Machine Building

Developing a safety strategy for industrial environments

According to research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), manufacturing is statistically one of the highest risk industrial sectors to work in. With more than 3000 major injuries and nine fatalities occurring every year in the UK, can more be done to protect the health and safety of those working in industrial environments? Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of industrial obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation, explains what goes into making a workplace safety strategy.

4th October 2018

Thermal transfer or thermal inkjet coding? Time for change?

Richard Pether, Director of Rotech Machines, believes TIJ (thermal inkjet) is challenging TT (thermal transfer) as the coding technology of choice for many web-based applications.

29th September 2018

On-board artificial intelligence for machines and automation

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant benefits for machine builders and end users but this usually involves large volumes of data and cloud computing. However, as this article explains, multicore processing means that machines can have AI onboard, so data can be collected and actions taken in real time.

29th September 2018

How long until we are talking to robots?

Neal Welch, Mitsubishi Electric Business Manager for Life Science, explores how we interact with collaborative robots and how long it will be until voice activation becomes commonplace.

27th September 2018

Constant force, constant torque, constant load springs

The Lee Spring extension type of constant force spring represents the most basic, yet most versatile, type of constant force spring. It is a pre-stressed flat strip of spring material which is formed into a virtually constant radius coils around itself or on a drum. When the strip is extended (deflected) the inherent stress resists the loading force, the same as a common extension spring, but at a nearly constant (zero) rate. A constant torque is obtained when the outer end of the spring is attached to another spool and caused to wind in either the reverse or same direction as it is originally wound.

27th September 2018

Step-by-step guide to configuring a maxon ESCON speed controller

Amir Janjua, a Technical Engineer at maxon motor, explains how to configure an ESCON speed controller.

21st September 2018

What makes a corrosion-resistant bearing?

As the name suggests, corrosion-resistant bearings can be used in applications where corrodible materials wouldn't suffice - think food processing, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical production and bearings for marine applications. But, what materials suffice? Chris Johnson, managing director of miniature bearing supplier SMB Bearings, explains.

19th September 2018

Three tips for achieving machine safety in the workplace

According to accidents reported under RIDDOR in 2017, nine per cent of fatal injuries were found to be caused by contact with moving machinery. In the self-reported list of non-fatal injuries, moving machinery was found to have caused seven per cent of accidents. Improving facility safety is critical to safeguard staff, but did you know safety can impact productivity and machine effectiveness too? Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at EU Automation, shares his three tips for machine safety.

13th September 2018

Defining 'Autonomous Machine Vision' - the future of inspection

Harel Boren, CEO of Autonomous Machine Vision specialist Inspekto, explains how Autonomous Machine Vision promises to be the future of quality assurance (QA), and the benefits for end users.

13th September 2018

IIoT, Industry 4.0 and managing cybersecurity threats

Tom Canning, VP of IoT Devices at Canonical, the company behind open-source software platform Ubuntu, discusses cybersecurity, the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0.

13th September 2018