Machine Building

ESAB plasma cutting system used in urgent bridge repair project

A state-of-the-art ESAB Suprarex SXE 5000 plasma cutting system played a crucial role in enabling Watson-Towers Ltd to meet an urgent requirement for structural steel repair plates for the emergency repair of the Forth Road Bridge, which had to be closed with no notice when cracks were discovered in the structure. Within 24 hours of the initial enquiry, the steel companies had cut and delivered plates to the fabricator ready for repairing the bridge. Two key factors enabled the companies to meet this tight deadline: Watson-Towers' stocks of the correct grade of steel, and the ESAB machine's capability to profile and bevel the plates in one go, as manually bevelling the plates would have taken too long.

1st July 2016

Heavy Duty Linear Guides used on automotive production line

When a textile machinery engineering company in Germany were contracted to supply an automated non-woven fabric production machine for an automotive supplier, they were clear they wanted a solution with the key mechanical components sourced from one supplier.

1st July 2016

Electrical installation enables biomass co-generation

WEG has designed and installed an electrical system for biomass energy generation at a major sugarcane processing mill in Mexico. As the first co-generation project in the country, the scheme reuses sugarcane bagasse as a renewable energy resource to generate nearly 155GWh of electricity per year, which would be enough to supply around 28,000 homes with power for 12 months.

30th June 2016

Pacepacker proves its pet food pedigree with case loading cell

A bespoke pick and place cell, designed by Pacepacker Services for loading trays into autoclave baskets, has enabled a UK pet food manufacturer to capitalise on growing demand for wet food in trays and pots.

30th June 2016

Machine vision ensures quality in Altec's grommet sealant system

As a designer and manufacturer of Special Purpose Equipment, Altec Engineering is tasked with finding solutions to a wide variety of manufacturing processes. In every case, quality is paramount and in certain instances the only method of guaranteeing the quality and consistency of the manufacturing process is through the use of machine vision. In this application, Altec utilised machine vision to perform inspection and validation checks prior to and following the application of sealant to rubber grommets.

30th June 2016

Thermal imaging protects biofuel stock piles

The storage of large quantities of organic material always carry the risk of spontaneous combustion and fire. With Europe's commitment to bioenergy through initiatives like the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, this is a growing problem. For energy producers in this sector, such an outbreak is not only a major health and safety issue but also one that involves loss of raw material and production downtime.

28th June 2016

ASG supplies machine guarding for Kawasaki Robotics showroom

ASG has supplied and installed Satech modular perimeter machine guarding for Kawasaki Robotics' showroom.

27th June 2016

Press retrofit increases productivity, availability and safety

Pilz has completed a project to upgrade the control system for an eccentric press from the 1980s, resulting in a modified press that is seemingly as good as a new press in terms of productivity, availability and safety.

24th June 2016

Parker Racor continues its support of Team Aravi truck racing

The Racor Filter Division Europe of Parker Hannifin Corporation is continuing its long-term support of the Team Aravi truck racing team. The team is utilising the Racor Euro 5 HDEP fuel filter module with primary and secondary filtration along with a separately mounted 24 volt brushless pump with external gears on its trucks as it competes in the 2016 Coupe de France camions.

24th June 2016

Cardiff University utilises igus bearings for a smoother season

The challenge? To design, develop, build and market a single seater racing car for the IMechE's annual Formula Student competition. Made up of students from the School of Engineering, Cardiff Racing is currently the number one team in Wales and third in the UK. This year's car, the CR12, is the 12th car to be entered by the University in as many years. Paying particular attention to the car's aerodynamic performance, the undergraduates have implemented many new features.

24th June 2016