Machine Building

How to achieve maximum rotation for a machine tool

Winning the silver vector award in 2016, Fidia SpA is a world leader in the design and production of high-performance integrated milling systems, primarily used in the manufacturing of moulds and dies for the automotive and aerospace industries.

8th March 2018

Condition monitoring in steel tube production

Welded Tube of Canada is a producer of steel tube and pipe with an annual production capacity of 700,000 tonnes. Founded in 1970, the company has 700 employees and is headquartered in Concord, Ontario, Canada. Welded Tube owns and operates five manufacturing and finishing plants in Canada and the US, which serve the needs of the North American market.

6th March 2018

How an automated production plant uses igus e-chains

The winner of the Bronze vector award in 2016 was EBAWE Anlagentechnik GmbH based in Eilenburg, Germany. The company designs, engineers and installs complete production plants for the manufacture of precast concrete panels. For a project in Thailand, the concrete spreader could only reach its washing station along a branch line, whereby the hopper travels 13.5m in the working chamber and then another 55m to the cleaning point once or twice a day. Over these distances EBAWE needed an energy supply system that would endure the harsh working environment of the concrete production facility while, at the same time, be completely reliable.

6th March 2018

ESAB welding consumables selected for new Forth Road Bridge

ESAB has supplied flux-cored wires and welding electrodes to the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC) consortium that designed and built the new Queensferry Crossing road bridge across the Firth of Forth for Transport Scotland. At 1.7 miles long, this is the world's largest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge. Towering 207m above high tide and requiring 150,000 tonnes of concrete and 35,000 tonnes of steel, the overall scheme has cost approximately £1.35 billion and is Scotland's biggest transport infrastructure project in a generation. Built to motorway standards, the bridge has two lanes and a hard shoulder running in each direction, with the roadway supported by three composite steel/concrete towers.

27th February 2018

Centralised Atlas Copco vacuum system reduces energy consumption

David Smith St Ives Ltd is a UK manufacturer of high-performance engineered timber products whose output is totally dependent upon an uninterrupted supply of plant air and vacuum. By replacing ageing stand-alone units with a centralised rotary screw VSD vacuum pump system from Atlas Copco's distributor, Anglian Compressors, production continuity has been assured and 40 per cent savings in energy costs realised.

23rd February 2018

Squeezing a catamaran into a single berth: igus vector award

Receiving a special prize in the previous igus vector awards, FUTURA Yacht systems was recognised for its unique yacht concept. It is the world's first variable-width high-sea catamaran built using igus components.

23rd February 2018

New pump bearings save EUR28,970 per annum at energy plant

Faced with frequent failures on its centrifugal pumps for water recirculation, a large CHP (combined heat and power) plant in Romania asked NSK and its local distributor to perform an on-site bearing investigation. The outcome identified poor lubrication of the pump bearings as the source of the failures, with NSK recommending the adoption of sealed-for-life bearings featuring DDU seals and high-temperature grease. In total, the move has led to annual cost savings of EUR28,970, while simultaneously offering a significant improvement in performance.

22nd February 2018

Retrofits to plasma cutting machine future-proof production

ESAB has retrofitted new CNC and plasma cutting systems to a 12-year-old Suprarex cutting machine because the customer, Northerntrack Ltd, wanted to future-proof production and ensure the machine would have high availability and reliability for many years to come.

20th February 2018

High-performance bearings for Winter Olympic bobsleds

In the sport of bobsledding, everything must come together perfectly at the crucial moment: the talent of the athletes, the technology of the bobsleds, and a little bit of luck. Schaeffler is supporting German bobsled pilot Nico Walther and the German Winter Olympic bobsled team by supplying rolling bearings and plain bearings that meet the most demanding technical requirements.

16th February 2018

igus helps engineering artist and designer with 3D printing

When looking to 3D print larger fine art sculpture pieces (his own and clients) and specialist elements for the stage and theatre industry, engineering artist and designer Richard Grant decided to take the plunge and build his own. For the x/y gantry, he used the drylin E linear robot from igus.

14th February 2018