Automation Parts

Marzocchi Pompe has produced a system of radial sealing at the shaft that is claimed to be able to bear enormous internal over-pressures without resulting in damage. This radial sealing is useful in single-direction hydraulic motors when, in certain conditions of use, high over-pressures will be generated at the motor output. With bi-directional motors, the area adjacent to the seal ring of the drive-shaft is maintained at atmospheric pressure by the drainage circuit. In single-direction motors, this area is directly connected to the output so any over-pressure impacts directly on the seal ring, causing the lip to turn over or the ring to be expelled from its seat with a consequent leakage of fluid. These products can also be supplied complete with anti-cavitation valves. The motors are supplied with an internal drainage circuit. In this case, the hydraulic motor always drains inside with a lower pressure; the combination of this product with a high-performance sealing ring increases...

New Scale Technologies has introduced the Squiggle RV reduced-voltage linear drive system, which consists of an SQL-RV-1.8-6-12 Squiggle motor and an NSD-2101 drive ASIC. It is a miniature piezo motor drive solution with a driver chip that is smaller than the motor and driven directly from battery power as low as 2.3VDC, without the need for a voltage boost. The Squiggle RV motor is New Scale's next-generation piezo micro motor, using multi-layer piezo technology from TDK-EPC to reduce the input-voltage requirements of the motor. The NSD-2101 driver was developed for this new motor in partnership with Austriamicrosystems using advanced integrated-circuit (IC) designs and patented control systems. This smart IC measures 1.8 x 1.8mm and drives the Squiggle RV motor directly, without the need for an external boost circuit. The Squiggle RV linear drive system is more than five times smaller and uses 40 per cent less power than comparable electromagnetic linear drive systems, accordi...

Vehicle Power System Uses Mattei Vane Technology Mattei is demonstrating the durability and energy efficiency of vane technology through a partnership with Winton Engineering. Winton's onboard-power system utilises the power of a vehicle's engine to drive auxiliary tools and equipment. These modular systems utilise the Mattei vane compressor and can be supplied with a 6kW 110/240V generator. The complete module is powered through the Winton Drive Line Power Take Off (DLPTO). Winton systems are installed under the vehicle and deliver compressed air up to 160cfm. These systems are installed on a range of vehicles and are predominantly used by civil-engineering and utilities companies to power equipment such as road drills, breakers and site lighting. Andy Gear, Winton Engineering, said: 'We chose Mattei compressors as we believe vane-compressor technology is more efficient than traditional screw- or piston-driven compressors; it reduces the demand on the vehicle's eng...

Linear-Rail System Has Self-Adjusting Mechanism The SBI range from Jena Tec offers low noise and high rigidity, coupled with a smooth movement and self-adjusting mechanism. According to the company, an increase of load-carrying capacities of up to 40 per cent can be achieved compared to standard block and rail systems. Compared to conventional linear rail cross sections, the SBI range is approximately 10 per cent lower, with a wider through section of nearly 20 per cent, Jena said. Its improved lower cross-sectional centre point offers greater structural rigidity, improved straightness during manufacturing and straightness in application. Heat treated to HRC60, the SBI range is highly stable, while shorter cross-sectional areas mean grinding time and plastic deformation are reduced. Linear blocks are constructed from a hardened-steel rigid structure with the same lower cross-section centre as the rail and slightly longer block length meaning a greater number of balls with a smooth ...

Fanuc Robots Automate Green Pallet-Handling System Fanuc Robotics has revealed that two of its robots are being used in a Green Solutions system that manufactures pallets made from paper pulp. The manufacturing process is automated from the input stage, where the paper is in a slurry form, right through to the output stage where the finished pallet is ready for use. Central to the process are two Fanuc Robotics robots, which handle the mould and moulded pallet and also control the system process. Green Solutions supplies the complete manufacturing system to businesses requiring either one-way or multi-transport pallet use for their product deliveries. As systems can be supplied anywhere in the world, sourcing a reliable handling solution for the moulding process was important as it forms the core of the process. Samey, an Icelandic automation business, worked with Green Solutions to design the handling system. Thorkell Jonsonn, managing director of Samey, said: 'Robots were the...

