Machine Building

Potato recall questions metal contamination prevention policy

Recent high-profile product recalls highlight the question every food business should be asking when deciding to invest in metal detection inspection equipment - how much is your company's reputation worth? Here, Sales Director Phil Brown, at Fortress Technology, discusses the impact and consequences.

21st May 2015

Industry 4.0 in the Food and Beverage industry

The practical advantages that the new cyber-physical interface of Industry 4.0 brings are acknowledged by engineers across a range of industries. Jeremy Shinton, Product Manager - Business Solutions at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Automation Systems Division, explains how food and drink manufacturers in particular can benefit from the implementation of Industry 4.0.

20th May 2015

Under Pressure - sensors in the spotlight

Pressure sensors are used in a whole range of applications, but understanding the differences in design and operation is crucial when specifying a new sensor. These vital components can facilitate a variety of tasks from displaying process information and performing control functions to operating alarms. Kieran Bennett, of process control specialist Bürkert, looks at the range of sensors available, the different technologies used in their design and how the application affects the specification.

19th May 2015

Vibration sensors for curve detection and derailment protection

Berndt Opitz, Development Manager at Micro-Sensor, part of the Micro-Epsilon Group, discusses how high-performance sensors are helping rail operators to increase train maintenance intervals by using curve detection and derailment protection with on-bogie vibration measurement.

15th May 2015

Pacepacker tells £500k plant equipment tax relief secret

As specialists in automation packing, processing and palletising equipment, Pacepacker Services knows its fair share about boosting production efficiency. But when it comes to tax, it was their accountants that recently alerted them to a £500K tax relief incentive on plant equipment (including packing automation systems).

11th May 2015

Isolating medical devices

The increased complexity of medical device setups is causing concern in the medical industry. As more and more healthcare professionals use a variety of electrical equipment as part of their diagnosis and measurement regime, there is a knock-on effect on the stability of the mains power supply. Here, Steve Hughes, managing director at REO UK, explains the importance of electrical isolation and good product design.

8th May 2015

Filling pallets - it's not always as easy as it looks!

If you are currently stacking pallets by hand, have you analysed the manual handling aspects of the people performing this vital function? How high can they reach (safely), how many times do they have to twist, how heavy is each case or sack - is the finished stack ideal for transportation? Paul Wilkinson, Business Development Manager, Pacepacker Services, discusses optimising palletisation.

7th May 2015

Industry 4.0: realising the revolution, cables and energy chains

Again this year Industry 4.0 will be the focus topic of many a seminar, conference and exhibition. Justin Leonard, director, igus asks: "Will the "˜smart factory' concept ever become reality?"

7th May 2015

Cyber-security: a journey, not a destination

Cyber-security has been a hot topic since the Stuxnet incident of a few years ago. Previously it was thought that securing the "˜top end' of an organisation was adequate, but this incident and others like it completely changed the security landscape and highlighted vulnerabilities in the de-facto automation architecture that previously had not been considered. Chris Evans, Marketing & Operations Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Automation Systems Division, explains.

1st May 2015

Ditch the upgrade, source the obsolete part

Upgrades are a normal part of all aspects of life. Everything from phones, computers and hardware to software, cars and even partners can fall victim to the upgrade cycle. Should they be deemed to be in need of a refresh, there is always a simple way of doing it; whether that's clicking a button, buying online or hanging out in trendy bars... However, if the process wasn't so easy, would we be so willing to change?

1st May 2015