Machine Building

Digitalisation and servitisation: the competitive advantage?

Professor Tim Baines, director of Aston Business School's Advanced Services Group and an international authority on servitisation, discusses how manufacturers can broaden the horizons of their digital transformation to capture more value from their products.

13th June 2018

Fastener security - requirements and options

When a manufacturer is considering security issues around fasteners, generally there are three aspects: The ability of the fastener to securely do its job and withstand problems such as vandalism; How secure will the fastener be in service, how for example will it seal or retain components and/or fluids? How confident can I be in my selection and my supply chain? These are vital matters addressed by Kevin Moorcroft and his team at Challenge Europe.

8th June 2018

Can you use liquid threadlockers on electrical fixings?

'Threadlocking' means preventing threaded fixings from loosening due to vibration. There are many mechanical ways to do this, including split pins, locking nuts and special washers, but the term 'threadlockers' usually refers to chemical products that retain a threaded joint. Liquid threadlockers have become popular because they reduce the parts inventory, are easy to apply and are low-cost. However, as global EMC specialist Keith Armstrong explains, if used incorrectly they can create significant problems for safety and EMC.

1st June 2018

Condition monitoring: a key part of I4.0 and the "˜Dark Factory'

While Condition Monitoring (CM) systems are continuing to prove their value in industrial applications, many companies are still unsure how CM should fit into their Industry 4.0 strategy and the automated "˜lights-out' factory, says Ian Pledger, Service Engineer at Schaeffler UK.

30th May 2018

Machine learning: Seeing behind the curtain

Richard Chamberlain, Strategic Product Manager (Service) at Bosch Rexroth, offers some insight into machine learning and the benefits it brings to applications such as predictive maintenance, where it can increase fault detection rates to over 95 per cent.

25th May 2018

An end to the boring task of marking terminals and cables

Ashleigh Camp, a Digital Marketing Specialist at Phoenix Contact Ltd, offers her views on marking.

25th May 2018

What to look for when selecting linear brakes

Linear brakes are often used to secure gravity-loaded axes in machines and systems. The idea is to permanently exclude the possibility of inadvertent lowering of loads and impermissibly long stopping distances. Only in this way can people and material be reliably protected against falling loads. A critical glance at the technical product details and the performance spectrum of the provider is therefore imperative when selecting brakes.

22nd May 2018

Lee Spring Belleville Washers - big power, small space

When an application calls for high spring loading in a small space, then Lee Spring believe that Belleville washers can often be the complete spring solution. Their conical configuration enables them to support high loads with relatively small deflections and solid heights compared to helical springs. Belleville Washers are often used to solve vibration, thermal expansion, relaxation, and bolt creep problems.

18th May 2018

How to manage a mixed team of humans and collaborative robots

Steve Jobs once said, "Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." In the manufacturing industry, collaborative robots are joining the team to achieve even greater things. Here Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of industrial obsolete parts supplier EU Automation, explains how to manage a mixed team of collaborative robots and humans.

10th May 2018

Keep your old servos

Servo motors are reliable workhorses that will typically operate virtually maintenance free on most applications for 10 to 15 years before they will eventually need to be replaced. In fact, it isn't uncommon at all for quality servos to last longer, and some operators are still running motors that are over 15 years old with no performance or maintenance issues at all.

2nd May 2018