Machine Building

Quality assurance for PROFIsafe products and systems

This article from Profibus & Profinet International outlines the quality-related issues surrounding PROFIsafe.

29th July 2008

The benefits of combining functions in automation products

Robert Brooks, Product Marketing Manager for Motion and Drives at Omron Electronics Limited, looks at the trend to bring product functionality together into multi-functional devices.

25th July 2008

How to specify castors

What follows is a short guide to specifying castors - and a link to more thorough advice on the Ross Handling website.

25th July 2008

How IO-Link can save costs

Bryan Hall, the Marketing Director of Balluff, presents a practical view of the new IO-Link system for connecting I/O and identifies areas where it can save costs.

17th July 2008

An introduction to IO-Link for sensors and actuators

25 automation technology manufacturers have defined a new standardised interface, IO-Link, to enable better use to be made of smart sensors and actuators, thereby saving time and costs for machine builders and end users.

9th July 2008

CANopen communication protocol - an introduction

Holger Zeltwanger, the managing director of CiA (CAN in Automation), outlines the background to CANopen, the device and application profiles, and the advantages CANopen offers machine builders, system integrators and end users.

9th July 2008

A comparison of gas flow meter technologies

Andrew Mangell, MD of Bronkhorst UK, reviews current gas flowmeter technologies

7th July 2008

What to do when specifying industrial robots and workcells

Stirling Paatz, of robot integrators Barr & Paatz, provides 12 tips for avoiding mistakes when specifying industrial robots and robot workcells.

2nd July 2008

How configurable components help machine builders

This article from Misumi explains how medium and small machine builders can benefit from using suppliers of configurable components, thereby avoiding the heavy investment often made by larger companies in 'standardisation.'

26th June 2008

Motor efficiency and the benefits of raising power factor

Adrian Larmour, general manager of Deritend Birmingham, explains how correcting motor power factor can improve efficiency, increase distribution capacity and extend equipment life.

23rd June 2008