Machine Building

Drives, motors and software cut energy consumption by 30%

Installing Emerson Industrial Automation engineering drives, motors and crane control software has led to average energy savings of 25-30 per cent on two ship-to-shore (STS) cranes at the Port of Ravenna on Italy's Adriatic Coast.

31st August 2013

Collaborative robot installed on automotive cylinder head line

Volkswagen has integrated a collaborative robotic arm within a cylinder head assembly line, where it is responsible for installing delicate glow plugs. This is the first unguarded collaborative robot in use at Volkswagen worldwide.

31st August 2013

Rotor marine motor is used to stabilise luxury super-yacht

Service engineers asked to replace an electric motor on a yacht's roll stabiliser had to rethink their standard practices when they realised that the vessel in question was the ultra luxurious Hampshire II. The yacht had just completed extensive sea trials prior to being handed over to the owner. While in dock in Barcelona, it was decided to replace the main drive motor on the stabiliser.

31st August 2013

Stable fluids provide consistent performance and save costs

Improved tool life, low foam, improved machine cleanliness and low odour are the benefits that customers can reap when switching to TRIM E905, a key product within the Master Chemical metalworking fluid range. Thanks to its stable formula, this high lubricity emulsion continues to provide long operational life and consistent performance across a wide range of applications in UK manufacturing.

31st August 2013

Precision ring and track system reduces costs

Pipeline Induction Heat (PIH) is using two PRT2 360 degree precision ring systems from HepcoMotion to move three blast heads around oil pipe field joints and provide a key for subsequent coating. The concept has not only reduced the labour cost of a previously manual operation, but delivered far greater process consistency.

30th August 2013

ATM circumferential printing for drug-delivery devices

Manufacturing components for use within a medical environment or application requires particular attention to detail and adherence to the industry's strict specifications and standards. These principles apply to all processes used to manufacture a part, including printing the graduated markings on devices used to dispense or inject drugs. Collaboration between ATM Automation and a UK medical device manufacturer has led to the development of a fully automated product for high-accuracy, high-clarity circumferential printing on a range of drug-delivery components.

30th August 2013

VSD technology from Atlas Copco helps IFF achieve energy savings

Choosing VSD compressor technology from Atlas Copco has helped International Flavours & Fragrances (IFF), a creator of flavours and fragrances for consumer products, achieve major energy savings at its UK manufacturing plant in Haverhill, Suffolk.

30th August 2013

Novel tube bender boosts tubular part fabricator's productivity

A rotating-head tube bender is accelerating the production of complex parts at one of the USA's leading tube and pipe bending fabricators.

29th August 2013

Custom infrared windows are in demand for nuclear engineering

The nuclear industry is a natural market for IRISS industrial grade infrared windows and recent orders certainly prove the point. Process and safety critical systems are central to many operations, so predictive maintenance using IRISS windows is a suitable way to minimise downtime through breakdown. However, it is not just the UK nuclear industry that is benefiting from IRISS technology. Success in the UK has also prompted the receipt of several new orders from the wider Europe, largely for IRISS CAP Series of custom windows.

29th August 2013

WDS refurbish Hydra-Clamps to provide 20 years' further service

The development of prosthetic limb design and manufacturing techniques is crucial to improving the comfort and quality of life for thousands of people across the UK. During manufacture the plaster which is used can easily ingress into the seals of the workholding equipment, rendering it unreliable and in need of replacement. This is why a leading research centre uses Hydra-Clamps from WDS; after 20 years of continuous operation a simple refurbishment is all that was required to ensure continued functionality.

28th August 2013