-pressure fittings
- Pipe tape shreds and fouls hydraulic systems
|
|
|
Automotive
|
|
Acrysol™
|
- Ordinary cleaners can leave residue that interferes with the adhesion of primers and paints
- Solvent cleaners can damage painted and plastic surfaces
- Ordinary cleaners can take a long time to dry
- Solvent cleaners can leave a lingering odor
|
|
|
Plastic Repair System
|
- User needs to choose repair material based on chemical type of plastic
- Special procedures, adhesion promoters or flame treatments are often required
- Repair materials are too hard to sand or load up the sandpaper
- Repairs crack, shrink or peel
- Repairs show through the finish
|
|
|
Two-Part Seam Sealers
|
- Standard sealers must be dried for hours before they can be painted
- Solvent-based sealers can shrink, crack or blister in high-temperature paint booths
- Ordinary sealers can be difficult to tool when matching the look of OEM sealers
- Ordinary sealers don't have the strength or durability for severe applications
|
|
|
High-Tech™ Clear Seam Sealer
|
- Standard sealers must be dried thoroughly and painted to match
- Seams must be completely dried after water testing before sealers can be applied
- Sealers must be completely dried before retesting to verify the fix
- Ordinary clear sealers shrink, peel, crack and yellow
|
|
|
High-Tech™ Clear Seam Sealer
|
- Quick Seal MSP One-Part Polymer Seam Sealer
- Seam sealers that run on vertical surfaces
- Applicator gun needed to apply material
- Seam sealers that crack, shrink or bubble when baked
- Solvent-based seam sealers that cannot be painted immediately
- Product that does not tool in for a professional finish
|
|
|
Cleaners
|
|
Glass Cleaners
|
- Most glass cleaners run and do not stay in place
- Streak marks are left behind, requiring additional cleaning
- Glass appears hazy after wiping cleaner off
- Strong smell of ammonia is unpleasant and can cause dizziness
|
|
|
Food Service Cleaners
|
- Oven has burnt-on carbon, grease, food and oily residue that needs to be removed
- Oven cleaner does not cling to surface long enough to maximize cleaning power
- Need to clean a cold oven
|
|
|
Multipurpose Cleaner/Degreasers
|
- Painted surfaces are damaged because cleaner is too aggressive
- Need to use on a vertical surface
- Product is highly flammable
- Contain strong chemicals such as chlorinated solvents
- Product won't remove grease and oil
- Strong chemical odor
|
|
- Heavy deposits of grease, grime, soot, resin, oil, baked-on carbon, dye and/or inks
- Harsh petroleum and/or chlorinated solvent
- Surface film after cleaning
|
|
- Cleaner contains toxic chemicals, carcinogens and/or other harmful compounds and is harmful to the environment
- Skin irritation/allergic reactions
- Non-recyclable packaging
- High shipping costs
|
|
|
Solvents
|
- Removing substances like oil, grease, dirt, ink and adhesive residue
- Many solvents contain toxic ingredients with harmful concentrated vapors
- Some solvents harm the environment and are restricted in certain areas
- Solvent vapors give off an offensive odor and could be carcinogenic
- Solvents are not always safe on the equipment being cleaned
- Removing residue without damaging paint
|
|
|
Specialty Cleaners
|
- Hard water deposits, rust stains, urine stains, heavy soap scum and lime buildup on bath/shower or food service surfaces
- Flash rusting after surfaces have been cleaned
|
|
|
Coatings
|
|
Undercoat and Rubberized Coatings
|
- Exposed metal rusts easily
- Inflexible coating cracks and peels easily
- Coating goes on too thick and dries too slowly
- Coating does not withstand temperature changes and harsh outdoor environments
|
|
|
High Solids Paints
|
- Many store-bought brands require multiple coats to get desired look
- Some aerosol paints don't resist rust and chemicals and aren't heat resistant
- Paint fades after application
- Added costs of buying and disposing of the cans
|
|
|
Floor Care
|
- Too much time/effort spent wiping, blotting and rubbing carpet to remove stain
- Risk of damage to carpet from over-scrubbing to remove stain
|
|
|
Lubricants
|
|
Chain, Open Gear and Wire Rope
|
- Product only applies an external coating and do not penetrate wire ropes and cables
- Water is trapped inside cables, leaving them vulnerable to rust and corrosion
