More than 3,000 peer-reviewed papers indexed on Google Scholar now reference THINKY Mixers. More important than the number itself is what it represents. Twenty years after Intertronics introduced THINKY Mixers to the UK and Ireland, thousands of independent researchers continue to select and trust this planetary centrifugal mixing technology to solve challenging materials problems and support tomorrow's manufacturing innovations.

Although the case for investment in industrial automation and robotics is strong, in the current climate of corporate belt-tightening, many automation projects don't make it off the drawing board because of the perceived high upfront investment. Oliver Selby, Head of Sales, FANUC UK, reframes the cost of robotics.

From the resistance of a control knob to the feel of a handle, Rencol Components explores how seemingly minor design decisions can have a major influence on perceptions of quality.

Industrial gear units have to be robust. Under demanding ambient conditions, they move extremely heavy loads and ensure the availability of applications such as container cranes, belt conveyor systems in quarries or fermenters in biogas plants. Industrial gear units from NORD DRIVESYSTEMS' MAXXDRIVE series ensure this with their robust design and application-specific adaptability.

TPL Vision introduces the next evolution in industrial illumination: the High Power Strobe Bar Light (HPS), the brightest and most powerful bar light ever developed by the company.

Mounting a robot arm on a movable base, known as a 7th axis, adds flexibility, enhances collaboration and provides collision protection. A 7th axis is, however, a high-precision system, and maximising productivity from it requires close consideration of where and how you mount it, and application-specific factors such as the availability of collision detection systems and the number of linear guides used, as the experts at Thomson Industries explain.

TPL Vision introduces the TPL-CONTROL-1, a powerful new external illumination controller that expands the flexibility of machine vision lighting. More than just a controller, the TPL-CONTROL-1 forms the foundation of TPL Vision's new External Control (EC) product family, enabling a wide range of proven illumination products to benefit from advanced, configurable lighting control.

PI (Physik Instrumente) offers the P-733 XYZ piezo nanopositioning stage, delivering 0.1 nm positioning resolution for demanding applications in super-resolution microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface nanometrology, and advanced imaging.

Now available with full support from Mclennan, Applied Motion Products' (AMP) newly launched DIN rail mountable AK series drives offer a choice of open-loop stepper, closed-loop stepper, or full closed-loop servo motion control in a compact feature-rich package in combination with NEMA 11 to NEMA 34 frame motors operating from 24–48 VDC power.

John Mackey, Head of Automation Sales, WAGO UK & Ireland, explores the benefits of interoperable technology in automation modernisation.