Industrial Technology

Servo tuning tools: time versus frequency domain

Motion controllers are abundant on the market, many claim to offer tools that ‘magically’ setup, tune and produce optimum performance for a servo system. What tools are available for the machine builder or system integrator that will allow closed loop servo systems to achieve obtain setup and a high performance and stable system?

24th October 2016

Hands up if you know one robot arm from another

What determines the choice of palletising robot to handle product X at point Y on the line? Andrew Armstrong of FANUC UK picks out some of the criteria that users should consider in order to specify the best robot for the job.

24th October 2016

Robot vision aids food product inspection

Collaborative robots are aiding productivity as food and drink manufacturers safe guard their quality, as Earl Yardley of Industrial Vision Systems explains.

24th October 2016

Harder, better, faster

Adoption of robotics holds the promise of significantly improved productivity, but does the technology always live up to that promise? The anwer quite often is that robot productivity could often be improved. Users will detail their experiences of unplanned downtime due to out of sync communication between robots or PLCs; they will talk about the significant amount of time needed to reset after a stop in production; they will tell you about maintenance intervals driven by time rather than true condition-based monitoring. They may also talk about the large footprint robotic cells require due to fencing requirements. They may even tell you about material jams and need for human interaction requiring power off on the cell.

24th October 2016

Robot programming via PLC is key in food plant

A collaboration between motion control and robotics specialist Yaskawa and a leading intralogistics and packaging company has resulted in the development of an automatic robot-based palletising cell which takes robotics handling to new levels of sophistication. The food logistics system developed by MPS Food Logistics Systems based in the Netherlands features a Profinet interface which enables the Motoman handling robotic system from Yaskawa to be programmed and operated via a Siemens TIA portal.

24th October 2016

How to extend bearing life

Chris Rehmann of AES Seal discusses the preventative steps that can be taken to avoid bearing failure.

24th October 2016

Dispelling the myths about linear guidance systems

Many engineers are comfortable with rotary bearing technology but view linear as complicated and over-engineered with complex maintenance requirements. Bob Love of Schaeffler UK dispels the common myths about linear bearing technology.

24th October 2016

Actuator switch delivers 89% energy savings

A switch from pneumatic to electric actuation has provided huge energy savings for a Danish fabrics plasticator.

24th October 2016

Current affairs: dynamic motor testing

Your electric motors are already producing a rich stream of information on their own health, and that of the wider machine; you just need to know how to read the signs, says Michael Herring of SKF.

24th October 2016

William Hughes buys new welding cells

William Hughes has announced that it has invested over £1/4 million in a high technology twin robot welding cell. The new welding cell was supplied by Bauromat with Fanuc robots, all installed at William Hughes new UK headquarters in Stalbridge, Dorset. The unit features advanced weld monitoring and recording ensuring that the highest standards of quality and consistency are maintained for customers.

24th October 2016

Design Engineering

Servo tuning tools: time versus frequency domain

Hands up if you know one robot arm from another

Robot vision aids food product inspection

Harder, better, faster

Robot programming via PLC is key in food plant

How to extend bearing life

Dispelling the myths about linear guidance systems

Actuator switch delivers 89% energy savings

Current affairs: dynamic motor testing

William Hughes buys new welding cells