Alumasc Waterproofing System Specified For Academy Derbigum waterproofing membrane and Harmer roof outlet drainage systems from Alumasc have been installed at the Harris Academy in London. Alumasc's Technical Support Team worked in close partnership on the project to make Harris Academy the latest addition to Alumasc's portfolio of successful high-profile academy projects. Alumasc's high performance Derbigum Waterproofing Membrane was specified for the building, helping to meet a late challenge set by Croydon Council, who requested a 10 per cent reduction in carbon emissions throughout the construction process. Derbigum Mineral Grey was installed which offers flexibility and ease of application. Derbigum Mineral is a BBA approved 4mm membrane with a protective mineral finish available in five surface options. It is manufactured under the ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Standard, meeting the Council's sustainability requirements. In addition, the system is fire r...

Gerflor Provides Sports Flooring System The National Sports Centre in Milton Keynes has upgraded the playing surface with a Gerflor Taraflex Sport floor adhered to an Isolsport isolating membrane. The Isolsport sits free, floating on the existing wooden sprung floor and the Taraflex is installed on top. This offers the high standard of floor required for the elite players whilst lowering the risk of sporting injuries. Taraflex Sport M Plus has a triple action Protecsol surface treatment for an optimum grip/slide compromise and is friction burn-free. It also benefits from dual density foam with a stabilising layer to ensure effective foot hold and user comfort.

Vent-Axia has expanded its range of residential mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems. Vent-Axia has added to its established Sentinel Kinetic range with the launch of the high efficiency Sentinel Kinetic Plus. The Sentinel Kinetic Plus is designed for larger newbuild properties and light commercial applications and supplies a maximum airflow of 400m3/hr at 150Pa. The Sentinel Kinetic Plus is a SAP Appendix Q eligible ventilation solution capable of up to 92 per cent heat recovery. It helps to reduce the DER of new build properties and deliver points in the Code for Sustainable Homes. This MVHR system combines supply and extract ventilation in one unit. The unit's energy saving Vent-Axia Lo-Watt DC motors further improve its efficiency and carbon reducing capabilities. The Sentinel Kinetic Plus boasts an Specific Fan Power (SFP) as low as 0.49w/l/s. The Sentinel Kinetic Plus is lightweight with low noise levels and is suitable for cupboard or loft installation...

The Chick One-Lok CNC vice system has been added to 1st Machine Tool Accessories' (1st MTA's) portfolio of high-productivity machining equipment. Developed to meet the speed, precision and flexibility demanded by modern CNC machining operations, One-Lok is said to eliminate the shortcomings of standard knee-type milling machine vices. With a maximum grip of up to 17in (432mm), One-Lok incorporates Chick's Boltfast interchangeable jaw system, which enables soft or hard jaws to be replaced with a single turn of a locking screw, to provide locational repeatability of 0.0008in (0.02mm). Machining accuracy is further enhanced by the unit's 'squeeze' clamping configuration, which applies an equal and opposite internal force to the fixed jaw as the moving jaw closes - providing virtually deflection-free component clamping with a maximum retaining force of 10,000lbf. In operation, the vice also imparts a pull-down action to the workpiece for increased security and pr...

Ethernet Direct has introduced the Falcon FWO-800: an industrial 2.4GHz 802.11b/g outdoor wireless mesh system. The Falcon FWO-800 is a cost-effective layer-two wireless mesh product; it comes with a single radio work in 2.4GHz band, two sets of SSID and time division for backhaul and AP operations simultaneously. It comes with a WMM option to enhance user performance and density QoS, supporting bandwidth priority to voice (voice over internet protocol) and image (surveillance/IPTV). The device can be deployed for mobile applications and outdoor and indoor applications, such as city areas, factory plants, communities, campuses, parks, camps, hotels, malls, condos and offices.

