Machine Building

Easy and quick monitoring of safety brakes

The intelligent brake control module ROBA-brake-checker by mayr power transmission can supply safety brakes and at the same time monitor them without requiring sensors. This not only saves users investment costs, but also provides them with an easy and quick overview of the operating condition of their safety brakes - thus permitting timely and plannable maintenance and increasing machine productivity. The module is resistant to malfunctions and contamination and can function even in the most adverse ambient conditions.

6th May 2016

All-electric tube bender multiplies trolley-maker's productivity

A new all-electric tube and profile bending machine is helping Crisp Clean Services - a manufacturer of mobile cleaning stations - to substantially boost productivity and make its manufacturing process much leaner.

5th May 2016

Automated metal-finishing uses igus energy cable management

Manufacturing and processing machinery that handle large, long items, frequently uses overhead gantries to transfer the material to, through and from the processing line. Often these gantries have to travel significant distances, whilst requiring electrical cabling to power their motors and sensors. The conventional cable management method is to have the cables mounted above the line using festoons supported by steel rails. As the gantry traverses down the line, it pulls the cables along with it on multiple trolley mechanisms.

4th May 2016

EPLAN enables Saint-Gobain's machines to talk more easily

EPLAN CAE software has been used to increase the efficiency and accuracy of design processes in many of the Saint-Gobain manufacturing facilities in the UK. It has most recently been adopted by Bristol-based Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, High Performance Bearings Group to help with the interconnection of individual machines to form integrated production lines.

3rd May 2016

EPLAN Electric P8: for the small and the brave

When companies ask for testimonies on their products and services, somehow the biggest customers' stories seem to get all of the attention. But for CAE software provider EPLAN, all customers are treated equally and exceptionally well, irrespective of their size or industry sector.

3rd May 2016

Linear position sensors for professional mountain bike set-up

As in all areas of elite sports, teams and competitors go to great lengths to ensure their equipment set-up is optimised for the best possible performance levels. This is certainly the case for Loic Bruni, the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials Downhill World Champion. Loic and his French team have been using Variohm EuroSensor VLP and ELPM linear potentiometers to measure suspension-fork and frame shock absorber travel for more than three years. Fine tuning the set-up is critical and can make match- winning milliseconds of difference to the "˜sag' of the bike - how it sits with the rider in real race conditions - and at the top end of the sport, dynamic measurement is essential.

27th April 2016

Small-scale hydroelectric plant uses Exico motors as generators

One of Wales' most beautiful tourist destinations is now also home to a sensitively designed "green" renewable energy power generation project. The flow of the Afon Lliw, one of the rivers feeding into Lake Bala, is being used at the hamlet of Dolhendre to generate some 600MWh of hydroelectric energy per year, using no fuel whatsoever.

25th April 2016

FANUC gets Swiss condiment plant out of a safety jam

Swiss food manufacturer Hero AG has installed three FANUC 6-axis robots fitted with customised grippers to handle the heavy and labour intensive task of palletising the company's jams and preserves. Operating around the clock, the closed cell provides a fast, reliable and accident -proof alternative to manually stacking boxes of jam as they leave the assembly line.

20th April 2016

Gearbox maintenance for steel manufacturing

For the steel industry it is more important than ever that proper maintenance and repair work be carried out on its plant and equipment to prevent costly and potentially catastrophic failures. Here Andrew Baggaley and Tony Botfield of Brevini UK explain how techniques they have pioneered across several steelworks in the North of England are paying dividends.

20th April 2016

University of Sheffield partners with NI to equip new labs

When re-developing its multidisciplinary engineering programme, The University of Sheffield chose NI as a key partner to help equip and support their new, £81m building. Designed with a stunning aluminium diamond-shaped faÃ§ade and containing 19 state-of-the-art engineering laboratories, The Diamond delivers multidisciplinary, practical, problem-based learning activities, all under one roof.

15th April 2016