Machine Building

Applications

Skydivers practise indoors with CC-Link industrial network

A new indoor skydiving centre, just opened in Basingstoke, UK, uses cutting-edge CC-Link industrial communications to provide thrill seekers with an exciting, yet safe, aerial experience.

4th September 2014

Edale opts for SensPart's miniature contrast sensor FT 25-RGB

Speed and accurate differentiation of even the lowest contrasts are essential for detection of printing marks on continuous material. Edale, UK manufacturer of flexo printing presses, amongst other machinery, found that SensoPart's miniature contrast sensor fulfilled both requirements when it came to replacing the standard sensors it previously used, saving not just space but also halving the costs.

4th September 2014

All-in-one PLC/HMI for centralised control and monitoring system

Thanks to Unitronics all-in-one PLC/HMI controllers, Rene Tomingas FIE is helping the city of Rakvere, Estonia to start obtaining more than 80 percent of its heat energy from renewable sources.

4th September 2014

LG Motion Ltd supply actuator & motion control for tyre test rig

Helping to set the final touches for the Formula Student 2014 racing season, Team Bath Racing have been busy developing a much advanced tyre test rig which utilises a single axis linear actuator and precision servo drive supplied by Basingstoke-based motion specialist LG Motion.

3rd September 2014

Croft creates cost and carbon efficient filter with 3D printing

Croft Additive Manufacturing's Straightliner Filter has been created using additive manufacturing to deliver energy savings when compared with a conventional filter.

3rd September 2014

Hepcomotion benefits set in stone at Medway Marble

Medway Marble, a specialist in granite worktops and a long-time user of HepcoMotion linear motion products, says it has recently sold a stone-cutting table-type machine featuring HepcoMotion parts for nearly the same value as it was built some 12 years ago. In the years between, the machine has been exposed to an extremely aggressive stone cutting environment - grinding dust turns to an abrasive paste when it mixes with coolant water from the cutting wheel.

3rd September 2014

Multiple use of sensors: precision guided weed control equipment

Garford Farm Machinery designs and manufactures advanced environmentally sustainable agricultural equipment that solves large-scale weed control and crop cultivation for farming worldwide. Its "˜Robocrop' range employs a specially developed precision guided vision system - for weeding, hoeing or spraying - that uses real-time digital image analysis in conjunction with a hydraulic servo "˜sideshift' assembly that laterally positions various multiple tools exactly on or within the crop rows as the tractor mounted equipment is driven forwards. The precision guided tools are used for mechanical weed control; to remove individual unwanted plants, hoe between rows of plants, or spray rows of plants - with impressive lateral positional accuracies of better than 10mm at average tractor speeds of 12 km/hr.

3rd September 2014

PI positioning stages help reveal secrets of teeth

Tooth decay is often revealed by an X-ray taken in the dentist's chair. The image taken is relatively coarse and only reveals the presence of the problem, what it doesn't show is detail about the mechanism that has led to the decay. Understanding the processes that occur during tooth decay and indeed repair involves researchers looking at concentrations of minerals such as Calcium present in the structure. X ray microtomography is now helping researchers at Queen Mary, University of London (QMUL) gain a deeper understanding of these underlying processes by generating high resolution images that can detail mineral concentrations in the tooth. The image generation involves scanning the tooth and X-ray detector with high precision over an extended time period. PI linear and rotary stages, chosen for their precision and long-term reliability, have been successfully employed in this research work for a number of years.

3rd September 2014

Multi-pedal footswitch/joystick on ophthalmic surgery microscope

Herga Technology designs and supplies hand and foot controls for medical equipment applications. The diverse requirements for this demanding industry calls for single and multi-pedal switch control products that cover contact and non-contact electric switching as well as pressure and vacuum switching technologies. For many medical applications areas, Herga is able to call upon its IEC/UL 60601 approval status to supply what it terms as "˜standard' products that effectively still offer customers a wide choice of selectable feature options for the actual operating specification of the device as well as its styling and aesthetics. These options extend to switching/sensing parameters, number of switches, mechanical and electrical interfacing, colours, customer logos etc.

3rd September 2014

Video analysis: Keeping on track for World Cup success

With video analysis an essential part of professional football, all clubs in the first and second divisions in Germany used the VIS.TRACK tracking system during the seasons 2011/12 and 2012/13. In addition, trainers of FIFA World Cup winners, Germany, used parts of this system (VT.PanoramicView) during the tournament preparations. VIS.TRACK was jointly developed by deltatre (formerly known as IMPIRE) and Stemmer Imaging.

1st September 2014