Machine Building

Custom CNC is at heart of groundbreaking laser cutting machine

Customised CNC technology from NUM is helping the laser cutting machine manufacturer Favor Laser to accelerate product development and address new markets. Using special hardware and software designed by NUM, the Taiwanese company has developed a high-precision laser cutter that is capable of producing very small or very large parts from sheet metal, with a feed rate of up to 60m per minute. This new machine will mark Favor Laser's entry into the high-performance end of the market, which the company intends to penetrate rapidly through a groundbreaking combination of performance and highly aggressive pricing that will reduce the costs of these machines by some 20 per cent.

18th April 2013

Adhesives and sealants for equipment repairs

Henkel outlines ways in which its Loctite, Nordbak and Hysol adhesives and sealants can be used to repair machinery and equipment in demanding industries such as water treatment.

17th April 2013

Micro lock made by Camlock Systems ensures IT security

Zentner Elektrik-Mechanik GmbH has chosen a lock manufactured by Camlock Systems to protect their IT enclosures from unauthorised access.

16th April 2013

Composite junction boxes used on RN aircraft carriers

BVT Surface Fleet Solutions is currently undergoing the process of building two of the world's largest aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy; the HMS Queen Elizabeth, due to be completed in 2016, and the HMS Prince of Wales, due to be completed in 2018. Rather than using traditional metal junction boxes, which are prone to corrosion damage and denting, the ship builder has opted to specify Spelsberg's tough, polycarbonate Abox range.

15th April 2013

Bürkert valves help TV science show with 360 degree swing

Popular BBC science show Bang Goes the Theory is designed to stimulate interest in technology and engineering, the show's tag line is to "˜Discover and challenge the scientific principles that shape your world'. In order to do this they recently chose to test if the childhood story of someone being pushed all the way up and over 360 degrees on a park swing was possible, or an urban myth. Helping to make the water-powered jet pack work reliably in the experiment was a crucial piece of technology from solenoid valve specialist Bürkert.

15th April 2013

Miniature lead screws are cost-effective and high-performance

Abssac has developed cost-effective, high-performance miniature lead screw assemblies for two mechatronic applications in the medical sector.

11th April 2013

Customised stainless steel enclosures for onshore applications

Eldon is supplying customised stainless steel enclosures to FASEK for use with ball valves manufactured for the onshore oil and gas industry.

11th April 2013

Mitsubishi Electric brings automation to baking technology

Mitsubishi Electric offers a wide range of automation products and services for the baking industry ranging from the automation of simple inverter-controlled dough mixing applications that can improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by means of a patented algorithm, to robot technology for increasing production. Production, energy and quality data can be communicated continuously without any problems using the MES-IT interface module. In order to do this, production data and test results are recorded during each stage of production, from individual processes to whole production operations, and transferred in real time directly to higher-level systems.

10th April 2013

CamdenBoss custom enclosures prove hit at Fringe

When UK manufacturer Fringe Electronics needed a new enclosure for its Easy-Tune TV amplifier and signal finder, the company approached CamdenBoss, who came up with a product that offered a quick route to market and low set-up costs. The result was so successful that Fringe is now gearing up for higher-volume manufacture in less than 12 months. Carl Spencer, Production and Quality Engineer at Fringe Electronics, takes up the story.

10th April 2013

Flexible non-contacting measurement of motor speed

Motor speed is usually measured by means of an internal sensor bearing or an optical encoder with fixed pulse counts, whereby a separate sensor or code disc (code wheel) is required for each pulse count. This has a negative effect on flexibility and storage.

9th April 2013