Machine Building

How to design guards that comply with the Machinery Directive

Paul Laidler, Business Director for Machinery Safety at TUV SUD Product Service, a global product testing and certification organisation, offers the following suggestions to help with the design of machine guarding.

16th August 2013

The trends that are driving electric drives

What does the future hold for electric drives in the industrial automation sector? Currently there are three trends which are dictating development - speed and ease of specification, simplified control and maintenance, and machinery safety. Here, Nigel Dawson, Festo GB's Product Manager for Electric Drives, looks at these trends.

14th August 2013

Cutting costs with remanufactured bearings

In many sectors of industry, it is now common practice to remanufacture rolling bearings as they age in order to extend their operating life. This is especially true of larger bearings used in heavy machinery, including steel and paper mills, and in power generation and renewable energy. Phil Burge, Communication Manager for SKF explains how modern remanufacturing techniques extend bearing life and support sustainability.

14th August 2013

Selecting shaft couplings to suit application requirements

This article from Huco Dynatork explains what types of shaft couplings are suitable for different applications depending on the requirements - such as angular misalignment, axial compliance and torsional stiffness.

8th August 2013

Benefits of cloud-based PLM for machine builders

Colin Watson of Symetri explains how machine builders can benefit from next-generation, cloud-based PLM (product lifecycle management).

8th August 2013

Brevini drives look to improve on traditional axles

Traditionally, vehicle drive systems have been based around axles and in many cases they remain a solid option. However, with vehicle manufacturers constantly looking to reduce size and weight, while still improving performance and profits, a different approach is required. Designers have been turning their attention to wheel and track drives, which incorporate a planetary gear design.

6th August 2013

What's next in process control for the water treatment industry?

Neil Saunders, Sales Manager and water industry specialist at Bürkert Fluid Control Systems UK assesses the requirements for process control and how best to meet current and future requirements.

6th August 2013

Customised enclosures reduce costs and improve quality

Chris Lloyd, General Manager of Spelsberg UK, explains how customised enclosures can reduce installation costs and increase product quality, and why customisation can benefit projects of any size.

2nd August 2013

Ten things machine builders should know about adhesives

This article highlights ten things that machine builders should know about adhesives, in terms of both the bonding of machine components and the automated application of adhesives.

2nd August 2013

How to design machine guards to deter defeating of interlocks

Jeremy Procter, a Member of BSI's MCE/3 committee, former Convenor of the European Standards Committee responsible for Machine Guards (CEN TC114 WG11), and Managing Director of Procter Machine Guarding, explains how the careful design of machine guards can successfully discourage the dangerous practice of defeating interlocks during setting, operation and maintenance.

31st July 2013