Industrial Technology

Tension and compression springs: what"s the difference?

How can springs that look so similar be so different? We asked the experts at European Springs to talk us through the key differences between tension springs and compression springs.

21st May 2018

Arriving nowâ€¦ the factories of the future

Factories populated by autonomous vehicles delivering parts and sub-assemblies across the shop floor, robots working alongside human operators to assemble customised products – all scheduled automatically by live orders placed online. While this utopian vision of manufacturing is a long journey for many, there are factories that operate like this right now. So what do we need in order to make it happen? Barry Weller, product manager at Mitsubishi Electric provides his view.

21st May 2018

The challenges of vertical integration in smart factories

A study by Gartner suggests that manufacturers are keener than ever to begin vertically integrating enterprise and IT technologies, like enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, sensors and the cloud, with traditional operational machinery. Lee Sullivan of Copa-Data explains the advantages and challenges of vertical integration.

21st May 2018

Managing the customer"s expectations in Industry 4.0

Jonathan Wilkins of European Automation explains how manufacturers can manage a customer’s expectations in the Industry 4.0 era.

21st May 2018

Practical tips for Industry 4.0

Companies are beginning to appreciate and embrace the concept of industrial digitalisation and the potential it offers to improve production efficiencies, reduce cost and be more responsive to customer demands. However, many businesses struggle to understand how to begin the transformation.

21st May 2018

Industry 4.0: we need to look at the smaller picture

The debate around Industry 4.0 is too theoretical and risks leaving lower tier suppliers and smaller manufacturers behind, according to industrial services provider Eriks UK and Ireland. The warning comes in the wake of the ‘Made Smarter Review’, published late last year, which outlined an initial strategy to engage government and industry in harnessing Industry 4.0 by 2030.

21st May 2018

Simplified analytics for industrial productivity

Industrial organisations must be able to quickly identify ways to tighten production schedules and maximise revenue. Gaining insight into operations and production capabilities to make informed decisions has often involved time-intensive IT projects and a highly specialised skillset. Rockwell Automation has expanded the FactoryTalk Analytics portfolio, a robust advanced analytics environment that empowers users with the ability to quickly and confidently make informed decisions. These latest advancements were developed to reduce the complexity of the operations environment for manufacturers and producers and their employees who are driving operations.

21st May 2018

Three basic things every production line should tell you

No matter what size your production facility is there are some simple stats that every manager needs to know. The first of these is how many you made: counting finished goods is the starting point for productivity calculations. Counting can be automated with an off the shelf sensor and a remote IO device. By using a remote IO device data can be sent directly to an application, such as ERP software and integrated into reporting.

21st May 2018

Demonstrator platform advances Industry 4.0

The SmartFactoryKL consortium is a network set up in Germany consisting of more than 45 organisations, including Minitec, from industry and research. The partners perform research and development projects related to Industry 4.0 and the factory of the future. The work ranges from developing their vision and preparing descriptions all the way to industrial implementation.

21st May 2018

Connecting systems in the age of the IIoT

The use of communications middleware to automate diverse device-to-device communications is not a new concept; however, today’s software systems are efficient, flexible and ideal for ensuring that industrial equipment communicates reliably. Nick Pridham of Hamersham Automation Software discusses how such programmes can save businesses time, money and resources through streamlining the communications process across a range of industrial uses.

21st May 2018