Machine Building

Confocal chromatic sensors for precision measurements

Precision laser micromachining specialist OpTek Systems has installed non-contact confocal chromatic sensors from Micro-Epsilon on a number of its laser processing machines. These high-precision confocal displacement sensors are capable of measuring the surface finish and groove depth of difficult materials, ranging from highly reflective, mirrored surfaces to dark, diffuse surfaces.

9th January 2015

A powerful case for infrared windows

As a condition of its insurance cover, a power generating company was required to perform regular preventive maintenance on its switchgear. Regular downtime was not a practical option for the power plant and the hazardous nature of this inspection by traditional means required more manpower and resources than the facility could provide. Management began to re-think its strategy, especially as safety guidelines for the inspection of energised equipment was making the procedure more restrictive, time consuming and costly.

7th January 2015

Tube manipulation specialist embraces all-electric technology

All-electric CNC tube bending machines from Unison have helped the specialist tube manipulation company Toolspec Manufacturing Company Limited to implement a flexible right-first-time manufacturing strategy, enhance production capability and win a major export order worth £500,000.

6th January 2015

Quality control with LRS 36 light section sensors at dairy

The Gropper dairy is well known for its fresh ideas made of milk - after all, the ambitious employees at the innovative dairy in Kesseltal (Bavaria, Germany) love everything to do with milk. Jürgen Kreutz from the Electrical Maintenance department at Gropper had been looking for a "fresh" idea of a different sort for the so-called full-crate check at the end of the cup production line. His idea of solving this task using LRS 36 light section sensors from Leuze electronic reduces the number of sensors, simplifies the application, saves manual conversion required due to the frequent format changes and makes this particular step in the quality assurance procedure more reliable.

18th December 2014

Tsubakimoto delivers innovation to the asphalt industry

The asphalt industry is under constant pressure to deliver fresh, hot asphalt to the road paving companies. It is a process that cannot afford a broken link in the supply chain. Reliability in the equipment used both for production and for installation is paramount, with lost production time having a significant and cumulative knock-on effect. With this in mind, Tsubaki has developed a range of drive chains that have proven highly effective in reducing costs.

18th December 2014

Integrated PLC and HMI upgrade book-binding machinery

B3Servis d.o.o. has used a Unitronics Vision570 integrated PLC and HMI to update its book-binding machinery and maintain its competitive market edge.

18th December 2014

Vision560 PLC/HMI used for on-vehicle analysis and control

Aaron Oil Company has used a Unitronics Vision560 PLC and HMI for real-time monitoring and control of the processes on board a truck used to collect and separate waste oil and hydrocarbons.

18th December 2014

Textile machinery upgraded with all-in-one PLC and HMI units

A Turkish textile plant has upgraded its machinery using Unitronics V130-33-TR20 integrated PLC and HMI devices, selecting these for their compactness, all-in one technology, price, excellent technical support and easy communication with SCADA software.

16th December 2014

Integrated PLC and HMI updates rice packaging machine

Unitronics has supplied a Samba SM35-J-T20 integrated PLC and HMI to Imapsa Automation to upgrade a rice filling and packaging machine, resulting in improved usability and uptime for the end user.

16th December 2014

PLC/HMI donated to students developing biodiesel process

Unitronics has donated a Vision570 PLC with colour touchscreen HMI to students at Rockwood Summit High School who started a project to process biodiesel fuel and have now been granted $100,000 by Monsanto to build a dedicated facility.

16th December 2014