Machine Building

Croft 3D prints bespoke filter in record time

Croft Additive Manufacturing has introduced additive manufacturing (AM) to laboratory and production mixers developers, Eiger Torrance, with a bespoke wedge wire filter.

2nd November 2015

Magnetic encoders: reliable operation for deep water imaging

High-accuracy magnetic ring encoders made by RLS, a Renishaw associate company, are used by Martech of Dorset in its Pan and Tilt units for positioning subsea sonar-imaging devices. The company chose the AksIM encoders because they offered non-contact reliability and could be easily customised for working at depths down to 3000m.

31st October 2015

Light section sensors: reliable detection of medicine packages

Whenever the position or volume of moving or static objects needs to be determined, light section sensors from Leuze electronic offer suitable application products. Applications such as the fully automated warehousing modules for pharmacy picking systems from Gollmann show that the advantages over camera-based image processing systems are not only in the price.

30th October 2015

Special effects experts use ESAB welding and cutting equipment

s-f-x.com specialises in pyrotechnic, atmospheric, mechanical and electronic special effects for television, films, music videos and commercials. Since the 1980s the company has been involved in high-profile projects ranging from Top Gear and Taggart, to Dead Man Running and Captain Corelli's Mandolin. A common requirement is for dramatic sparks, which are traditionally produced using pyrotechnics. However, pyrotechnics have risks associated with them due to their highly combustible nature and the heat generated when they burn, plus they require safe storage and create a major administrative burden because they are classified as hazardous. Ten years ago Scott MacIntyre, the founder and now Special Effects Supervisor at s-f-x.com, decided to seek a better alternative and, being aware of industrial welding cutting equipment from a user's perspective, asked his local distributor what might be available for use on-screen.

30th October 2015

Automation equipment service support keeps dairy running

A rapid and successful response to a machine breakdown at a busy dairy has led to an enduring relationship between the dairy and the automation equipment manufacturer, which has been formalised into a comprehensive automation equipment service support contract for the entire plant.

30th October 2015

New ways to interconnect the PROFI-world

Automation engineers frequently need to bridge the gap between different protocols and networks used in a plant, but they also need to enable communication between equipment within the same network family. For example, in the PROFINET and PROFIBUS world, there are many devices and sub-systems that cannot necessarily communicate with each other. It may be necessary to connect different physical formats such as copper and fiber optics or couple/de-couple I/O data between two controlling networks. With their recently upgraded Anybus X-gateways, HMS Industrial Networks can offer ways to get heterogeneous PROFI-equipment connected.

30th October 2015

The Gadget Show goes ghost-hunting with Flir IR camera from PASS

PASS has supplied a Flir One thermal camera case to The Gadget Show for a ghost-hunting feature in the Halloween edition of the programme.

30th October 2015

Testing time for fall arrestors

Safety equipment such as fall arrestors must work perfectly every time they are called into action, so they must be made to the highest standards of manufacture, tested and certified. Only then will users have confidence wearing them.

29th October 2015

Screw jacks from Power Jacks used in athletics training facility

Power Jacks products have been utilised to provide a world-class training facility for athletes at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) High Performance Service Centre. The new High Performance Service Centre, which opened in April 2015, was developed to meet the training requirements of Western Australia's high-performing athletes.

29th October 2015

Single illuminated capacitive switches for medical monitor

Stadium IGT offers a range of single LED illuminated capacitive switch modules that are proving to be critical components to medical equipment manufacturers.

28th October 2015