Machine Building

Maintenance: how much is too much? Too little?

Dan Miklovic, a Principal Analyst with LNS Research, discusses how asset performance management (APM) can be used to optimise maintenance intervals, thereby increasing equipment availability and reliability while simultaneously minimising risk and costs.

7th April 2015

Efficiency clarifications: motors and VSDs

In 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) released a preparatory study that identified the environmental improvement potential for products outside the scope of Regulation 640/2009 of the Ecodesign Directive. This study is called Lot 30 and refers to special motors and variable speed drives (VSDs).

7th April 2015

Are we ready for a cableless future?

Did you know that until the 1960s, Boeing aircraft manufacturers used ferrets to carry cables to inaccessible areas? The animals were eventually retired because of a tendency to give up their task... or fall asleep. Here Darren Halford, European Automation"˜s group sales manager discusses the role of the humble cable in today's industrial applications.

31st March 2015

High-frequency drive users: are you breaking the law?

European Council Resolution (EC) No 428/2009 and its subsequent amendments cover the export of goods, software and technology normally used for civilian purposes but which may have military applications or may contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. With this in mind, the EU controls the export, transit and brokering of these 'dual-use' items as a key instrument contributing to international peace and security. This can have implications, for example, for suppliers of high-frequency drives and, importantly, machinery and equipment incorporating those drives.

30th March 2015

Robotics in the fresh produce sector

Chris Sumner, MD of FANUC UK, considers why robotic uptake within the fresh produce segment has been lower than that in other manufacturing sectors.

30th March 2015

An introduction to Industry 4.0 for machine builders

This article from Bosch Rexroth introduces the concept of Industry 4.0 and highlights some of the potential benefits that Industry 4.0 offers machine builders and their clients.

26th March 2015

Where are the opportunities for torque and linear motors?

According to The World Market for Linear and Torque Motors, a new report from IHS Technology, China leads the global linear and torque motors market, due to continuing growth in the electronics, electronic assembly, semiconductor, machine tools and flat-panel display industries.

26th March 2015

Electrically insulated rolling bearings

Electrically insulated rolling bearings feature electrical insulation that is built into the bearing, providing reliable protection against current passage and electrical corrosion. Typical applications are electric motors, generators and other electrical machines. The Austrian manufacturer NKE Austria GmbH offers electrically insulated rolling bearings in several versions. In this article, Klaus Grissenberger, Application Engineer with NKE, explains the causes of passage of electrical current through rolling bearings, damage symptoms and countermeasures, properties and production processes of electrically insulated bearings.

25th March 2015

Online guide to perimeter guarding for robots and robot cells

Jeremy Procter, a Member of standards committees ISO/TC 199/WG 6 (Safety distances and ergonomic aspects) and BSI MCE/3 (Safeguarding of machinery), and Managing Director of Procter Machine Guarding, outlines the requirements for guarding robots and robot cells.

20th March 2015

Pump design and its effect on mine safety and efficiency

The technology involved in coal mining around the world has advanced a great deal over the years, especially in terms of improving the health and safety of the miners. At the same time mining efficiency and production rates have also improved. Pumps, in their many different designs, perform a large number of vital tasks within the mining industry and as such they can be responsible for certain aspects of mine safety. However, with so many pumps in operation they can also make a considerable contribution towards improving the efficiency of the mine, especially in terms of energy consumption.

19th March 2015