With technological advancement and growing uncertainty amid the global pandemic, we have adapted to new ways of working, rehashed our priorities and business strategies with safety at the epicenter of our operations. Today, most large industrial companies facing workplace hazards have a devoted health, safety, and environment (HSE) management system that ensures safety for not only the employees but customers as well.
The safety requirements for mining machines are high; a long and complex process ensues before the machine is ready for use. To meet all the necessary safety specifications, the technology “behind it” must be programmed, tested and then installed on the machine.
As we began 2022, global material shortages and rapidly increasing costs have now become the new reality. The types of materials that have suddenly become difficult to procure are wide-ranging and include computer chips for automotive manufacturing, wood for new construction, and electrical components – just to name a few. One of the major material components that affect the cost and availability of wire and cable is copper. This widely used metal, which traditionally has been a volatile commodity, has been steadily increasing in price, which is due to several supply and demand issues.
When choosing a motor for robotics, do you really need to compromise? Kollmorgen looks at three trade-offs commonly encountered when customers select a motor for a robotic application. In this article, they explore these challenges – and provide insights, so you do not necessarily have to make a compromise.
Marine vessel operators are increasingly commissioning electrically powered and controlled bow thrusters as an energy-efficient and environmentally safer alternative to hydraulic-based systems on boats. With 100 per cent more efficiency and little or no environmental hazards such as oil or other contaminants leaking from hydraulic lines, it has become cost-effective to build new or retrofit electric thrusters controlled by variable frequency drives (VFD).
When operating electric motors with frequency converters, undesirable bearing currents often occur that can significantly impact the service life of the rolling contact bearings. Scientists at TU Darmstadt have investigated these bearing currents – and found out that they can be reduced in some cases with the help of screened motor supply cables.
Hydrogen is an increasingly popular energy carrier. It can be readily produced from water using renewable electricity, and it burns without any greenhouse gas emissions. It is colorless, odorless, and does not spill. It’s no wonder there is a great interest in hydrogen engines as a part of destination zero. In this article, Cummins explains how hydrogen fuel can power a vehicle by comparing the similarities and differences between hydrogen and diesel and gas engines and provides some examples of hydrogen engines in mobility and transport.
Stefan Lehnert recently discussed functional safety in hydraulics with Lukas Marschall. In their presentation, How to Successfully Implement the Requirements from Functional Safety on Your Hydraulic System, they consider regulations, product offerings and application examples with respect to hydraulic systems. The IH04 modules are the latest product offering from Bosch Rexroth. These modules are not yet available in North America; however, Bosch Rexroth is exploring how quickly they can make a certification for the US. Still, the applications and information in this article are relevant for those who work on presses or other machines and want to implement functional safety.
A premier manufacturer of moving stage displays for A-list entertainers was tasked with designing an overhead lighting device that transforms from a globe, into individual petals forming a flower. Each “petal” needed to be actuated independently. The entire structure needed to be as lightweight as possible to attach above the stage in diverse locations, and to minimize shipping costs. High ticket prices and large concert revenues at each event required a highly reliable actuator solution with 100% safety and no risk of failure.
ABB has been awarded two major contracts by Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, to provide the electrical systems for two new hydrogen plants in North America, set to collectively produce 60 tons of green hydrogen per day. Green hydrogen is produced with renewable energy sources and emits zero carbon when used as fuel.
Data has always existed in the manufacturing environment – in the temperatures, pressures, sounds, and appearance of machinery – but is has not always been easy to access it. Manufacturing professionals would spend years, if not decades, gaining the expertise that would help them understand the meaning of certain measurements and observations. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) promises to revolutionize this learning process by turning such observations into quantitative trends that can be leveraged for decision-making. Consequently, many manufacturers are eager to figure out the best way to dip their toes into the water of IIoT. In this post, Omron looks at some of the overarching strategies for making the most of this new way of using data.
ABB has released its Sustainability Report 2021, outlining the achievements of the company under the four pillars of its ambitious 2030 sustainability strategy. Some hightlihgts of the report include (1) Strong start to achieving 2030 goals of sustainability strategy, (2) ABB cuts own CO2 emissions by 39% in 2021 vs. baseline year of 2019, and (3) ABB one of the first companies in its industry to disclose the eligibility of its offerings in new sustainability classification system “EU taxonomy”
Servo systems are widely used in many precision applications. While careful deliberation on the optimum servo motor, servo drive, and feedback elements is the norm, the cables that connect the power and feedback are often an afterthought that compromises the desired system performance. The four key specifications that must be considered when choosing the right cable design for a servo system are voltage, current, shielding, and flexibility.
A global manufacturer of sanitary conveyor systems used in food and pharmaceutical industries recently began exploring the next generation of variable frequency drive technologies available to power its platforms. A need for better communications for IoT and remote access, improved quality and reliability, and global access to supplies were critical to ensuring the manufacturer could satisfy its customers. This is where Invertek Drives and its Optidrive E3 NEMA 4X / IP66 range of VFDs came in.
Royal HaskoningDHV is pleased to announce that Schneider Electric is now a global preferred supplier for its Nereda® wastewater treatment solution. As a preferred supplier, Schneider Electric will combine the capabilities of its EcoStruxure™ Automation Expert solution, the world’s first universal automation system, with the Nereda technology to develop the next generation of Nereda Process Control. The control system will improve plant process efficiency and allow wastewater customers to have complete lifecycle management, seamless integration of IT/OT services, and improved system diagnostics for their automation systems. and industrial sites.
In today’s industrial manufacturing space, it’s never one thing. Processes are connected, workflows are unified, and decisions in one arena have ripple effects that can impact an entire industrial ecosystem. No one knows this better than systems integrators, who are tasked with coming up with new and better industrial automation solutions every day.
