Month: February 2020

February 25, 2020

BREAKING NEWS: QUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY NO LONGER MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

One of the most popular limit switches CPI ever introduced has to be our J4 series waterproof limit switch. A small marvel of engineering originally developed for the military, this switch comes in both a ball switch and a plunger switch variation that use essentially the same internal mechanism and materials. It was originally developed for military vehicles in a number of applications including neutral safety detection, hatch door alarm, cab down detection, outrigger lock, and more. Like all our products it was selected for three primary reasons.
  1. It’s really durable.
  2. It has extreme electromechanical endurance (up to 1 million cycles).
  3. It’s really really durable.
It’s a lot of fun to build a product that makes no compromises on quality in favor of the absolute best materials and engineering design that can one can implement.  But being the best seldom makes you the cheapest so for many OEM’s, our standard J4 ball and plunger remained out of reach despite the promise of set it and forget it reliability and a virtually endless lifetime.

Introducing the J4414 – Cost Reduced but not Quality Reduced.

With so many manufacturers looking for tough, reliable USA made limit switches like our J4 it finally did dawn on us that a carefully reengineered version of the original J4 might find many homes. A version that retained its high focus on material engineering and reliability, but that was significantly cost reduced would be perfect for many industrial and commercial applications that also require immunity to shock, vibration, and the elements. The new switch that would be perfect for more cost sensitive applications that were currently suffering through unreliable offshore solutions to their safety limit switch requirement.
In the new J4414 plunger switch, our team focused carefully on reengineering elements that used both updated materials, as well as brought the cost of manufacturing way down. However, in the spirit of “don’t fix what ain’t broke” we also kept the design elements that made our switch so durable, long lasting, and reliable.
  • All stainless steel construction
  • Internally sealed lead connections in any length
  • Double O ring seal at plunger
  • Extreme electromechanical endurance ratings
  • Ultra-precise travel parameter adjustment using a new unitized actuator design

Actuator Pre-Travel Design – Small Movements are a Big Deal

It is worth mentioning the pre-travel design capabilities of this plunger switch. Originally driven by the requirements of a major construction vehicle manufacturer, this capability allows us to ensure the circuit will change reliably, without concern for actuation point tolerance.  This also allows two switches to mechanically actuate as close to simultaneously as possible in applications where dual actuation is required.  By allowing for an extremely small pretravel on the new J414, it produces a large overtravel, which also helps compensate for tolerance variations in equipment linkages.
In another application, our j4 series switch was used on an air intake valve. Extremely tight performance was necessary to correlate with angular variation in the butterfly valve. A few thousandths difference in the plunger movement translated to several degrees of valve movement.

Take the Plunge with the New J4 Plunger Switch

Famous CPI durability and longevity, coupled with affordability, and all made in the USA so you can be sure there will never be any disruption in your supply chain.
It’s hard to image why you’d go anywhere else for a safety limit switch.
Call us today.
February 12, 2020

CPI Switches Work Hard on Work Trucks

The class of vehicles commonly known as “work trucks” have long been a primary market for CPI’s waterproof limit switches. There are a few main reasons for this:

  1. CPI Pre-wired waterproof dual switch panelReliability – The joy of saving a couple bucks by buying an offshore made limit switch, is quickly replaced by the frustration, expense, and potential lawsuits that can come from field failures of limit switches in safety related systems.
  2. CPI hardened switches are among the most durable and versatile in the world. Our small form factor pendant switches coupled with carefully designed and tough stainless steel mounting brackets allow our basic switches to be used in almost any work truck position or safety sensing application without custom designs.
  3. Electro-mechanical Endurance – In warranty failures are expensive, but with ratings of up to 1 million cycles of electromechanical endurance, our switches will most likely outlast your commercial vehicle.
  4. True Waterproof Performance – Depending on your desired temperature rating, our switches are sealed in either Neoprene or Santoprene by a proprietary manufacturing process, including the lead connections. When we say that you can operate our switches underwater, we mean it.
  5. Economical – In quantity, our switches are extremely cost-effective despite being of such high quality. That’s because they don’t often fail in the field and our semi-custom manufacturing saves truck manufacturers assembly time and money.
  6. Made in USA – All our switches are designed and manufactured in the USA. No worrying about embargo’s, tariff’s, or other disruptions in your offshore supply chain.

Versalift Bucket Truck using CPI Limit Switches

 

 

 

 

 

 

Types of Vehicles using CPI Waterproof Limit Switches

Any non-automotive commercial vehicle is a great candidate for our switches. Here’s just a few vehicles our switches are deployed on…

  1. Bucket Trucks – Used for outrigger lock detection (J1 ball switch series), boom position sensing, Operator bucket controls (PON/POFF)
  2. Emergency Vehicles – Ambulances, fire trucks and other first responder vehicles use a wide variety of safety systems that implement CPI limit switches in area’s like outrigger sensing, backup alarms, limit-of-travel alarms, door open alarm, and more.
  3. Sanitation Trucks – Waterproof Switch panels used for compactor and lift gate operations are mounted directly to the side of the trucks for manual operator use.
  4. Dump Trucks – As more and more manufacturers implement dump body detection cpi limit switches are often used for alarm generation in the cab.
  5. Cranes – All types and sizes have made use of our E1 waterproof limit switches in anti-two-block safety systems owing to their robustness and small form factor.  They also use our J4 ball switch in hydraulic valve position detection applications using our specialized valve mounting brackets.
  6. Construction Vehicles – Backhoe’s, Loaders, Plow’s, and Excavators have all used our waterproof limit switches for hydraulic control, operator presence detection, cab alarms, outrigger sensing, backup alarms and more.
  7. Lifts & Scissor Lifts – Critical position detection and operator controls have been implemented with our E-Series Limit switches.

Don’t Wait to design in the “final” Solution to your Safety Switch Problems

Our Safety Limit Switches represent the most durable yet economical solution to your switch and sensor applications. Rather than waiting for expensive field failures to tell you what you need to know, you may want to consider the class-leading solution to your limit switch from the get-go.

Call CPI to speak to an application engineer today.

CPI Switches Work Hard on Work Trucks