Machine Building

Plastic recycler goes greener by swapping to AC drives

Maintenance costs have been reduced significantly at a plastic recycling plant by replacing the DC drive on the critically important compounder with a variable speed AC system.

3rd April 2013

Control Techniques drives help Titanic Belfast open on time

Titanic Belfast, the world's largest Titanic Visitor Experience, was built to continue the story and legacy of the world's most famous ship; to celebrate Belfast's great ship-building feats and commemorate Titanic's tragic maiden voyage and loss of life. Titanic Belfast is located in the heart of Belfast, Northern Ireland, on the slipways where the Titanic was built. It measures 14,000m ² and accommodates nine galleries of interactive exhibition space, an underwater exploration theatre, recreations of the ship's decks and cabins, banqueting facilities, Titanic Store and a cafÃ© and bistro. The unique architectural design was influenced by several maritime themes, including the insignia of the White Star Line.

3rd April 2013

Atlas Copco compressors power Bio-CNG filling station

Atlas Copco Greenfield compressors are playing an integral role at the UK's largest Biomethane Compressed Natural Gas (Bio-CNG) filling station, in Crewe, in keeping with the company's global commitment to a cleaner environment and sustainable productivity. The newly opened filling station, which is operated by CNG Services Ltd., provides fuel that can offer an 80 per cent reduction in CO2 and NOX emissions, and has the potential to lower transport operators' fuel cost per mile by nearly a third.

2nd April 2013

Van maker saves 30 per cent on pump energy costs

Loctite polymer composites protect parts against attack. These ceramic reinforced epoxies extend the life of new components and restore the worn surfaces of old ones. They create a sacrificial and renewable working surface, protecting the structural integrity of the original substrate.

28th March 2013

Faster laminating through machine innovation

With competitors' laminating machines running at line speeds of 20 to 25 m/min, a new design capable of 120 or even 180 m/min offers clear productivity advantage. Autobond Ltd of Heanor are meeting these high production speeds with their new laminating machines. Achieving this huge step-up in speed presented them with a challenge which they met in partnership with Lenze. The Lenze "˜easy engineering' approach meant working closely with the customer from the initial idea, optimising the design from alternatives in a wide product portfolio, using strong application knowledge and powerful sizing software.

28th March 2013

Sensor Technology helps to extract power from the sea

Dedicated to developing innovative hydrokinetic turbines to generate "˜green' energy from the motion of the sea, Irish company Tidal Energy Limited (TEL) recently had a pressing need for a way of accurately of measuring the power produced by its scale-model prototypes. Equipment from Sensor Technology provided a convenient and dependable solution where other methods had failed.

27th March 2013

Schaeffler replaces main trunnion bearings on BOS plant vessels

Schaeffler UK was part of the team that successfully completed the replacement of the main trunnion bearings on a BOS (Basic Oxygen Steelmaking) plant at Tata Steel Port Talbot.

26th March 2013

Planetary drives: a compact option for mobile paper shredders

When Whitham Mills Engineering was looking for a drive for its mobile paper shredder it turned to Brevini Power Transmission for assistance. The company required a compact system which would keep the weight of the product down thus increasing the shredding vehicle's payload. Fortunately Brevini was able to supply a complete solution using its high-efficiency planetary gearboxes combined with hydraulic motors from its sister company, Brevini Fluid Power.

22nd March 2013

Atlas Copco compressors help reduce carbon emissions

CHEP has achieved significant energy savings through the installation of energy-efficient Atlas Copco compressors at its pallet production and repair sites in the UK. The savings from the installation have been measured at over 1000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

21st March 2013

Unmanned aerial system built with additive manufacturing

A project to develop an unmanned aerial system has involved two companies: FLYING-CAM and CRP Group. Their aim was the construction of a Special Aerial Response Automatic Helicopter: SARAH

21st March 2013