Industrial Technology

What to consider when setting up a dispensing application

When purchasing dispensing equipment for an adhesives process, part of the decision making will include return on investment (ROI). Here Kevin Cook, technical manager at adhesives specialist Intertronics, discusses how ROI can be achieved from an investment in dispensing equipment and automation.

6th September 2021

Fastener challenges for hybrid and electric vehicles

In 2021, the UK replaced France as Europe’s second largest electric car market, after 31,800 new electric vehicles were sold in the first three months of the year. As emissions legislation tightens, government incentives increase and demand spirals, manufacturers are rapidly scaling up their electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid vehicle manufacturing. Here Justin Lawrence, applications engineer at TFC, discusses the challenges when producing hybrid and electric vehicles and explains how they can be overcome.

2nd September 2021

Intertronics busts the 365nm myth

To help businesses looking to adopt LED UV curing in their assembly processes, adhesives specialist Intertronics has launched a new whitepaper: Moving to UV LED curing, the 365 nm myth — a dance between physics and chemistry. The comprehensive whitepaper gives an overview of UV curing materials and technology, to provide the reader with insight into the difference between mercury arc and LED UV curing and guidance of how to manage this in their own processes. The whitepaper is available for free on the Intertronics website here.

1st September 2021

EAO extends switch range into Industry 4.0 arena

The trend towards digitisation of Human Machine Interfaces in the industrial sector is leading OEMs to adopt radically new approaches to machinery design and manufacture. At the same time, digitisation is creating an even more intensive working environment for operators of the equipment. Mindful of these requirements HMI specialist EAO has introduced a new family of capacitive switches that enable new generations of digital machine systems to be intelligently connected via an IO link controller to higher level bus systems or a programmable logic controller (PLC).

23rd August 2021

World record attempt sponsored by Eurobond Adhesives

Sittingbourne based Eurobond Adhesives has announced that it is sponsoring 19 year old Zara Rutherford in her attempt to become the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world.

16th August 2021

TFC expands specialist parts capabilities to meet growing customer demand

Fastening supply chain service expert TFC has expanded its global sourcing capabilities to make it easier for its customers to access parts from high-quality specialist suppliers. This means manufacturers can pass the challenge of sourcing and stocking bulk order custom produced components to TFC. The components can be delivered just in time to production lines, to improve processes, increase efficiency and reduce overheads.

26th July 2021

Consider fasteners at the earliest stages of a design

When John F. Kennedy visited the NASA Space Center in 1962, he introduced himself to the cleaner and asked what he was doing. The cleaner replied “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.” There are parallels in manufacturing, where every person, regardless of their function, and every component, regardless of its size, contributes to a larger picture. Wayne Corcoran of vendor managed inventory (VMI) provider TFC, explains how considering C-class component supply early can set manufacturers up for success.

26th July 2021

Locking solution transforms cargo bike into smart carrier

Established in 2017 in the Netherlands, Paztir is a specialist in access management, track and trace and smart locking systems for urban delivery optimisation. It provides a competitive solution that can transform any cargo bike or light electric vehicle into an enhanced, smart delivery vehicle, ideal to support the growth in city-based logistics. In an industry where delivery boxes are opened and closed an average of 300 times per day, Paztir’s smart access solutions save up to 50 minutes a day for one vehicle.

26th July 2021

New Igus module predicts the service life of machines and manufacturing systems

Motion plastics leader Igus has developed a new predictive maintenance device, a new home for the software to power its smart plastics products – the i.Cee:local module. The module calculates the remaining service life of the energy chain, cable, linear guide and/or plain bearings during their operation. By doing this, the service life of the system can be optimised, faults are detected and rectified at an early stage, and more accurate maintenance can be planned in advance. The module monitors abrasion, measures tensile/push force and provides information about an impending overload in the energy chain or plastics system, using smart plastics sensors from Igus. It can be integrated over Ethernet or over a local network.

26th July 2021

Creating Digital Twins is quicker and error-free thanks to Festo

Festo has developed an award-winning online catalogue that provides designers with a time-saving tool kit and prepares the way for the creation of an Asset Administration Shell, or Digital Twin, for their machines. Preparing technical data for incorporation into Asset Administration Shells will become increasingly important for designers in the future, but the ability to collate complex data quickly and accurately also has relevance today in responding to the pressures and constraints of working under lockdown and recovery conditions.

26th July 2021