Machine Building

Linear chain takes the heat at BMW Mini

The capabilities of the Linear Chain Actuator from R. A. Rodriguez have assisted Maypole Engineering in the design and manufacture of a turnkey conveyor and oven system for the main BMW Mini wiring loom. Its compact design and ability to operate without pneumatics helped ensure the success of the project. In fact, the system could become a BMW standard - Maypole reports it now has enquiries for further systems from South Africa, China and the Netherlands.

1st October 2014

Drilling to new limits in Antarctica with maxon motors

Climate change, its effect on CO2, on the world's weather and the future of our planet, is a subject of great discussion; but how do you measure the atmosphere from thousands of years ago? Using Maxon Motors British Antarctic Survey plans to look further than ever before.

1st October 2014

Efficient cooling from Rittal

Germany manufacturer SHW Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH manufactures moving column machine tools. Machinery from the company includes a 200-ton moving column milling machine, the PowerForce 8, which is used to mill wind turbine stators with an internal diameter of 6.5 m. At the heart of the mill is a new, variable, universal milling head of orthogonal design with a drive power of 90kW and a torque of up to 1725Nm. SHW relies on the new Blue e generation of cooling devices from Rittal to exploit every possible efficiency potential in enclosure climate control.

30th September 2014

Bauer gear motors for steel mill overhead crane

When Kranbau Köthen, a major European manufacturer of overhead cranes, was commissioned to develop a new series of cranes for use in the scrap yard of a global steel producer's mill in Luxembourg, it turned to gear motor specialist, Bauer, part of Altra Industrial Motion.

29th September 2014

Sims Metals Management selects WEG motor for shredder

Sims Metals Management has once again chosen WEG to design, build and supply a new, bespoke, high-voltage motor for its metal recycling operations in the UK. Designed to fit into the exact footprint of the legacy OEM equipment, the new 6.6kV, 3MW motor was the most cost-effective option available for the giant shredder based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, which processes over 1000 tonnes of scrap per day.

26th September 2014

Modernisation instead of a new production line

A combination of existing tried-and-tested machinery and newly purchased used equipment plus drive and control updates is a real alternative to the acquisition of a new production line - especially if there are specialised requirements for this plant. A project of the Hohenberger Tapetenmanufaktur GmbH located in the south east of Germany illustrates this fact. This manufacturer of high-quality wallpaper has recently re-built a production line adding used printing units, and had the plant equipped with automation technology from Lenze. As a result, Hohenberger have a line for the production of eco-friendly wallpaper which is precisely tailored to the requirements of the company and costing less than a comparable new line.

26th September 2014

DC-bus connection makes energy saving easy

By changing from DC to three-phase AC technology, the world's largest provider of corrugated board plant BHS has considerably improved the energy efficiency of its machines. The company today uses a drive system created in close collaboration with Lenze who acted as its partner in the project. The core elements are Lenze 9400 servo drives and an effective DC-bus connection system. Peter Michler, Head of Development at BHS, says: "They enable us to lower the peak load and this is the key point".

26th September 2014

Intelligent prosthetics use Maxon brushed DC motors

Using two brushed DC motors from Maxon Motor, prosthetic specialist Endolite have developed a new award-winning foot and ankle system that will revolutionise amputees' walking abilities.

24th September 2014

Orbital welding bug uses DCX motors

Gridweld Welding Systems has developed a new automatic pipeline welding crawler. This advanced unit uses online configurable DC motors from Maxon Motor's DCX family.

24th September 2014

Rubber industry to benefit from hepco ring track technology

Newark-based CJ Waterhouse, a specialist in the design and manufacture of bespoke, automated materials handling and weighing machinery, is using the HepcoMotion Precision Ring Track (PRT2) in an enhanced version of an established system.

23rd September 2014