Machine Building

PCB Piezotronics sensors for monitoring wind turbines

PCB Piezotronics offers a broad range of sensors and instrumentation for permanent installation and testing of wind turbines and turbine components.

6th March 2013

Dry-running linear systems enable lubricant-free operation

The output of highly complex nappy production lines at Ontex Mayen has tripled over the past few years without any investment in new machines. This has been made possible by ensuring that the production line runs with virtually no downtime, as well as to continual improvements made on the production process. In addition, set-up times have been reduced significantly. The necessary flexibility when changing to different formats is guaranteed by various linear bearings from igus, which fulfil all manufacturing requirements. The drylin bearings are designed to operate in rough and dirty conditions, working 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

5th March 2013

Quiet and reliable linear actuation for historic house extension

For most HepcoMotion applications, the technical qualities of its linear slide systems are the primary consideration but for a recent architectural project, aesthetics were of equal importance. So too was the linear motion expertise that HepcoMotion was able to supply. The company worked closely with the architect and the glazing contractors to provide a reliable and visually appealing solution.

5th March 2013

Mitsubishi Electric Robot picks stem cells

A dynamic British company has harnessed the precision of robots, flexibility of machine vision and powerful laboratory automation software to push forward research into stem cells, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and genomics.

28th February 2013

Energy chain system increases uptime for Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover has reduced the downtime on one of its factory robots by 66 per cent thanks to installing equipment from igus UK. Triflex RS is a very compact multi-axial energy supply system that safely houses the energy cables, and as a result, enables manufactures to increase reliability and make operational cost savings.

28th February 2013

Drive system upgrades for high-speed paint lines

Faced with an obsolete DC drives system and an ageing relay control which was making process improvements difficult, an aluminium manufacturer called on the expertise of Siemens solution partner, Iconsys and the latest technology from Siemens Industry.

27th February 2013

Sensors and communications combine to improve production hygiene

With consumers increasingly demanding food that is as fresh as possible while being free from preservatives, hygiene requirements are becoming ever more stringent. This is only possible if the design of all the production systems is geared towards hygiene. Gilbert Schwartmann from HBM and John Browett of the CLPA look at associated developments in hardware and control technology.

27th February 2013

ABB wins order for 2400 gluing and spot welding robots from BMW

ABB is poised to start the New Year with a bang following the order of 2400 robots by BMW Group. Over the next three years the robots will be installed at factories in Regensburg and Leipzig, Germany, as well as in Tiexi, China. The ABB robots will mainly be used for material handling tasks, as well as gluing and spot welding processes.

25th February 2013

Hylec-APL weatherproof connectors give underwater peace of mind

It's well documented that the sea hides many billions of pounds worth of lost riches just waiting to be claimed, and there are many adventurous souls out there who are willing to take on the challenge. But treasure hunting in deep water throws up unique challenges in terms of equipment. The high pressures and corrosive nature of the sea water means that only the hardiest of components are suitable for use. Now a manufacturer of underwater detection equipment has used TeeTube connectors from Hylec-APL for its latest product design.

20th February 2013