Industrial Technology

Shorter lead times for low volume custom aerospace bearings

Carter Manufacturing has signed a distribution agreement with US custom bearing specialist Napoleon Engineering Services (NES) to provide custom engineered bearings in small and medium order quantities and on fast lead times to the aerospace industry and other markets in Europe.

19th May 2016

Just how green is a new green product?

The hand dryer in the toilets in the department store had a small plaque underneath it, which read “It is our policy to invest in new and pioneering technology as part of our carbon reduction commitment.” I pondered this as I dried my hands, which was certainly quick, but how much more quick I wondered than the old hand dryer had been. And while I have no doubt that the new hand dryer was more environmentally friendly than the one it replaced, I did wonder how much more, and whether the carbon advantage of buying and installing the new hand dryer outweighed the carbon penalty of having to manufacture it in the first place.

18th May 2016

Attachment chain is solution for cider maker

Attachment chain manufactured in Renold's UK Service Centre has provided the solution for a leading cider maker. The chain is integral to the conveying system that transports freshly picked apples into a washing machine at the beginning of the cider making process.

18th May 2016

anfoss wins Environmental and Energy Efficiency Award

Drives specialist Danfoss Drives has won the coveted Environmental and Energy Efficiency Award at the inaugural Motion Control Industry Awards held at the National Conference Centre. The organisers recognised Danfoss Drives for generating surplus power from wastewater treatment.

16th May 2016

Magnomatics wins innovation award

Sheffield based magnetic gear manufacturer Magnomatics has won the 2016 Made in Sheffield innovation award at the annual event held to celebrate excellence in manufacturing from across the region. The award recognised two products, Pseudo Direct Drive PDD and MAGSPLIT, both manufactured at Magnomatics’ site in Sheffield.

13th May 2016

Igus receives the ten thousandth readycable order from robotics company

Robotic welding systems have been widely used in large scale automated manufacturing facilities, particularly in the automotive industry, for a number of years. Faced with cost-down pressures from their customers, small metalworking job shops are now starting to consider implementing automation. When the operating costs of robotic welding are compared to manual welding the results are now clearly in favour of the robot. Additional benefits of automating are increased productivity, more consistent welded joints and improved quality.

12th May 2016

Manufacturer keeps UK hydraulics industry alive in Singapore

One of just a handful of UK manufacturing companies still producing hydraulic safety blocks in the UK has just completed a significant order for a major Singapore company; its first major foray into South East Asia, and is already working on another.

6th May 2016

Festo unveils latest projects from its Bionic Learning Network

Festo unveiled two new exciting research projects from its Bionic Learning Network at this year’s Hannover Messe trade fair, taking inspiration from nature to provide fresh impetus for automation technology. FreeMotionHandling is an autonomously airborne assistance system with infinite degrees of freedom. The 3D Cocooner innovatively combines complex lattice structures with “digital fabrication” using additive manufacturing.

5th May 2016

Automated metal-finishing benefits from Igus energy cable management

Manufacturing and processing machinery that handle large, long items, frequently use overhead gantries to transfer the material to, through and from the processing line. Often these gantries have to travel significant distances, whilst requiring electrical cabling to power their motors and sensors. The conventional cable management method is to have the cables mounted above the line using festoons supported by steel rails. As the gantry traverses down the line, it pulls the cables along with it on multiple trolley mechanisms.

4th May 2016

Greater scope for the interior configuration of enclosures

Space is precious when it comes to high packing densities in electrical engineering. Space limitations mean that panel builders and switchgear manufacturers have to accommodate more and more mechanical and electrical components in enclosures. Now, a smart new enclosure accessory from Rittal can provide far greater scope for the interior configuration of compact enclosures.

3rd May 2016

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