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29 March, 2024

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Inductive sensing challenges IR and thermocouples

20 May, 2015

A British technology developer has come up with a novel non-contact way to measure temperatures in applications ranging from steel processing to food production. The patent-pending inductive technique has a temperature sensing range of several hundred degrees and an accuracy of 1°C. Its developers, at The Technology Partnership (TTP), near Cambridge, believe that it could replace existing contact-based methods of measuring heat, such as thermocouples, and non-contact technologies, such as infrared.


Modules will allow drives-makers to support any profile

12 May, 2015

The Swedish industrial communications specialist HMS Industrial Networks has announced an extension to its Anybus CompactCom 40-series that will make it easier for drives manufacturers to comply with profile specifications such as PROFIdrive, EtherCat DS402, and transparent DS402 on other networks.


Rare-earth alloy could slash the cost of motor magnets

07 May, 2015

US researchers have created a new magnetic alloy that, they say, has similar properties to conventional rare-earth magnets but is at least 20–40% cheaper to produce. The material could replace costly high-performance permanent magnets currently used in motors and generators.


PM electric motor comes top in Swedish efficiency tests

06 May, 2015

Tests performed by the Swedish Energy Agency have shown that a 15kW IE4 permanent magnet (PM) motor was 5.9% more efficient than an “IE0” induction motor of a similar rating, while a synchronous reluctance motor was 4.4% more efficient. Curiously, an IE3 induction motor delivered a smaller improvement in efficiency (1.8%) in the tests than an IE2 induction machine (2.4%).


‘First heavy-duty collaborative robot’ can lift 35kg

05 May, 2015

Fanuc claims that it is the first robot manufacturer to produce a heavy-duty robot designed to work safely alongside humans. Its CR-35iA robot can perform tasks involving payloads of up to 35kg without needing the protective guards and fences that have previously been needed for robots with similar lifting capacities.


Contact-free transfer system can transmit 240W across 5mm

29 April, 2015

Weidmüller has developed a contact-free energy transmission system designed specifically for industrial applications. The FreeCon Contactless system uses inductive resonance coupling to transmit up to 240W of power (10A at 24V DC) across an air gap of up to 5mm, with a transmission efficiency of up to 90%.


Wireless sensor and app simplify analysis of machine problems

23 April, 2015

SKF has developed a machine analysis package that combines a Bluetooth-enabled sensor with a powerful mobile app to allow non-experts to gather vibration and temperature data from machines. The Enlight system, which made its debut at the Hannover Fair, can perform on-the-spot assessments or can send the data to SKF experts for analysis.


‘Quantum leap’ in enclosure cooling cuts energy use by 75%

20 April, 2015

The German enclosures giant Rittal has developed a new way of cooling enclosures that it describes a “quantum leap”. Initial results from a pilot installation at Audi are showing energy savings of 75% compared to Rittal’s previous TopTherm Blue e cooling systems. The new Blue e+ system is also claimed to deliver benefits in terms of flexibility, safety and ease of use.


Fixed-speed SynRM motors bring savings to smaller machines

13 April, 2015

At the Hannover Fair, ABB has unveiled a variant of its SynRM (synchronous reluctance) motor technology aimed at fixed-speed applications. Since the SynRM technology was introduced in 2011, it has been applied to variable-speed duties such as pumps, fans, compressors and extruders. But most of the world’s motors still operate at fixed speeds, so ABB argues that the new DOLSynRM motor will allow more users to benefit from the technology.


Festo floats three superconducting ideas at Hannover

10 April, 2015

At next week’s Hannover Fair, Festo will be demonstrating its latest ideas for using superconductor technology in industrial applications. In three different demonstrations, it will show how superconductors can be used: to store and move objects on suspended rollers (in effect, acting as superconducting bearings); to transport workpieces using a rotating helical conveyor shaft; and to achieve contact-free transfer of objects from one automation module to another.


Linear motors power flexible machinery transport system

31 March, 2015

Siemens and Festo have jointly developed a system that uses carriages driven independently by linear motors to transport items around production machinery. The flexible multi-carrier system (MCS) allows machine-builders and manufacturers to adapt their production lines and machines quickly to suit different product sizes and types.


‘First’ FDI tool slashes device integration time to 3 minutes

30 March, 2015

ABB claims that it will be the first automation supplier to offer a device management tool that supports the new FDI (Field Device Integration) specification, announced recently by the FieldComm Group. The first version of ABB’s “Field Information Manager” (FIM) software, which will make its debut at the 2015 Hannover Fair, is claimed to slash device management times from up to 90 minutes, to as little as three minutes.


IoT controller will link future factories via the cloud

30 March, 2015

Mitsubishi Electric is developing an industrial control technology that will use the Internet of Things (IoT) to collect shopfloor data and will link factory sites via the cloud. The IoT Factory Controller is currently being tested and is expected to reach the market in April 2016.


‘Revolutionary’ gearhead wins €100,000 technology award

27 March, 2015

UPDATED: The German motion specialist Wittenstein has won a €100,000 technology award for a new generation of compact, zero-backlash gearheads with independently movable teeth that, it claims, will outperform any previous gearhead technology in terms of torque density, torsional stiffness and energy efficiency. When the Galaxie gearhead is combined with a new high-speed motor and Industry 4.0 connections, it will pave the way to “an entirely new class of drive system”, says the company.


Bionic ants and butterflies head for Hannover

25 March, 2015

At next month’s Hannover Fair in Germany, Festo will unveil the two latest additions to its menagerie of bionic creatures: piezo-powered ants that collaborate with each other to perform tasks; and lightweight butterflies that use an infrared tracking system to fly around freely without colliding with each other.


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