Machine Building

Smaller, lighter motor will comply with IE4

For OEMs of continuous driven equipment such as pumps, fans or compressors, design engineers could be incorporating into products motors that will offer customers significant operating savings, as well as enabling them to design products that could be smaller and lighter.

10th July 2013

Direct versus Indirect measurement of shaft angle

As a rule, it's preferable to measure directly the position or speed of the object that you are interested in. In many cases, practical problems of physical environment or limited space mean that this can be a challenge, particularly when measuring the angle of shafts with a diameter greater than a couple of inches. The traditional approach is to measure angular position or speed indirectly - typically inferring the shaft's position from measurements made elsewhere. Mark Howard of Zettlex Ltd describes the traditional approach and a new, direct approach enabled by inductive sensors

9th July 2013

SAW transducers: A better way to measure torque

Measuring torque accurately, particularly in rotating shafts, can often be challenging, but there is a reliable approach using technology based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) transducers, says Mark Ingham of Sensor Technology.

3rd July 2013

Vert-X 16 encoder: precision for demanding applications

As diverse as the industrial applications are - medical and industrial applications, the automotive industry, energy sector, railway technology or robotics - the demands are very similar. This particularly applies to angle measurement, where features like safety, confined installation space, high price sensitivity and maximum accuracy are key requirements.

1st July 2013

Materials and coatings increase operating life of bearings

Dr Steve Lacey, Engineering Manager at Schaeffler UK, discusses the importance of selecting a special surface coating or corrosion-resistant material for rolling, plain and linear bearings operating in harsh food, beverage or packaging environments.

1st July 2013

Non-Destructive Testing - how far should you go?

Every day millions of components are produced around the world to help build everything from a simple toy to fighter jets. For every manufacturer involved in the process, a decision must be made on how to test the component to ensure it meets the design criteria. For the vast majority, batch inspection and testing is sufficient; however, where high-precision engineering is involved the testing must be exhaustive and comprehensive. Components for aerospace, motorsport, medical devices and other ultra critical areas are required to be tested to a very high standard.

28th June 2013

Nord solutions for the extended energy-efficiency directive

The European Commission has initiated a significant tightening of the energy-efficiency directive for electrical devices, leaving more users of drive technology faced with new challenges. By providing comprehensive information, fast, expert support, and suitable drive products, Nord Drivesystems aims to enable machinery and equipment manufacturers to continue producing economically compelling products that comply with all regulations.

27th June 2013

Valves - when to repair or replace?

When it comes to process, pilot and actuation valves, the question of whether it is advisable to repair or replace a worn or intermittent unit is worth considering, regardless of the type or the size. Tom Carnell, Systems Applications Manager, from valve manufacturer Burkert UK gives his advice as a basic guide.

24th June 2013

Clamping systems for precision down to the smallest detail

Whether its die construction, dental technology, medical equipment or the watchmaking, jewelry or optical industries - the number of high-precision applications for micro machining has risen enormously in recent years. Anyone who wants to take an efficient approach to delicate tooling, high spindle speeds and extreme requirements for precision must have clamping systems that offer stable processes.

16th June 2013

Reliable data connections for Industrial Ethernet

Data is everywhere and an integral part of today's control and process industries. There is nothing new about the use of data in industrial applications, but increasing volumes and real-time demands present real challenges for system designs. Planning for future system requirements is therefore an important consideration. Building extra capacity into a system for future needs starts with the architecture and is reflected in the component parts.

10th June 2013