Machine Building

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

Automating the plastics industry

One of the biggest challenges for robotics manufacturers is the perception that the technology is here to take the jobs of humans - but that is simply not the case. Unfortunately, the notion that automation poses a threat to jobs often overshadows the potential benefits of investing in the technology. Here, TM Robotics founder and CEO, Nigel Smith, explains how robot technology is affecting the plastics and injection moulding market.

30th April 2018

Getting a grip on awkward products with vacuum lifting

When it comes to gripping and handling irregularly shaped or loosely wrapped products, vacuum lifting is often the only viable solution. But some vacuum lifting systems are decidedly more versatile than others, as Dale Simmonds, Managing Director of Simmatic, explains.

27th April 2018

Arriving now"¦ the factories of the future

Factories populated by autonomous vehicles delivering parts and sub-assemblies across the shop floor, robots working alongside human operators to assemble customised products - all scheduled automatically by live orders placed online. While this is a utopian vision of manufacturing for many and there are certain industry sectors where the journey to smart manufacturing is a long one, there are factories that operate like this right now. So what should we expect from the automation companies and system integrators helping to make it happen? Barry Weller, Product Manager at Mitsubishi Electric provides his view.

26th April 2018

How voice recognition will change industry

Since its release, Amazon has sold over 20 million Echo devices with Alexa - the voice-activated assistant. It has changed the way we complete many daily tasks, from shopping, to getting weather updates. Could it do the same for manufacturing? Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director at obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation, explains how voice recognition technology can improve manufacturing processes.

24th April 2018