Machine Building

Pros and cons of alternative code reading technologies

Tim Stokes, an auto ident specialist with Sick (UK), discusses the alternative technologies that are available for automatic part identification, and how to select the right one for a given application.

8th January 2016

Reinvesting in your palletising operation: 2016 AIA tax relief

Since 2008, the HMRC annual investment allowance (AIA) has been revised four times and from 1st January 2016 will drop from an interim allowance of £500k to the highest permanent AIA ever of £200k. Managing Director of Pacepacker Services, Dennis Allison, shows how much £200,000 could buy you in automated palletising equipment, illustrates the ROI and explains why it is better to invest in new business assets than simply give the tax authority your hard earned profits.

7th January 2016

Resurgence for two-speed motors

Two-speed motors can bring flexibility to many machines, and more engineers are coming to appreciate the technology. Lucie Hodkova of Exico explains why they can be the right option for many applications.

19th December 2015

Measuring pH in a food-safe environment

Food processing covers a wide range of activities all of which require both food safety and quality standards to be met to ensure that consumers receive high-quality products. One of the more vital parameters that plays a part in this is pH, since it governs both physical and chemical reactions during food production as well as inhibiting the growth of pathogens. Ian Webster, Hygienic Processing Segment Manager at Bürkert UK, looks at the importance of measuring pH and the most efficient methods of achieving accurate pH control.

19th December 2015

Nanometre resolution non-contact confocal displacement sensors

Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon UK, discusses how non-contact confocal displacement sensors are helping companies to inspect the shape, size and surface topography of MEMS structures to nanometre resolution.

19th December 2015

Precision power transmission component specification

Whether you're building a prototype, starting a new production run or sourcing replacement parts, specifying power transmission components that integrate with each other, run reliably and fit to the necessary footprint can prove challenging. Once real life commercial considerations are also factored in it can be hard to identify the right options for any given project. Working with knowledgeable distributors, like Drive Lines Technologies, gives engineers access to expert knowledge which can increase the profitability of many projects.

16th December 2015

Ten top torque tips

Driveshafts deliver power as a rotary force, and in most applications there is a need to know the amount of power in the system. But getting measurements from a turning shaft requires some engineering ingenuity, so here Tony Ingham from Sensor Technology in Banbury runs through the basics.

10th December 2015

Process control design - don't let ATEX restrict your plans

Manufacturers have developed a huge range of products and systems that can be combined and integrated to produce bespoke process control systems. However, when the application involves operating in potentially explosive atmospheres, designers could be forgiven for thinking that the choice of design might be restricted...

10th December 2015

The top three ways power quality affects your business

When lightning strikes sand a beautiful crystal, a fulgurite, is created. However, a lightning strike on the power grid is not as pleasant, as Google recently discovered. When lightning struck the local power grid supplying one of its data centres in Belgium - four times - several of the discs stored there were completely wiped. Here, Steve Hughes managing director of REO, takes a look at the top three ways power quality can affect your business's electronic systems.

4th December 2015

The importance of Management of Change in alarm rationalisation

For the process industries, it is essential to manage change when making modifications to alarms and alarm systems. Management of Change (MoC) should therefore be a fundamental process within the alarm management lifecycle, says Ian Brown, Alarm Rationalisation & Services Manager at M.A.C. Solutions.

2nd December 2015