LOUISVILLE. Kinedyne LLC, a manufacturer and distributor of cargo control products for the transportation industry, introduced two new curtain-side trailer systems at the Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) 2016.
The "Kin-Sider" employs familiar fasteners at the bottom of the curtain side, the company says, while the "Kin-Slider" features a new latching approach that allows it to be opened and closed easily and "within seconds."
In designing the two systems, Kinedyne says it focused on addressing weaknesses such as single-point latching, moisture intrusion, mechanical failure, graphic fading and fungal growth. The company sought to "engineer out" the shortcomings of other systems, "while engineering in a higher degree of performance at every level."
In the case of the Kin-Slider, Kinedyne notes that it targeted speed of operation and ease of use for those who need to open and close their curtain sides frequently.
"Everything from our moisture seals to our closure mechanisms to our curtain roller design and graphic integrity protection system has been carefully designed for optimal performance and longevity," stated Paul Wolford, vice president of sales and marketing at Kinedyne. "And when it comes to sheer efficiency of operation, the speed of the Kin-Slider is a game-changing technology that is going to impress management and drivers alike."
The Kin-Sider replaces traditional curtain-side systems used on 18-wheelers. Applications include scenarios where side loading is an advantage such as racked cargo, long cargo formats and other situations where loading or unloading freight from the rear of a trailer is slow or laborious, according to Kinedyne.
The Kin-Slider is designed to provide a technological advantage — greater speed and efficiency — for those with chassis-mounted truck bodies that now use roll-up doors and traditional curtain-walled 18-wheelers. The system opens and closes at both ends of the trailer and has a full-length, vertical, multi-latch closure system with an adjacent, all-in-one latch release mechanism located both forward and aft.
"We recently presented our Kin-Slider product to a fleet with curtain-side vehicles that open and close as many as 50 times a day," Wolford said. "You don't have to be a mathematician to understand that our Kin-Slider technology will translate into several hours in time savings for each of their vehicles, and that has the potential to save them significant dollars."
The graphics options available on the two new systems feature exclusive materials, advanced processes, proprietary finishes, according to Kinedyne. That includes a flame-retardant, PVC-laminated polyester substrate that's 10% thicker and has a wider operating temperature range than competing materials.
Kinedyne says it can apply customers' graphics to the base curtain material with digital printing technology capable of achieving resolutions of 360 dpi, the equivalent of a high-quality print magazine. The printed curtain wall is then covered with an anti-graffiti coating, which Kinedyne notes also protects against UV rays and fungal growth.
The company is so confident in the finish and coating process that it says graffiti and other foreign agents can be removed after 24 hours from the curtain side using alcohol or petroleum distillates, and the process can be repeated up to 400 times with no visible impact on graphic appearance.