- Lubrication failure in extreme pressure applications
- Exposure to rainfall or equipment washdown causes wash-out
- High-speed applications cause lubricant to sling off
|
|
|
Metal Cutting
|
- Lubricant stains metals such as aluminum
- Product has a tendency to sling off drill bits and reamers
- Fails under extreme pressure conditions
- Multiple products required for different operations such as tapping, reaming, cutting or drilling
- Costly products which can't be diluted
|
|
|
Oils
|
- Lubricant only lasts a short time and must be reapplied often
- Lubricated equipment freezes up in cold temperatures
- Lubricant loses its performance at high temperatures
- Metal parts are rust-frozen and locked
- Nuts, bolts and chains keep corroding
- Difficulty lubricating wet and/or dirty equipment
|
|
|
Penetrating Oils
|
- Remove rusted-on nuts, bolts and fittings quickly
- Loosen frozen, corroded parts without breaking them
- Protect against rust and further corrosion
- Lubricate moving parts to prevent friction wear
|
|
|
Greases
|
- Can't apply grease through tight gaps, cracks, openings and crevices
- Thin, oily lubricant slings off – won't adhere to metal
- Lubricant must be clear and non-staining
- Extreme temperatures cause a need for frequent lubrication
- Metal locks and hinges keep rusting
|
|
- Can't apply a grease through tight gaps, cracks, openings and crevices
- Thin lubricants won't adhere to metal – they sling off
- Lubricant needs to be clear so it will not show on exposed hinges
- Extreme temperatures require frequent lubrication
- Door, hood and hatch hinges keep rusting
|
|
- Ordinary grease has no additives to protect metal surfaces in heavy load applications
- Many greases have little or no tackifiers to provide staying power and resist pound-out
- Grease with a low dropping point is ineffective in high-temperature applications
|
|
|
Anti-Seize
|
- Lubricant breaks down and melts at high temperatures
- Lubricant hardens or gums up at low temperatures
- Lubricant is flammable at high temperatures
- Lubricant washes out in wet environments
|
|
|
Dry Lubricants
|
Most dry lubricants do not contain PTFE
Ordinary dry lubricants stain in clean applications
Many lubricants are not resistant to chemicals
Lubricants can attract and hold grit and dust
|
|
|
Odor Control
|
|
Liquid Odor Control
|
- Heavily soiled areas and mildew odors in carpets
- Smelly drains, drain lines and grease traps
- Urine stains and odors in rest rooms and on carpeting
- Smoke damage and odors on fabrics, carpets and other surfaces
|
|
|
Seasonal Maintenance
|
|
Ice Melters & Winter Products
|
- De-icer doesn't melt ice and snow quickly and leaves a residue
- Product damages painted surfaces, metals, rubber, glass and plastics
- Doesn't prevent buildup of ice and snow
- Won't penetrate and free up door locks
|
|
|
Sewer and Drain
|
|
Drain Openers
|
- Drain lines are clogged or slow-running
- Drain opener contains dangerous acids or bleach that can damage pipes or fittings and has a harsh, chemical odor
|
|
- Many degreasers fall to the bottom and do not prevent grease buildup
- Finding a product that is an effective degreaser that will also mask offensive odors
- Most products won't keep the pump seal filters clear
- Dealing with grease buildup on floats
|
|
|
Drain & Grease Trap Maintenance
|
- Drain cleaner does not open drain or does not work fast enough
- Drain cleaner does not control odors
- Drain cleaner can only be used in drains
- Drain cleaner is too expensive to use as a maintainer
- Drain cleaner contains hazardous chemicals
|
|
- Slow-running urinal drains that sometimes cause overflow
- Persistent, foul odors emanating from urinals
- Drain treatment product is not effective on urinal drains
- Removal of urinals and mechanical drain rodding to restore flow is time-consuming and costly
- Recurring urinal drain restrictions
|
|
|
Abrasives
|
|
Coated Abrasives
|
- Abrasive flap paper too stiff or too limp for most projects
- Damage to finish from flap wheel's steel mounting cap
- Flap wheel falls apart at high RPMs
- Flap wheel works too slowly at low RPMs
|
|
- Ordinary abrasives have one abrasive side, load up rapidly and cannot be used in wet or oily conditions; waste creates high cost
