Machine Building

How to specify robot cells

Stirling Paatz of Barr & Paatz explains how to specify industrial robot cells and names his preferred suppliers of robots and auxiliary equipment.

5th December 2006

Piezo technology to bring benefits to machine builders

Jon Severn interviews Simon Powell, chief executive of Servocell, who believes that machine builders will soon be taking advantage of piezo-based locks and interlocks.

30th November 2006

Accuracy and reliability in linear motion systems

In this technical article Paul Seale, Regional Sales Manager for the Electromechanical Division of Parker Hannifin, discusses the question of accuracy and reliability in linear motion technology.

24th November 2006

Pros and cons of alternative linear actuator technologies

In this technical article Paul Seale, Regional Sales Manager for the Electromechanical Division of Parker Hannifin, examines some of the recent developments in linear actuator technology.

22nd November 2006

Explaining the benefits of harmonic drives

Graham Mackrell, the UK sales director for Harmonic Drive, discusses the origins of harmonic drive technology and the benefits it offers today.

21st November 2006

How to save money with the motors you already have

Dave Hawley of the Deritend Group gives some advice for energy saving with standard motors - for those applications where replacement with a high-efficiency motor is not an option.

14th November 2006

The past, present and future of linear motion technology

Denis Eckstein of Hoerbiger-Origa discusses the development of engineered linear motion, from Victorian hydraulics to rodless cylinders and belt-driven actuators.

13th November 2006

Beware: high-efficiency motors may not be reliable

Steve Ruddell of ABB says that high-efficiency motors are often mistakenly assumed to be high-reliability products; in fact some have been seen to run hot and, as a result, fail early.

5th November 2006

Self-locking threaded fasteners assessed by institutions

According to tests undertaken by institutions such as MIT, the Goddard Space Flight Center and others, Spiralock's thread locking form outperforms standard fasteners in terms of resistance to vibration, axial-torsional loading, joint fatigue, and thermal extremes.

29th October 2006

Benefits of split roller bearings in papermaking machinery

The continuous nature of papermaking, the huge production capacity and the substantial capital investment means that unplanned downtime in paper plants is extremely expensive. And planned maintenance windows are becoming shorter and less frequent. Yet the opportunity for slashing downtime by using split roller bearings instead of solid bearings is often ignored.

27th October 2006