As machines become more complex, efficient motor control solutions are more important than ever. Motor control covers a range of functions, including switching, short-circuit protection, overload protection, and motor management. Moreover, by…
BPX Consumer Packaged Goods News & Insights
Lexium MC12 Multicarrier Compact Material Handling
Traditional manufacturing is going through momentous changes. Buyers want customised products that meet their precise needs, and current manufacturing systems cannot cope with the speed of change. It needs agile and flexible manufacturing solutions…
Redefining Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturing
With rising raw material, energy and labour costs, more consumers are shopping around for value. Unable to increase selling prices by enough to cover these increases makes life more challenging for manufacturers of consumer…
Adapting Production Machines for Sustainable Packaging
According to Omron Automation, one of the biggest challenges facing fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) producers is how to adapt their production to new forms of sustainable packaging.
The key to making a painless transition…
Contactron Speed Starter bridges the Starting divide
Bridging the gap between motor starters and variable speed drives, Phoenix Contact’s latest Contactron speed starter offers the main functions common in a VSD but without the complexity. The device needs no drives expertise…
Embedded Edge Controllers: Advantech Extends Line-up
Building on its successful UNO-100/300 series range of ruggedised embedded edge controllers, Advantech announces three new modules. Using the latest high performance Intel processors, they support factory automation applications like real-time monitoring, data management,…
VSD Energy Saving Payback Times Halved
With the doubling of electricity prices, the payback time for installing variable speed drives (VSDs) has halved. Most VSD energy saving fan and pump applications deliver payback periods of under 18 months. Recent hikes…
Driving Motors to Better Efficiency
Selecting the correct inverter or variable speed drive (VSD) for a motor application delivers both financial and environmental benefits. The latest generations of VSDs provide additional savings and performance advantages when driving motors.
Wayne Turtill,…
How the Affinity Laws deliver Energy Saving for Businesses
With the recent increases in energy prices, it is time to look again at cost effective ways to save electricity. The affinity laws point the way, and it is not an exaggeration to say…
Analytics Software Achieves Unprecedented Productivity
IIoT benefits like faster time to market, optimising workforce knowledge, increasing productivity, lowering downtime and analytics software have taken time to become practical solutions that benefit OEMs. According to Schneider Electric, EcoStruxure Machine…
Surge Protection for Amendment 2 of the 18th Edition
Published on 28 March, Amendment 2 (2022) of the IET Wiring Regulations came into effect immediately. It contains both changes and new requirements. One of the key updates is to Chapter 44 – Protection…
Getting Closer To Robots Improves Safety & Productivity
Over recent years, robots have simplified social distancing and allowed manufacturers to protect human operators whilst maintaining high production throughput. However, getting closer to robots can…
How to Improve Energy Savings and Productivity Together
According to ABB Drives, there are some 10 million electric motors driving production within the UK. They are by far the biggest users of electricity in industry, so controlling…
Radar Sensors: Why are we seeing more in Automation?
Most of us are familiar with passive infrared (PIR) detectors for sensing movement. Popular uses include security applications and controlling lighting in commercial premises to conserve energy. But radar sensors [also known as microwave,…
Businesses given more time to adopt UKCA marking
Following pressure from industry, the UK Government extended the deadline for moving to UKCA marking by one year to 2023. The UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark replaces product safety labelling (CE) used in the…
Advantech’s new AMAX-5580 EtherCat Slice I/O Controller
Industry 4.0 and IIoT are making new demands on industrial automation hardware. Yet many embedded controllers, industrial PCs and single-board computers are not meeting industry needs. They are either too big, too difficult to…
Mitsubishi Smart Plus brings excellent AI benefits to robot users
The pace of development in small production robots is accelerating as new functionality simplifies both integration and operation. The most significant of these is the embedding of artificial intelligence in robotics systems like Smart…
UKCA Marking: Do you know enough about the new standard?
For better or worse the UK leaves the EU on 31st December 2020 at the end of the transition period. This will have a significant impact on electrical standards, certification, CE marking, and UKCA…
Capex-Free Funding Alternatives for Energy Saving Projects
Energy and sustainability projects are gaining momentum amongst corporate leaders, but managers still need a solid rationale to get financial approval. In this article, we tackle this matter and explain, with the help of…
Save Motor Running Costs & Understanding How to Forever
Electronic variable speed drives (VSDs) – also known as inverter drives – find uses throughout building, industrial and process applications. The main reasons for their popularity are to save motor running costs or to…