Siemens Digital Industries Software reports that Nemo’s Garden, a startup focused on sustainable underwater cultivation of crops, has deployed Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio of software and services to shorten its innovation cycles and move more rapidly towards industrialisation and scale.

Swing handles and hinges from Telford-based access hardware manufacturer Industrilas have been specified as part of a new, automated smart wastebin that is delivering significant cost savings to municipal authorities – as well as helping to keep towns and cities tidier. MR Fill is a unique waste bin which harnesses solar power to drive a compactor that compresses the litter which people feed into it. By reducing down the volume of the rubbish in this way, a typical MR Fill bin can hold up to five times as much as an ordinary standard bin of the same size – which results in far fewer visits being needed to empty it. Some of the numbers involved in the collection of this type of waste are surprising – in Amsterdam the council empties normal bins up to seven times a day, a number that is now massively reduced thanks to the MR Fill solar powered compactor bins. So the advantages seen from this clever design include reduced vehicle emissions by cutting down council truck journeys, less ...

Brainware Solutions needed a safety system for machines that test automotive door trims, which could guarantee a fast-running test routine while giving operators unobstructed, safe access to both test systems, so that they can be loaded and unloaded in time. For a solution, it turned to Pilz, which supplied a PSENscan safety laser scanner, combined with the PNOZmulti 2 configurable small controller, offering effective but not obstructive protection, so enabling minimum test times. Based in Chemnitz, Germany, Brainware Solutions specialises in the manufacture of automated test systems. At the automotive supplier, Brainware Solutions’ test system is part of the production line, and the shortest possible test time is the top priority: only 23 seconds are envisaged for alternately loading and unloading the untested and tested door trims, plus the test itself. The challenge is that the rear access areas also have to be protected. On their own, however, the pair of safety light curtains p...

Transparent plastic packaging is commonly used in the packaging of a wide variety of products. However, it poses a challenge for high-speed automated packaging machinery, which was the challenge faced by a manufacturing packaging medical products. For a solution, it turned to Contrinex’s family of transparent-object detection sensors which utilise UV light. The clear plastic thermoformed blister packs formed in this application are used to hold pharmaceutical and surgical products. They typically comprise a recessed, semi-rigid tray base, vacuum-formed from clear thermoplastic material, into which the product is placed, before it is sealed with a metal or plastic film to provide hygienic packaging. Typically, blister-packaging lines for surgical products operate in sterile conditions and therefore minimal manual intervention is permitted, to minimise the risk of contamination. If defective bases are identified and rejected after forming, the flow of tray bases to the loading station...

Repeated bearing failures on conveyor lines resolved by NSK solution, with significant lifetime extension

Heason Technology’s custom stand-alone motion system designed for project success

myPNOZ from Pilz selected by Micado, even before official launch of modular safety relay

Research project requires rugged and high reliability power system

Solution helps UK manufacturer to streamline and automate its processes

Mclennan solution expands range of benchtop PAT probe simulators

Autonomously driving robotic assistance system for the automated placement of coil creels

High-performance dynamics under harsh machine operating conditions prove winning features for specialist manufacturer

Variohm EuroSensor at heart of novel use for critical health monitoring function on smart beehives

NSK linear guides and rolling bearings smooth path for industrial robots manufacturer

NSK Silver-Lube bearings promise to deliver long service life

Machine and equipment builder Keller opts for heat insulation solution

Optical spine and posture analysis with uEye industrial cameras from IDS

NSK’s NH/NS series’ special surface treatment protects against wear

A newly updated Guide from jbj Techniques provides engineers with a valuable insight into the considerations needed when specifying couplings for power transmission applications ranging from 12Nm to 7,200,000 Nm

Matara supplies converting solutions provider with machine guarding