Machinery
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USITT
Well, it’s official.
Creative Conners will be exhibiting at USITT 2014 in Fort Worth, Texas next March.
This will be our biggest booth ever for a conference – a 20′ x 20′ island booth in a great location (see map below). We’ll bring machines, control and software to give everyone the full CCI experience. USITT has been key to the growth of Creative Conners since the early days. Gareth first exhibited at ** in ** with just a table top demo unit in one-quarter of a 10′ x 10′ booth. But he met some great people and made some sales. Over the years the company also exhibited in ** and ** and **. Gareth and I attended USITT 2013 in Milwaukee, where Gareth spoke on a panel about turntables, and we decided it was time to get back to USITT. We’re really looking forward to exhibiting in Fort Worth, and if you’ll be there, come by and say hi.
Automation
The summer is in full swing
Interns
Our summer team members, Jon & Kody, are learning lots of new skills. We decided that we’d take the opportunity teach the guys about machining processes while stocking up components that we manufacture for our Pushstick, Revolver, and Spotline. We bought a pile of aluminum stock and steel shaft material…
Lathe
Jon is learning how to single-point thread on our lathe…
CNC
Kody is learning how to operate the Tormach CNC mill to make various parts (bearing housings, tension mounts, etc.)…
Busy Summer
Both Kody and Jon are fast-learners, careful, and competent. They are doing great work here and seem to be enjoying the opportunity to learn some skills that aren’t common in typical scene shops. In the coming weeks they’ll get a chance to do some electrical & electronic work. Should be fun!Creative Conners Business
We pack better
We’ve recently upgraded our round-trip bins for our rental Stagehands and we’re so jazzed about how they came out that we’re offering them as a new product. If you need a better solution for storing your Stagehands between shows, then these might be just what you’ve been looking for. The bin is heavy-duty black plastic, and measures 28″ x 21″ x 16″ high. The bin includes a 2-part high-density foam insert that is custom die-cut to perfectly cradle your Stagehands during those lonely weeks in storage. We’re selling these round trip bins for $125 plus shipping. If you’d like to get some for your controllers, just drop me a line at sales@creativeconners.com.
Creative Conners Business
Two New Additions
This week we welcomed two new additions to the staff here at Creative Conners, Jon Haupt and Kody Green. Jon is a graduatre student at UConn (and a student of Gareth’s automation class last semester) and Kody is an undergrad at Webster University and will be a senior next semester. We have always been very busy during the summer and it will be great to have the extra help. Unfortunately, Jon and Kody will only be with us for the summer before heading back to school, but the extra sets of hands will be a welcome addition for a few months.Machinery
Introducing Spotline Hoist
We’re excited to announce that the Spotline hoist will be joining our growing stable of machines. Spotline is specifically designed for vertical lifting, and with a redundant brake and integrated electrical brake testing, this unit can safely handle big loads without counterweight-assist. With full Spikemark integration, and fast and quiet operation, Spotline is the perfect choice for your hoisting needs. It ships with a 5hp gearmotor, capable of lifting 500lbs at 36in/sec, letting you automate your flying pieces without the hassle of rigging a counterweight-assist system. Spotline can be mounted to the grid for direct lifting, or can be used in the traproom for automating elevators. Click here for more details.Spotline by Creative Conners. Vertical lifting made safe and easy.
Introducing Trickline Linear Actuator
Trickline is a linear actuator made for Stagehand and Spikemark. If you’ve ever struggled with the accuracy, performance, and noise of pneumatic cylinders, Trickline is the machine for you. This guy is accurate, quiet and ready to tackle trapdoors, pop-up props, or sliding steps. Before you wrestle with another air hose or hissing valve, grab some Trickline instead. Trickline boasts 150lbs of line pull at 18in/sec and the integral linear bearing is rated for 150lbs of dynamic load. We can customize the length up to 20 feet, and custom motor options are available if you’re looking for more speed or more line pull. Trickline starts at $7995, but during our Spring Fever Sale, prices start at $5995. Click here for more details.Trickline by Creative Conners. Linear motion without the hassle.
Spring Fever Sale
We just kicked off our Spring Fever Sale, so if you’ve been waiting for big savings, the wait is over! We’ve got some great deals: Stagehand AC – $3495 (save $1500) Pushstick deck winch, and Revolver friction drive: $11,995 (save $3000) Spotline Hoist: $14,995 (save $3000) Deck hardware and Spot Blocks: 10% off. There’s more on sale. Click here for details.Spotline Hoist
Exciting Stage Automation News
We finished up our first Spotline hoist today, and it’s shipping out today to Webster University to be part of their automation inventory. The Spotline has a redundant Mayr brake on the load side to complement the brake built into the SEW Eurodrive gear motor. The attached electrical panel is for field-testing the brakes. The drum is aluminum, 8″ diameter and made in our shop on our CNC mill. The Spotline will lift 500 pounds at 36 in/sec. 
Now that we’ve finished the first one, we are going to spend some time optimizing the engineering for production work, and you should see the official product rollout in early summer. If you’re interested in pre-ordering a Spotline (maybe before your fiscal year ends?) drop me a line at sales@creativeconners.com.
