Machine Building

Three ways to boost British productivity

The UK is not much more productive now than it was after the 2008 recession. However, because productivity is measured by the amount of goods produced per person per hour, Government creates incentives and applies pressure on businesses to simply hire more people. Here, Stephen Harding, managing director of materials handling expert Gough Engineering, explains why simply adding more people is not the answer and outlines three things businesses can do to genuinely boost manufacturing productivity.

9th May 2017

Specifying a replacement hydraulic pump: beyond certifications

Pumps for hydraulic applications are typically highly specialised towards certain applications and environments, a reality which must be noted by the MRO professional. While a pump may achieve certain certifications such as those outlined by DNV GL, Lloyds and API which can guarantee a certain level of competency, how does this actually translate to specifying a replacement for a particular application? Jonathan Walker, Engineering Manager at Oilgear, explores the innate features and processes that can ensure hydraulic pump performance is not simply defined by basic certification, but offers further benefits to the application that reduce the risks of downtime.

9th May 2017

Efficiency by design

Mark Fairhurst, Technical Director, BHR Group, discusses efficiency by design.

8th May 2017

The pneumatic-electrical dynamic in motion control

Representatives from British Fluid Power Association (BFPA) member companies IMI Precision Engineering, Asco Numatics and Metal Work, survey the current state of play regarding automated motion control systems, and consider the increasingly close relationship between pneumatic and electrical technologies.

8th May 2017

The importance of best practice in hydraulic fluid selection

Bosch Rexroth has restated the importance of choosing correctly rated hydraulic fluids to optimise performance and safety in mobile applications. The advice comes as the company issues its own Fluid Rating List recommending the most appropriate high-performance fluids for use with its hydraulic pumps and motors. This complements the requirements of international standards ISO6473-4 and ISO4006.

6th May 2017

Five innovative uses for PLM

Jigsaw fanatic Graham Andrew, along with a team of over 200 people, tried to complete a mammoth 33,600-piece jigsaw puzzle in 2016, only to realise there were four pieces missing. With so many people and parts involved, this was a tricky task to undertake and organise, as is often the case in manufacturing. Good product lifecycle management (PLM) can help manufactures get it right first time, and not lose any valuable pieces along the way. Here, Geoff Turner, PLM consultant at Design Rule, explains five innovative uses for PLM that companies can use to help keep projects on track.

4th May 2017

System Integrators are the vanguard of new technology adoption

When the client has explained what the goals of a project are then it is up to the System Integrator to translate those (usually function, price and performance) goals into a physical structure and a control platform - one that will not only deliver what the client is looking to achieve, but more often than not, also fit neatly into an existing control and management structure. This is by definition "˜system' and "˜integration'. It also underlines why the role of the integrator is often at the crux of the adoption curve for new technology.

2nd May 2017

Henkel innovations underpin automotive lightweighting

Vehicle lightweighting is one of the automotive industry's most prevalent trends, thanks largely to the presence of increasingly stringent emissions legislation around the world. It is estimated that every 100kg of reduced vehicle weight can save 8g/km of CO2.

28th April 2017

Design and materials developments in standard machine elements

Nigel Pritchett, MD Elesa (UK) Ltd, signposts some key developments in materials and design associated with standard machine components for industrial machinery and equipment.

28th April 2017

Linear transmission engineering gets straight to the point

The need for linear motion is increasingly common, especially in areas such as automated assembly packaging and robotics, but also diverse applications such as retail displays, sports equipment and many other areas. This has led to a plethora of different linear technologies, and finding your way through this can be daunting. Matt Jones, a linear motion specialist at Drive Lines Technologies Ltd, offers a quick guide through the basics.

28th April 2017