A composite grommet edging material that can reduce installation cost and provide added protection against cable damage will be introduced in Europe at the Paris Air Show. Spring-Fast edging, from U. S. company Device Technologies, Inc., stays in place without adhesive.

Changes to the US National Electrical Code came into effect on January 1 this year. Manual controllers from the Finnish electrical component supplier, Ensto Oy, fulfill the latest criteria of new code.

A new, highly sensitive testing method whereby leaking packages can be detected right on the packaging line has been developed for food packages. This package leak tester developed in Finland measures minute leakages in less than a second. The first testers will be introduced on packaging lines during spring 1999.

Elekta introduced Leksell Gamma Knife Model C today. The newly refined tool will enable neurosurgeons to deliver optimal irradiation to intracranial targets in every-day clinical practice, while saving hours when compared to other methods of radiosurgery.

Detail-rich satellite images of landscapes and road networks will now be available quicker on the Internet, thanks to a new service called GISimages from the "Online Web Shop" of Swedish company SSC Satellitbild. All satellite images are ortho-corrected and can be used directly with geometrical reliability in a GIS (Geographic Information System).

The water market has grown sharply during the 1990s. This has caused new brands to emerge and the taste and odour (organoleptic) properties of packaging to become the topic of discussion. As a result the Nordic dairy giant Valio has switched to using aluminium-free, Ensobarr barrier coated gable-top packaging in its 1 litre range of drinking waters.

Office workers who need to take notes, use their computers or perform other tasks while talking on the telephone often place the phone receiver between the ear and the shoulder. A new, low-cost line of telephone headsets -- called Practica -- can help avoid this uncomfortable and inefficient position.

Two new ultrasonic steam flowmeters from Panametrics, the DigitalFlow GS868 and XGS868, solve pressure drop and rangeability problems found in other flowmeters the company reports. This helps reduce operation, installation and maintenance costs. The GS868 is a full featured flowmeter, while the XGS868 is a lower cost flow transmitter. Using Correlation Transit-Time Technology, the meters do not obstruct the line, so full steam power is always delivered. They measure mass flow rate of saturated and superheated steam over a wide range.

Integrated maintenance and design software has been introduced by Cadmatic Oy, Finland, which specialises in 3D design software for the process industry. Maintenance functions interface to the company's virtual reality system used in process plant design. The company says that this is the first time that virtual 3D computer aided design software has been able to interface effectively in this way.  This interface facilitates maintenance planning and helps plant operators save overall costs throughout the entire lifecycle of the plant from design, contruction, operation and maintenance.

PCB power requirements have historically been limited to current ratings of 10 to 15 amps. Now, in response to the higher amp. demands of PC boards used in communications, un-interruptible power supplies (UPS) and data communications equipment, Anderson Power Products has developed the new 1377 Series rated at 25 amps. in a single pole configuration.