Machine Building

Linear position sensors for professional mountain bike set-up

As in all areas of elite sports, teams and competitors go to great lengths to ensure their equipment set-up is optimised for the best possible performance levels. This is certainly the case for Loic Bruni, the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials Downhill World Champion. Loic and his French team have been using Variohm EuroSensor VLP and ELPM linear potentiometers to measure suspension-fork and frame shock absorber travel for more than three years. Fine tuning the set-up is critical and can make match- winning milliseconds of difference to the "˜sag' of the bike - how it sits with the rider in real race conditions - and at the top end of the sport, dynamic measurement is essential.

27th April 2016

Small-scale hydroelectric plant uses Exico motors as generators

One of Wales' most beautiful tourist destinations is now also home to a sensitively designed "green" renewable energy power generation project. The flow of the Afon Lliw, one of the rivers feeding into Lake Bala, is being used at the hamlet of Dolhendre to generate some 600MWh of hydroelectric energy per year, using no fuel whatsoever.

25th April 2016

FANUC gets Swiss condiment plant out of a safety jam

Swiss food manufacturer Hero AG has installed three FANUC 6-axis robots fitted with customised grippers to handle the heavy and labour intensive task of palletising the company's jams and preserves. Operating around the clock, the closed cell provides a fast, reliable and accident -proof alternative to manually stacking boxes of jam as they leave the assembly line.

20th April 2016

Gearbox maintenance for steel manufacturing

For the steel industry it is more important than ever that proper maintenance and repair work be carried out on its plant and equipment to prevent costly and potentially catastrophic failures. Here Andrew Baggaley and Tony Botfield of Brevini UK explain how techniques they have pioneered across several steelworks in the North of England are paying dividends.

20th April 2016

University of Sheffield partners with NI to equip new labs

When re-developing its multidisciplinary engineering programme, The University of Sheffield chose NI as a key partner to help equip and support their new, £81m building. Designed with a stunning aluminium diamond-shaped faÃ§ade and containing 19 state-of-the-art engineering laboratories, The Diamond delivers multidisciplinary, practical, problem-based learning activities, all under one roof.

15th April 2016

TIJ coder proves a reliable, flexible and economical option

A thermal inkjet coder from Rotech has proved to be a flexible, reliable and economical alternative to continuous inkjet coding at Paragon PE, a fast-growing Cheshire manufacturer of sanitisation products. The versatile coder is being shared between two filling lines, applying codes directly to plastic bottles as well as via labels.

13th April 2016

HBM technology ensures wind power forges full speed ahead!

As energy markets continue to grow, HBM offers a complete range of professional measurement products, designed to increase the efficiency of wind power plants.

12th April 2016

Sintox FA alumina ceramic vital for Gripple steel wire joiners

The ongoing relationship between Morgan Advanced Materials and Gripple is proving highly successful in agricultural and industrial applications around the world. By including Morgan's renowned Sintox FA alumina ceramic in their range of steel wire joiners and tensioners designed for use in agriculture and construction, Gripple has distinguished itself from more mainstream competitors. So it is little wonder that this employee-owned business is going from strength to strength, and that Morgan has helped Gripple to deliver more than 20 million units per year to 86 countries.

12th April 2016

Improving the speed and efficiency of a can-packaging line

Bimetec specialises in offering control automation systems to the agricultural and related industries. For one recent project, they retrofitted the can packaging lines at Bakker Brothers Seed, installing PLC control. Bimetec used a Unitronics Vision1210 and a 4.3-inch Samba for the project; these PLCs were a good fit because of their easy-to-use, integrated colour-touch HMIs, advanced communications and single-environment programming software.

11th April 2016

UV/light cure masking resin: protection for turbine components

Intertronics' recent introduction of DYMAX Speedmask 718 UV/light cure masking resin brings the benefits of reliable, quick, effective application and simple removal, to the protection of turbine blades, vanes and other components during specific area surface treatments such as APS and HVOF coating.

8th April 2016