Machine Building

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

No more doubt: EN 13849-1 will replace EN 954-1

Voting has now finished and, depite strong opposition from the UK, USA and Japan, EN 13849-1 will definitely replace EN 954-1.

23rd October 2006

Explaining the changes in the 2006 version of BS EN 60204-1

BS EN 60204-1 is one of the most important machinery safety standards and a new version was published in June 2006. This article by Kevin Ives, a consultant with Pilz Automation Technology, looks at the changes introduced and the implications for machine builders.

23rd October 2006

CANopen application layer Version 4.1

Version 4.1 of the CANopen application layer (CiA 301) has recently been released by the non-profit arm of CAN in Automation, CiA e. V. This specification is - for the time being - available to CiA members only.

23rd October 2006

Ten good commercial reasons to use robotics

Barr and Paatz, which has designed and installed many automated systems using cutting-edge Stäubli, Mitsubishi and Bosch Rexroth hardware, is suggesting 10 commercially-sound reasons to use industrial robots.

13th October 2006

Electric motors, inverters and the ATEX Directive

Motor users have expressed concern that changes in the ATEX Directive have lead to a requirement to test EEx d motors and inverters together for compliance when variable speed drive systems are used in potentially flammable or explosive atmospheres. However, this is emphatically not the case, as Martin Swindell, Technical Director of motor manufacturer Brook Crompton, explains.

4th October 2006

Rapid prototyping, rapid 3D printing and rapid manufacturing

The phrase 'rapid prototyping' means different things to different people. But the concept is now sufficiently established for its supporting vocabulary to be moving from confusing jargon to fixed and well understood definitions. Here Martin Stevens, MD of Unimatic, gives an overview of the techniques and reviews its benefits.

4th October 2006

Gas analysis technologies for pharmaceutical production

Pharmaceutical production involves numerous processes where gas analysis is either essential in order to comply with regulatory requirements or highly beneficial in terms of plant safety or operational efficiency. Choosing the correct technology is vital, as there is a trade-off between purchase price and cost of ownership.

27th September 2006