|
|
- Type 27 grinding discs do poor finish grinds, leaving excessive scratches and gouges
- Conventional grinding discs leave difficult-to-remove burn marks
- Resin fiber discs will not grind, and they wear too quickly
- Too much time is spent changing grinding discs to fiber-finishing discs
- Stocking both grinding and finishing discs is expensive
- Grinding and finishing rounded or odd-shaped objects is difficult
|
|
|
Wire Wheel Brushes
|
- Straight wire breaks at random points along the plane of the wire
- Wire strands do not spring back when deflected (not heat-treated)
- Wire wheels are out of balance due to wire tufts that contain unequal amounts of strands
- Wire strands are not secure; tied in place with wire
- Face plates are unfinished and damage wire strands
|
|
|
Cutting Tools
|
|
Drill Bits & Accessories
|
- User needs to pre-drill to prevent walking on irregular surfaces
- Hole cutters cut around the weld leaving a plug which must be ground off the inner panel
- Hole cutters wear quickly or chip and dull easily
|
|
- Drill bit walks on curved surfaces
- Dull, bent or broken drill bits
- High-speed burnout from friction
- Chip buildup from soft material
- Drill bit spins in keyless chuck; chuck spin destroys size identification
|
|
- Drill bit walks and doesn't center well on broken bolts, studs and screws
- Clockwise rotation of drill bit compounds the problem of broken/frozen part
|
|
- Drilling ceramic tile or glass with ordinary drill bits produces out-of-round holes
- Drill bit life is short when used to drill ceramic tile/glass
- Ordinary drill bits "walk" when drilling ceramic tile or glass
- Drilling fiberglass with ordinary drill bits causes splintering or feathering of holes
|
|
- Metal storage cases may not be durable enough to provide adequate protection for drill bits, resulting in damage or rusting
- Metal storage cases may not close properly
|
|
- Time is lost changing from drill bit to driver bit; chuck keys are not always readily available
- More than one power tool is needed to avoid re-chucking
|
|
|
Tungsten Carbide Saw Blades
|
- Problems cutting ceramic, concrete, wire rope, hydraulic hose, hardened steel parts, stone, glass, wire-reinforced hose, or thin and perforated metals
|
|
|
Hacksaw Blades
|
- Broken/shattered hacksaw blade
- Rapid wear and teeth stripping
- Blade bends in the frame, making it difficult to cut straight
|
|
|
Hole Saws
|
- Teeth stripping and dulling
- Struggling to remove the plug
- Unable to cut tough alloys or stainless steel
|
|
|
Reamers
|
- Need to drill holes through steel quickly and safely
- Need to drill holes in truck frames
- Large drills chip and break
- Need to enlarge an existing hole
- Need to align a distorted or irregular hole
- Need a solution that does not require special alignment equipment
- Need to drill burred holes
|
|
|
Reciprocating Saw Blades
|
- Teeth strip when cutting through nail-embedded woods
- Blade breaks when out of position
- Short saw life under maintenance conditions
|
|
|
Taps
|
- Bending, dulling and breaking
- Binding and seizing in place
|
|
|
Electrical Tools
|
- Regular side cutters will not cut large cable
- Cutting with a hacksaw is time-consuming, requires a vise and leaves badly-frayed ends
|
|
- Cable slitter is too large for confined areas
- Cable slitter has nicked conductors
- Cable slitter produces uneven strip lengths
- Cable slitter provides little or no adjustment for insulation thickness
- Exposed blade on cable slitter is unsafe
- Cable slitter has limited range and uses
|
|
|
Electrical Wire
|
- Soft plastic insulation is very susceptible to cuts and abrasions
- Temperature surges from overload can damage the insulation
- Wire is affected by solvents and moisture
- Plastic insulation can flame and burn
|
|
|
Fleet & Automotive
|
- Corrosion from battery cable
- Battery cable has inferior conductivity and heat dissipation
- Battery cable has poor resistance to heat, cold and flame
- Battery cable lacks sufficient application flexibility
|
|
|
Terminals & Wire Connectors
|
- Corroded electrical connections from using standard non-insulated electrical terminals
- Standard non-insulated electrical terminals have limited access area, hampering insulation
