Machine Building

The true cost of 'free' technical support for CAD software

Mark Mills of Micro Concepts argues that the cost of 'free' technical support can be measured in terms of lost productivity, innovation and market leadership.

13th June 2008

How to use infrared to simplify inspection tasks

By applying a little lateral thinking, engineers can use infrared cameras for simple-to-deploy 'heat signature' quality assurance tasks that would otherwise be very challenging to implement using alternative inspection technologies.

12th June 2008

Standards and guidance for press brake safety

Kevin Ives, a consultant with Pilz Automation Technology, introduces the key standards and official guidance relating to press brake safety.

12th June 2008

EN ISO 13849-1 and safety-related mechanical components

Due to a lack of relevant data, there appears to be a problem with applying the machinery safety standard EN ISO 13849-1 to systems incorporating mechanical components. The intention is that this web page will provide a forum for designers, suppliers, consultants and others to share their views on this subject.

28th May 2008

ISO 13857, the standard for machinery safety distances

Jeremy Procter, Convenor of the European Standards Committee responsible for Machine Guards, and Managing Director of Procter Machine Guarding, explains how the international standard ISO 13857 relates to the two well known reach distance standards EN 294 and EN 811.

19th May 2008

What are the advantages of machined springs?

Abssac explains what advantages machined springs offer over conventional wire wound types.

6th May 2008

Safety of machinery: EN ISO 12100-1 and EN ISO 12100-2

Jeremy Procter, Convenor of the European Standards Committee responsible for Machine Guards, and Managing Director of Procter Machinery Guarding, discusses parts 1 and 2 of EN ISO 12100, the machinery safety standard.

4th May 2008

How to choose the right type of locking fastener

This article from Spiralock presents four things that engineers need to know about choosing locking fasteners that can result in better, more reliable assemblies.

30th April 2008

A safe, real-time Ethernet protocol - SafetyNET p

Stewart Robinson of Pilz Automation Technology outlines the technology underlying SafetyNET p, a safe real-time industrial Ethernet protocol.

24th April 2008

The right concept for a machine safety-related control system

Stewart Robinson of Pilz Automation Technology explains how the right safety concept can make a significant difference to both the installed price of a machine's safety-related control system and its long-term cost-of-ownership.

24th April 2008