Machine Building

Free flow conveyor reduces car plant downtime

A car manufacturing plant in France has almost completely eliminated the downtime caused by friction wear on conveyors thanks to the installation of Tsubaki Double Plus free flow chain. The robust rollers are resistant to wear, even when a high degree of friction is generated as the crates, which carry small parts through the factory, accumulate on the conveyor.

14th September 2016

Luxury cruise ships to use more than 1000 drives from Danfoss

No fewer than 1080 VACON 100 FLOW AC variable speed drives from Danfoss Drives will be used by Finnish automation and electrification specialist VEO in the electrical systems of four large luxury cruise ships currently being built by German shipbuilder Meyer Werft. The drives, which range in size up to 250kW, will principally be used in HVAC and pump applications.

13th September 2016

Intelligent condition monitoring keeps paper production running

A condition monitoring system installed on a paper coating machine has enabled the Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe plant in Bielefeld, Germany to switch from time-based to condition-based monitoring, helping to avoid unnecessary machine shutdowns. Enabling the new system is a Mitsubishi Electric L-series PLC that operates as a bidirectional gateway between the controller and sensors.

13th September 2016

Major energy saving after Atlas Copco compressed air upgrade

Heritage Trade Frames, a fabricator of domestic and commercial windows, doors and conservatories in the North West of England, has realised annual energy savings of at least £10,000 and pushed up productivity after opting for a compressed air systems upgrade from Atlas Copco.

13th September 2016

All-in-one PLC+HMI reduces control system engineering time

Using Unitronics PLC+HMI all-in-one units, Song Seng Engineering and Services designs and builds visual entertainment and automated management systems. Unitronics enables Song Seng to program these complex control sequences and install the systems quickly, exceeding their customers' expectations with excellent results.

13th September 2016

All-in-one PLC+HMI replaces CNC on gun drilling machine

Shriram Automation needed to replace a faulty CNC controller that was controlling a gun drilling application. The entire CNC was recreated using a Unitronics all-in-one PLC+HMI, which also enabled a user-friendly operator interface to be incorporated thanks to the integrated colour touchscreen HMI. The Unitronics PLC is more reliable than the CNC controller and provides new features backed by excellent technical support.

13th September 2016

Hexagonal bolt temperature probes used for multi-band receivers

Comlab AG, based in Ittigen, Switzerland, is a specialist provider of radio communication equipment. Its digital multi-band repeaters are designed to ensure seamless mobile communication and radio reception in challenging environments such as road and railway tunnels, mines, and other difficult to service areas such as mass transit stations, shopping malls and large commercial buildings. With both standard and user-customised products available that must operate with optimal performance and reliability, they have chosen Variohm EuroSensor ETP-SP-PT platinum series hexagonal bolt temperature sensors as a convenient and cost-effective option to monitor the instrument's amplifier heating characteristics.

6th September 2016

All-in-one PLC+HMI is easy to configure for steam production

Djurdjevic, a meat production company, wanted to automate the boiler used to produce steam and the operating system needed to be efficient and safe. Ideally, the system should operate effortlessly, without requiring human intervention. Using a Unitronics combined PLC+HMI, this goal became a reality.

6th September 2016

All-in-one PLC and HMI delivers programming efficiency gains

Alana-Eco has used a Unitronics Vision570 all-in-one PLC and HMI on its automated EVA system that grows plants in a rotating aeroponic environment, which has provided many advantages over the PLC that was used for the development system, particularly with regard to programming efficiency.

6th September 2016

Anglian Water partners with Schneider to drive smart business

Anglian Water is the largest water supply and water recycling utility in England and Wales by geographic area. It covers over 10,000 square miles from Humber to the Thames estuary and from Buckinghamshire to Lowestoft, servicing approximately 6 million customers. Its mission is to deliver continuous and sustainable services that include providing safe, clean water, keeping water bills affordable and ensuring that the long-term environmental needs of the region are met. Priding itself on driving continuous improvement, it is fully committed to innovation and collaboration.

5th September 2016