- Standard non-insulated electrical terminals have low voltage rating and poor tensile strength
- Unable to inspect effectiveness of crimp with standard non-insulated electrical terminals
|
|
- Wire is difficult to install into the terminal
- Insulation splits during crimping
- Butted seam barrels separate during crimping
- Short barrels result in poor electrical connections, causing shorts, heat buildup, high electrical resistance and failure
|
|
|
Wire Protection & Accessories
|
- Difficulty insulating electrical connections in hard-to-reach areas
- Difficulty sealing electrical connections on vehicles from road grime
- Corroded electrical connectors/wiring from exposure to varying weather conditions
|
|
- Insulating electrical connections in hard-to-reach areas
- Corrosion from exposure to varying weather conditions
- Sealing electrical connections on vehicles from road grime
- Wrapping ordinary insulation tape in very tight spots
|
|
- Adhesive properties of electrical wraps/tape deteriorate, and tape loosens
- Voids in electrical wrapping allow moisture, dust and dirt to enter
- Electrical wrap/tape is not resistant to chemicals
- Electrical wrap/tape has limited outdoor and industrial applications
|
|
- Corrosion caused from exposed battery terminal connections
- Corrosion from abrasion of cable insulation
- Corrosion caused from cable being exposed when insulation pulls away from terminal
|
|
|
Visa Seal Connectors
|
- Connections can get exposed to moisture and contaminants
- Color-coded insulators can hinder the view of the crimped connection
- Loose wires and poor tensile strength
|
|
- Bolts break, strip, bend, twist and elongate, hex nuts strip or seize, flat washers bend, dish or warp when using ordinary production grade fasteners in a maintenance application
|
|
- Material scoring during installation of Socket Head Cap Screws
- High friction resistance from thread engagement and bearing surface when installing Socket Head Cap Screws
- Low clamping force due to friction on work material when installing Socket Head Cap Screws
- Encountering out of round or deformed recesses while installing Socket Head Cap Screws
|
|
- Ordinary sheet metal screws strip out during installation
- Material separation from the screw during installation of ordinary sheet metal screws
- Poor thread engagement while installing ordinary sheet metal screws
- Installation of ordinary sheet metal screws with power tools strips material
- Slotted, Phillips and square heads strip out
|
|
- Vibration due to large equipment when using standard anchoring systems
- Unsafe stud head protruding from item anchored
- Stud-type anchor cannot be removed
- Alignment problems when drilling while using standard anchoring systems
- Standard anchoring systems may lack strength for critical structural applications
|
|
|
Thread Repair
|
- Ordinary coil-type inserts require special taps and/or installation tools when used to replace damaged or stripped threads
- Ordinary coil-type inserts strip and pull out in high-strength applications
- Removal of tangs is difficult and time-consuming when using ordinary coil-type inserts
|
|
- Replacing spot-welded nuts
- Tapping threads in thin materials
- Placing threaded nut in blind areas
- Screws pulling out of thin, solid and curved materials
|
|
- When restoring damaged threads on fixed equipment, thread restoring files are difficult to use, and results are inconsistent
- Thread chasing dies have a limited number of pitches available
- Hard to identify proper thread pitch when using thread restoring files
|
|
- Ordinary brake line kinks and ruptures easily
- Ordinary brake line needs special bending or flaring tools
- Unnecessary stocking of pre-formed brake lines
|
|
- Too much time spent looking for proper size brass fitting part
- Ordinary brass fittings are difficult and time-consuming to install
- Ordinary brass fittings are one-time use only
- Difficulty aligning brass fittings in tubing
|
|
- Hose whips when ordinary air couplers are disconnected
- Two hands are required to connect or disconnect ordinary air couplers
- Connecting ordinary air couplers under pressure is difficult
- Ordinary air couplers disconnect when pulled or dragged
|
|
- Hose whip occurs when disconnecting - safety hazard!