United States Patent No 7,596,419 has been assigned to SGS North America's positive material identification inspection system. The original application was filed in 2005 and after an extensive examination process the patent was published by the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office on 29 September 2009. SGS now has a protected inspection system that was created to satisfy client requirements with regard to retro positive material identification (PMI). SGS clients use the PMI system to determine the alloy composition of piping and vessel materials in order to verify that only the correct materials are being used for their intended service. This SGS product is said to increase the effectiveness of the inspection process and enhance the usefulness of the collected data while ensuring higher levels of accuracy and completeness. The SGS system links CAD drawings, a PMI database, field load sheets and third-party commercial data loggers. It enables pre-selection of required ins...

Cooling System Could Save Energy Costs A cooling system launched by data centre design-and-build company TKR Data Centres, could save a UK-based enterprise around GBP370,000 a year in energy costs. The company commissioned TKR to design and construct a proof of concept for the cooling system, named Cryocentrix, within a test area of its data centre. The results were successful and the system is now being made available industry wide. 'Extensive testing and verification of performance took place over several months as adjustments and refinements were made to enhance the performance of the systems and controls,' said a spokesperson from TKR. 'A PUE of between 1.1 and 1.52 was achieved in a variety of conditions. 'If these methods were applied to the whole of the data centre, savings in the region of GBP370,000 per year in energy costs could be anticipated,' added the spokesperson. This level of efficiency is achieved by reducing the power consumed by all element...

Terminal Block Features Internal Jumper System Wago Corporation's 805 Series side-entry PCBs are designed to simplify wiring via push-in and push-button-actuated terminations. Available in standard 2-pole to 24-pole configurations, the 805 Series PCB blocks feature 3.5mm pin spacing for conductors AWG 24-16 and are UL/CUL certified at 300V/10A. The 805 Series also offers an internal factory-installed jumper system for commoning, conserving conductor capacity in high-density applications. The 805 Series PCB blocks reduce wiring times via push-in terminations for solid conductors or stranded conductors with ferrules. Terminating stranded conductors is also simple: depress the on-unit pushbutton with a screwdriver to open the clamping unit, insert conductor and release. Conductor entries are 0deg (parallel to PCB), and an optional test port provides hands-free troubleshooting with direct contact to current bar for accurate readings. Ultra-compact spring pressure connection techn...

NI Toolkit Helps Expand Test-System Documentation National Instruments has announced the NI Teststand ATML Toolkit to help engineers expand test-system component interoperability and increase test-system documentation. The Automatic Test Markup Language (ATML) is an IEEE standard, consisting of XML document formats that describe different aspects of a test system. The toolkit adds support for the ATML Testdescription standard and improves support for the ATML Testresults standard in NI Teststand. It can be downloaded from the National Instruments Services Resource Center and is available for free to customers who have the current Standard Service Program. With the toolkit, developers can reduce development and maintenance time by automating tasks such as generating code templates based on ATML Testdescription documents, applying changes in ATML Testdescription documents to existing test sequences and increasing the amount of useful information included in reports. The toolkit can...

Active Andon System Reduces Downtime Gemba has launched the Active Andon system, providing a fully flexible and user-configurable LCD display, real-time alerts via text/email, and a historical reporting function. A user-programmable LCD display shows whatever data is required, and can be changed at any time. Off-the-shelf delivery of LCD displays of all sizes means no long waits for equipment to arrive. If there is a problem, messages and alerts are displayed on the Andon board, and it is automatically escalated to senior staff via email or text. Alerts based on any aspect of the production process are automatically triggered. A closed-loop process ensures problems are resolved quickly and effectively, so that downtime and maintenance stoppages are minimised. All data is available for review and analysis on a PC. The wireless system allows the user to put button boxes in any location; supervisors can move around the shop floor and take a button box with them. Minimal cabling mean...

