Machine Building

Keeping the ball rolling: getting bearing lubrication right

Did you know that the slinky was invented by accident when naval engineer Richard Jones was trying to make a meter to monitor power on naval battleships? Jones dropped a tension spring, and just like that a world-wide phenomenon was born. But what about those accidents that are less happy, the one's you don't notice until it's almost too late? Here, Chris Johnson, managing director of specialist bearing supplier SMB Bearings, explores how to keep the ball rolling when standard bearing lubrication lets you down.

17th May 2017

How to choose a surface coating technology

Modern coatings technology has been advancing rapidly in recent years; used to prevent oxidation, corrosion and improve wear resistance as well as provide protection from high temperatures, manufacturers are keen to exploit new coatings to improve the durability of their products. However, not all coatings are the same and the quality of the final product relies on high quality equipment and expert application techniques. Tony Brennan, Field Segment Manager Gas & Micro for Bürkert, looks at the various technologies used today and how they benefit modern industry.

16th May 2017

Optimas - Driving growth and pursuing excellence

As Optimas EMEA & APAC President, Dan Jack has a key role to play in introducing the Optimas brand to a global platform. Having already served the UK and European markets for over 30 years, the group that is now Optimas has a proven track record as an integrated supply chain management and logistical services provider. Despite being a new brand, Optimas has over 30 years' of heritage as a global provider of integrated supply chain systems and engineering support focused on delivering highly engineered fasteners to manufacturers around the world.

16th May 2017

Smart manufacturing - the challenges and benefits

Chris Evans, Marketing & Operations Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric explores what is actually meant by "smart manufacturing" by considering the benefits of adopting the concept and what challenges may lie ahead.

11th May 2017

Integrated factory automation networks key to Industry 4.0

As interest grows in the concepts of Industry 4.0, it has become clear that the plant communications network will be the key enabler. Industry 4.0 relies upon the integration and optimisation of communications between field devices, production control systems, enterprise level IT systems and beyond. The key challenge is to ensure seamless communications between these disparate worlds. John Browett, General Manager of CLPA Europe, examines how the gigabit Ethernet CC-Link IE open network technology resolves these issues.

10th May 2017

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