Tim Stratton, tooling department leader at the Schaeffler UK plant in Sheffield, discusses some of the cost savings the plant is seeing by investing in 3D printers for production tooling, as well as additional benefits in health and safety, ergonomics and freeing up valuable CNC machining capacity.

When axial rotation requires control, the perfect solution is a torsion spring from Lee Spring. These compactly wound springs look like a common compression spring placed on a post or inside a cylinder but are activated by radial force applied to the end legs.

Stop by the British Encoder Products Co stand at MachineBuilding.Live to see the company’s new Model A36R encoder with blue LED and reflective sensor technology that deliver accurate high-resolution feedback in a compact thru-bore housing.

Featuring a built-in accelerometer, the new HEIDENHAIN ECI 123 Splus rotary encoder enables position measurement and vibration analysis in a single component. This added functionality simplifies condition monitoring and maintenance planning in high-wear automated systems.

KEB Automation says its new C6-X1 HMI panel provides machine builders with all the basic requirements for the future of digital manufacturing, enabling them to benefit from the advantages of Industry 4.0. The panel can be flexibly attached anywhere on the machine, with IP67 protection eliminating the need for mounting in a control cabinet.

Kollmorgen has announced the latest update to its AKD2G servo drive with new features that broaden support for additional communications protocols.

From optimising designs to improving production processes, generative AI is set to have a massive impact on the manufacturing industry. Stephen Hayes, managing director of Beckhoff UK, explores the benefits and risks.

igus chainflex cables do not contain harmful PTFE and PFAS chemicals, likely to be banned by the EU – now demonstrated with the ‘PFAS free’ seal.

As part of its ‘Boundless Automation’ vision for helping organisations deliver more seamless operations, Emerson is evolving its DeltaV brand into the DeltaV Automation Platform.

SICK has enabled its smallest safety laser scanner, the nanoScan3, with its Safe EFI-Pro standard industrial Ethernet-based safe networking capability. Using the SICK nanoScan3 EFI-Pro, machine builders can more easily design responsive and productive autonomous vehicles and stationary robots through safe integration over industrial networks.