Stahl Releases Fieldbus Power Supply System Stahl has expanded the ISbus range, adding a modular Fieldbus power supply system that provides up to 28V and 500mA for Foundation Fieldbus H1 segments, and allows for redundant supply. In Boost mode, a parallel connection of two power supplies enables users to continuously supply the bus with up to 1A, providing sufficient power reserves even for special Fieldbus applications. An integrated basic diagnosis function monitors each segment for line faults, reporting these via a potential-free relay contact and indicating them via a red Error LED. The activation of the integrated switchable Fieldbus terminator is clearly indicated by a yellow LED. The units can be installed on a DIN rail or clicked into place on special bus carriers. On each bus carrier, up to eight segments with a standard supply or four segments with a redundant supply are connected to a host via optional precon-figured system cables. The bus carrier can be operated with...

DSK Orders Pullmax 720 Punching System DSK Engineering has placed an order with Pullmax, valued at more than GBP300,000, for a 720 punching system. This comes after a long-term customer told Dave Jordan, managing director of Pontefract-based subcontractor DSK Engineering, that it had plans to put a growth plan in place by the end of June 2009, if not sooner. Jordan decided to make some decisions regarding investment in capital equipment so that DSK could continue providing this customer with good-quality products and services. DSK is an existing user of laser technology, but it was apparent that the next investment would need to complement laser cutting in order to deal with the range of specifications and materials outlined by its customer. Jordan decided that modern CNC punching technology would provide DSK with the additional dimension required. He contacted Coventry-based Pullmax in March 2009 and, following an initial assessment of the company's requirements, a visit was s...

NMB-Minebea Benefits From Aqua-Save 30 System A wastewater treatment system from Aqua-Save Technologies, part of Mecwash Systems, is helping a UK manufacturer of aerospace bearings enhance its environmental performance and save processing costs. The use of an Aqua-Save 30 at NMB-Minebea UK's Lincoln factory has helped to address a waste product disposal requirement that results from a key part of its manufacturing processes. Stuart Haysman, health, safety and environmental officer at the site, said: 'We undertake a wide range of processing operations including machining, plating, grinding and anodising and, in many cases, products pass through a "rumbling" phase - a vibratory process that enhances the surface finish of each product. 'This requires significant amounts of water that, inevitably, become contaminated with oil, metal "fines", detergent and media dust, which, in turn, calls for a suitable disposal process. 'Conventionally, this has s...

Ultrasonics Testing System Has USB Interface The USLT 2000 ultrasonic testing system from GE Sensing And Inspection Technologies is now supplied with a USB interface. This replaces the former PCMCIA card interface and will ensure universal connectivity with standard PCs. The modification will allow users, especially those carrying out spot-weld checks in the automotive sector, to achieve easier connectivity between USLT 2000 ultrasonic equipment and standard PC notebooks. The USLT 2000 is an ultrasonic dialogue instrument that has been specially developed for testing the variety of welds, bondings and solders used in the automotive industry. It features purpose-designed software to provide universal evaluation options for detected indications to meet both national and international test specifications. It also offers high-resolution display of results for rapid sentencing. Inspectors in the automotive sector are increasingly using notebooks without a PCMCIA interface, which has n...

Thomas Updates Baccus Stock-Control System Thomas Micro Systems has introduced version 3.0 of the Baccus Manufacturing Control system, which provides ease of use to small and medium-sized manufacturers. Baccus is an integrated stock control/order processing/MRP system covering: stock control (raw materials and bought-in components), assemblies, purchase-order processing, sales-order processing, work orders and quotations. Baccus can automatically plan work orders and purchase orders from sales orders, ensuring the manufacture only of what is needed and that materials are ordered in the optimum quantities at the optimum time to fulfil those orders. Baccus also keeps track of actual costs against estimated costs for each work order.