Industrial Technology

Calculating the estimated fatigue life of a disc spring

Disc springs are extremely useful components in a wide range of applications, being able to be statically loaded either continuously or intermittently, or dynamically subjected to continuous load cycling. And they can be used singly or in multiples, stacked parallel, in series or in a combination thereof. But perhaps what makes them unique is that, based on standardised calculations, the deflection for a given load is predictable and the minimum life cycle can be determined. Here we look at how.

28th May 2019

Custom valve springs increase safety in saturation diving

A valve spring is a critical component in a new system that meets the needs for more advanced ‘bailout technologies’ to provide divers with an extended supply of emergency breathing gas in the even of a primary failure, delivering 45 minutes of emergency life support at a depth of 120 metres.

28th May 2019

New starting points for building a smart food factory

The ultimate goal of the smart factory is appealing, but the journey can seem daunting, especially in sectors such as food and beverage where margins are tight. But taking the first steps can be easier than you might think.

28th May 2019

Autonomous mobile robots support a lean approach to operations

The fast and easy integration of autonomous mobile robots make them capable of adding new efficiencies almost immediately. With low initial costs and fast optimisation of processes, they offer fast return on investment – often in less than six months.

28th May 2019

Electronics add intelligence to plastics for longer life

Igus has been steadily adding smart capabilities to its plastics portfolio, and now it has enhanced its range by adding more intelligence for longer service life and low cost automation.

28th May 2019

Cyber security meets real-time control

An integrated-systems approach to factory automation promises much, but also opens the industrial environment to challenges already familiar in the IT space.

24th April 2019

Fieldbus modules with IO-Link master

The new range of Fieldbus modules with IO-Link master functionality from IFM Electronic are designed to meet the demands for ever-increasing levels of intelligent sensing and control to facilitate the drive toward increasingly sophisticated automation and IT. These robust, decentralised modules are Industry 4.0 ready and enable connectivity of sensors to PLCs via the fieldbus and securely to the IT infrastructure via a separate IoT port.

24th April 2019

Secure remote access solution

The new Secomea SiteManager 35xx series from X-STK with its distinctive green interface panel, offers secure remote access and data collection all in one unit. It also introduces some useful new features, making this a versatile package, ideal for machine builders and integrators.

24th April 2019

Low cost configurable IoT data capture

Beam has introduced the highly-configurable, 8-channel BMeasure-125i. While this innovative product is aimed at Internet of Things (IoT) developments, its capability and generous range of features also targets broader laboratory, industrial and remote sensing applications. The BMeasure-125i is an IoT data capturing and logging unit for real world data, featuring eight analogue and eight digital channels. Host connection is via USB, Ethernet, WiFi or RS-485 interfaces. Speeds of the 24-bit ADC run to 125ksps, delivering fully differential synchronous sampling. The BMeasure-125i is able to run from a variety of power sources.

24th April 2019

Investment in state-of-the-art CNC Lathe expands manufacturing capacity

Leicester-based gas spring and damper solutions manufacturer Camloc Motion Control has continued the growth of its manufacturing and product development arm following significant investment in a second CNC Lathe.

21st March 2019