- Can disconnect if dropped or dragged, connection not completely secure
- Brass more susceptible to damage
- Brass or steel couplers can damage finish on automobiles
|
|
- Identifying different styles/interchanges of couplers and plugs within a shop
- Having to use many different couplers for different interchanges on different tools/equipment
- Getting full flow out of conventional couplers
|
|
 HAND TOOLS
|
top |
- Ordinary locking pliers and clamps require continuous adjustments to accommodate different sizes of workpieces
- Gripping force of ordinary locking pliers doesn't always match application
- Ordinary locking pliers and clamps are difficult to release once in locked position
|
|
- Bent or broken screwdriver/nut driver blades
- Shaft of screwdriver/nut driver bends
- Handle of screwdriver/nut driver has broken from shaft
- Hands slip from screwdriver/nut driver handle due to poor grip
- Torque is limited due to poor grip of screwdriver/nut driver handle
|
|
- Sizing is difficult due to cumbersome handle lock design of ordinary self-gripping pliers
- Wide, bulky jaws of ordinary self-gripping pliers prevent access to tight spots
- Position setting is easily lost when ordinary self-gripping pliers are set aside
- Potential of pinched hand when ordinary self-gripping pliers slip
|
|
 MATERIAL HANDLING
|
top |
- Ordinary tarp straps wear and tear easily
- Ordinary tarp straps lose their stretch after limited use and at low temperatures
- Ordinary tarp straps deteriorate quickly when exposed to sunlight, ozone, salt air and chemicals
- Ordinary tarp straps leave unsightly black scuff marks
|
|
- Frequently-used parts and supplies are not on hand or at satellite locations when needed
- Deciding which items to stock with limited funds/space is difficult
- Searching for small parts causes time loss and equipment downtime
- Boxes, tin cans and/or paper bags are inadequate storage containers for small parts and supplies, and cause disorganization and expensive waste
|
|
- Stainless steel pipe, tank or container requires repair, but location makes it difficult to reach, and there is no time, or it is not possible, to disassemble parts or equipment for repair
- Need to repair a stainless steel pipe, tank or container in the overhead or vertical position
- Need to repair a stainless steel pipe with dripping water present
- Poor corrosion resistance due to carbide precipitation
|
|
- Need to cut or gouge metal quickly, but do not have access to a plasma, oxy-fuel or carbon arc cutting system
- Carbon arc gouging system is very noisy and requires all nearby personnel to wear hearing protection
|
|
- Problems with porosity and slag inclusion while welding dirty, oily and contaminated cast iron
- Need to weld steel to cast iron
- Need to make an out-of-the-way cast iron repair, and no pre-heat is available
|
|
- Poor performing low hydrogen electrodes are causing hydrogen damage due to moisture pick-up
- Loss of control over weld deposit due to fingernailing caused by eccentric coating of low hydrogen electrodes
- Slag inclusions on multi-pass welds while using low hydrogen electrodes
- Porosity when welding contaminated steels
- In-service cracking of welds
|
|
- Need to repair unknown, dissimilar or crack-sensitive steels
- Need to remove a broken bolt or stud in an out-of-position or difficult to reach work area without damaging the threads
|
|
- Need to make a difficult to reach, out-of-position repair to galvanized steel, and do not have time to remove zinc coating
- Need an alloy that will operate on a low-duty cycle A/C machine (buzz box)
|
|
- Need to make a moisture-resistant, crack- and spatter-free, out-of-position repair to high-strength steel, with no slag inclusions between passes
|
|
- Need to make an aluminum repair, and do not have special MIG or TIG equipment and inert shielding gases
- Typical aluminum stick electrodes produce inconsistent deposits and excessive spatter
|
|
- Need to make repairs in the vertical or overhead position without dismantling equipment and without costly multiple passes
- Concern for burn-over on thin edges of work piece
|
|
- Welding blankets are thick and heavy
- Welding blankets are made of impregnated fiberglass which is not very flexible and tends to shed
- Welding blankets have low operating temperatures and are subject to burn-through from molten slag or direct contact with extreme temperatures
- Direct contact of the welding blanket with flame may result in fire
|
|
CHEMICALS
CUTTING TOOLS & ABRASIVES
ELECTRICAL
FASTENERS
FLUID POWER
STORAGE EQUIPMENT
WELDING
