Machine Building

Soft starter or variable speed drive for your motor?

Motor starting can induce shock loads into the driven equipment and harmonic disturbances into the main supply. Jerry Hodek of Exico Electric Motors says both variable speed drives and soft starters will help reduce this effect and explains which option best suits an application.

7th September 2016

The death of proprietary networks

Like it or not, we live in modern world of fluidity and interconnectedness in which the once ordinary now transcends all previous boundaries. Take the humble kettle for instance. It's a sign of the times that you can now purchase a kettle you can control from your phone via the internet. It will even send you notifications when it needs filling or if it's at optimum temperature. Because it was hard to tell before. Joking aside, one place where interconnectivity really is making a difference is on the factory floor. Here Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of EU Automation, takes a look at one of the casualties of fluid communication in the factory. That is, the death of proprietary networks and communication protocols in favour of the uninhibited free flow of data.

7th September 2016

Water-cooling for power supplies: the benefits

Using water-cooling for electrical devices has always a stigma due to the combination of liquid and electricity. Here, Steve Hughes, managing director of REO UK, investigates the benefits of this technology

7th September 2016

How to select the right shaft coupling for a rotary encoder

This article from Abssac offers some useful tips and advice for selecting the correct type of shaft coupling for rotary encoder applications.

6th September 2016

Motors: the tip of the iceberg for drivetrain efficiency?

Fuelled by the introduction of more stringent IE efficiency classes, manufacturers are chasing headline efficiency figures which could only have been dreamed of just 10 years ago. There's no denying that this is a positive thing for industry, but is motor efficiency just the tip of the iceberg?

2nd September 2016

Change bad gear oil habits: accurately monitor oil condition

Here, Mark Burnett, VP of the Lubricants and Fuel Additives Innovation Platform at NCH Europe, explores how businesses can improve the effectiveness of their gear oil.

31st August 2016

Modular automation control supports Industrie 4.0

This article from Pilz explains how a modular automation platform - for controlling both safety and standard automation functions across separate machine modules - supports the adoption of Industrie 4.0.

30th August 2016

Intelligent rotary encoders help implement Industry 4.0

Jeff Smoot, VP of application engineering and motion control at CUI, discusses how intelligent rotary encoders can help machine builders implement Industry 4.0 principles.

29th August 2016

Infrared windows - a question of standards

The minimum requirements necessary for certifying a product to UL standards are usually sufficient to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the product; is that statement true or false? Well, in the case of an infrared (IR) window this is not necessarily true as specific application details must be factored in before its use can be deemed "˜safe'.

25th August 2016

10 top tips for specifying test equipment

The PEAK Group designs and builds electronic test rigs for a wide range of products - from domestic appliances to aero engine controllers. Some of the company's products are truly innovative and offer new levels of effectiveness, rapidity and thoroughness. Karl Miles, technical sales manager at PEAK Production Equipment Ltd, offers 10 top tips for specifying test equipment, whether for use as a standalone test system or for incorporation as a test station within an automated manufacturing system.

23rd August 2016