Machine Building

Pilz provides safety products and services for fuel cell system

Pilz has provided safety products and consultancy services to help EMB develop innovative electric generators based on fuel cells, ensuring the prototype and initial production batch are safe to operate and maintain.

27th September 2016

Automatic CMS prevents unplanned downtime of pumps

Increased noise and vibration levels on two centrifugal pumps at the Perlenbach water treatment plant in Germany were causing bearing defects, which could have led to pump failure, posing a threat to water supplies. To prevent this, Perlenbach changed from regular patrol pump monitoring to a continuous online system from Schaeffler. The SmartQB, which now detects any signs of wear or damage to the bearings early before the pumps fail. Unplanned downtime of up to several weeks combined with significant damage amounting to several thousands of Euros was therefore prevented.

27th September 2016

Precision foot control for handheld optical instrument

Epipole Ltd, based in Scotland, is an ethical designer and innovator of medical optical equipment that is focussed on the affordable eradication of preventable blindness. Its hand-held epiCam digital retinal fundus camera provides a low-cost device to examine, record and store images of the internal structure of the eye - particularly for patients with diabetes where the early detection and treatment of a condition known as diabetic retinopathy can prevent the onset of blindness and other vision complications.

27th September 2016

Bottle cap inspection made easy with Gocator 3D sensor

The Gocator 3D distance and profile sensor, available from Stemmer Imaging, makes it very easy to implement applications such as checking for missing, incompletely assembled (loose) and cross-threaded bottle caps.

23rd September 2016

Brakes from Warner Electric used in stage and theatre production

In many modern stage productions, motion on the set is an intrinsic part of the magic. Performers fly through the air, stage elements rise and fall and lighting rigs shift dynamically to suit the action. Since 2013, advanced electric brake systems from Warner Electric, part of the Altra Industrial Motion group, have played a quiet but critical role in a growing number of major theatre and stadium shows; working quite literally behind the scenes.

22nd September 2016

PDMM AKD motion controllers for lacquering of screw caps

Thanks to CDDR direct drive motors and to the Kollmorgen PDMM AKD motion controller, a fully servo-driven machine that can be used for various types of printing and lacquering has the capability to increase production whilst retaining high quality for Todema.

22nd September 2016

Custom-designed couplings from Zero-Max

Connecting motion components over a long space requires multiple engineering design disciplines to manufacture a coupling that maintains smooth operation and avoids rotation through the system's axial natural frequency (ANF).

21st September 2016

Food logistic system combines Motoman robot with Siemens PLC

A collaboration between Yaskawa and an intralogistics and packaging company has resulted in the development of an automatic robot-based palletising cell which takes robotics handling to new levels of sophistication. The food logistics system developed by MPS Food Logistics Systems based in the Netherlands features a Profinet interface which enables the Motoman handling robotic system from Yaskawa to be programmed and operated via a Siemens TIA portal.

20th September 2016

Lucozade Ribena Suntory targets energy savings with Wonderware

Lucozade Ribena Suntory, one of the leading soft drinks businesses in the UK and Ireland, has partnered with Wonderware UK & Ireland, to monitor and improve its energy performance.

20th September 2016

New SCADA system brings efficiency to Scottish malting plant

A grain drying and storage facility that supplies some of Scotland's leading distilleries has installed a new Movicon SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system from Products4Automation (P4A) to consolidate series of plant upgrades and expansions. The new software is providing control and visualisation for product movement, processing and storage, including the integration of biomass boilers and heat recovery systems.

19th September 2016