Machine Building

How to migrate from EN 954-1 to EN ISO 13849-1 or EN 62061

EN 954-1 ceased to be current at the end of 2011, so companies still using this machinery safety standard need to migrate to either EN ISO 13849-1 or EN 62061. This article provides a roadmap to aid the transition.

27th June 2011

How to choose the right guard safety switch technology

Alex Bryce, the Sales Manager at Pilz Automation Technology, discusses the various switching technologies currently available for machine guarding, and the selection criteria that designers should consider.

14th June 2011

Improving machinability through tolerance management

Martin Raines of Clever4, the company behind the Tolcap tolerance analysis software, outlines five ways in which good communication and accurate tolerancing can be applied in order to predict and improve machinability.

13th June 2011

Safe maintenance and the influence of machine guard design

Jeremy Procter, a Member of BSI's MCE/3 committee (Safeguarding of Machinery), former Convenor of the European Standards Committee responsible for Machine Guards (CEN TC114 WG11), and Managing Director of Procter Machine Guarding, explains the role that machine guarding plays in improving safety during maintenance operations.

4th June 2011

Three-dimensional sensing versus machine vision systems

Ulrich Balbach, the manager of Leuze electronic's Sensors Division and chairman of the Electrical Automation board within the VDMA, explains how three-dimensional sensing can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional machine vision systems.

3rd June 2011

Non-contact transfer unit handles food and sensitive products

Trevor Osborne of Bosch Rexroth explains how Non-Contact Transfer (NCT) systems manufactured from PEEK can bring benefits to the automated handling of delicate food products and components in other industries where cleanliness is essential.

24th May 2011

How to use safety system design to boost productivity

George Schuster CFSE, a Senior Industry Consultant on Safety and Sustainability Solutions at Rockwell Automation, explains how the careful design of safety systems can improve manufacturing performance.

22nd May 2011

Choosing the right technology for positioning applications

Positioning applications are typically fulfilled using servo technology, but Lenze argues that many such projects can now be implemented more cost-effectively, and with adequate performance, using the latest generation of inverter drives.

20th May 2011

How metal working fluids can boost machine shop productivity

Umut Urkun, Industrial Marketing for Europe, Africa and the Middle East at ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties, explains how selecting the right metal working fluids can boost machine shop productivity.

10th May 2011

The need for validation of safety-related control system designs

Paul Laidler of Laidler Associates explains why machine builders need to ensure that their designs for EN ISO 13849-1 safety-related control systems are properly validated.

10th May 2011