Machine Building

Trending tech for remote access: HTML5 vs. mobile apps

"There's an app for that". Encouraging the development of over 1 million mobile apps, Apple's ubiquitous catchphrase quickly became an icon of its time. Unsure what to have for dinner? Car broken down? Can't get to sleep? Don't fret, the app store probably has you covered. Even in the manufacturing industry, apps are finding a home as one of the best ways to access information. Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of industrial automation supplier European Automation examines the use of apps in industrial environments, compared with their browser-based alternatives.

24th May 2016

Factors to consider in spring design and specification

Chris Petts, Managing Director of Lee Spring Ltd, discusses the factors to be considered when designing and specifying springs.

23rd May 2016

Sensor triggering in production and process automation

When measuring the position of moving targets in production and process automation environments, it is important to understand the different methods of sensor triggering, their impact on measurement cycle times and the benefits they can offer over continuous measurement, says Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon UK.

20th May 2016

How to manage PLC program quality in automotive production

In the automotive sector, high quality plays an important role - and this is already clearly visible in the production process. In order to handle the complex programs of logic controllers, it is advisable to introduce an analysis tool for measuring the quality. PLC Checker from Itris Automation has demonstrated in practice how it significantly enhances the quality of PLC programs written to run on PLCs from various suppliers.

19th May 2016

PUWER Regulation 18 - Control Systems, and applicable standards

This article by Jamie Walton, Head of Consulting at Pilz Automation Technology, explains what you need to know about PUWER Regulation 18, relating to control systems, and the applicable standards.

19th May 2016

Health and safety issues relating to lone working

Every company has an inviolable obligation to look after the health, safety and welfare of its employees. This fundamental duty of care is sacrosanct. It makes employers responsible for protecting people from harm by assessing risks and, where necessary, taking steps to avoid or control them.

17th May 2016

A balancing act: the benefits of using counterbalance technology

Stewart Beck of Southco discusses the performance advantages of counterbalance technology when compared with alternative technologies available on the market.

17th May 2016

Top three industrial trends in 2016

UK manufacturing has faced relatively uncertain times in recent years. The economic collapse of 2008 led to a hostile period of market instability, which coincided with a period of great technological growth - with few of these technologies being properly adopted due to costs. Almost a decade later, these advancements are at last becoming increasingly common in industrial sectors. John Cove, Marketing Manager of metrology and saw blade specialist Starrett, explores these current industry trends.

17th May 2016

Benefits of tape-and-reel delivery of non-electronic components

Tape-and-reel packing of surface-mount electronic components is now well established and widely used by circuit board assemblers and electronic device manufacturers. The technique is now also becoming rapidly taken-up by mechanical assemblers and manufacturers of electro-mechanical devices to help automate assembly. But have you ever stopped to remember what life used to be like in the days before this simple idea hit the factory floor? It is actually a really important question as we look towards the EU referendum, because the best way to summarise the answer is 'We moved production to Asia to save money.'

12th May 2016

Two-speed gearboxes bring flexibility to machine tools

Getting the most out of machine tools means providing the ability to process a range of different materials and to be able to perform both high and low-speed cutting. Ian Carr, Managing Director of Drive Lines, describes how two-speed planetary gearboxes allow the cutting edge power of modern machine tools to be fully realised.

12th May 2016